AN AUCKLAND TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3959, 28 January 1930, Page 56

AN AUCKLAND TRAGEDY.

DEMENTED PARENT’S ACTION. FATHER AND CHILD DEAD. AUCKLAND, January 24. Demented by the thought of pending divorce proceedings, George Daniel Dana° ford, aged 29, a naval rating, living at Kiwi road, Dcvonport, last night killed himself by gas poisoning and took his only child, Dennis, aged three years, to death with him. Stilling gas fumes filled the house when the police forced thier way through the front door, which was strongly barricaded with furniture, about 1 o’clock this morning. In the kitchen Danaford was found with his head in an oven. About three feet away, surrounded with toys, with which he had been playing t rrn c ... I. : 1 ,

Stilling gas fumes filled the house when the police forced thier way through the front door, which was strongly barricaded with furniture, about 1 o’clock this morning. In the kitchen Danaford was found with his head in an oven. About three feet away, surrounded with toys, with which he had been playing when the gas fumes overcame him. lay the child face downwards. Note's scrawled on the pages of a school drawing book, stating that he intended to kill himself and take the child with him, were left by Danaford. Messages were also left on the joker and three of hearts from a pack of playing cards. For some months, it is stated, there had been unhappiness in the Danaford home, and the man and his wife had been separated at intervals. About a week ago Mrs Danaford left him to live with Mr H. Bolton and his family, whose home is at the foot of Cautley road, only 50 yards from Danaford’s house. Last evening Danaford called at 80l ton’s to take the child Dennis to the pictures. When he had not brought the child back by 10.45, Mr Bolton went round to Danaford’s house, but could get no answer to his knocks. Not long afterwards. fearing that Danaford may have carried out a threat which he had made, Mr Bolton called the police, who forced their way into the house a few minutes before 1 a.m. Danaford and the child were dead. Danaford had died some hours before the child, and it is thought that, without touching the child, he kept, his head in the oven until he was overcome.

Many causes contributed to the unhappiness of the Danaford home. Charges were made by Danaford against his wife in notes which he left, and it is also stated that trouble arose when he wanted to take several shipmates to his home for a party. There had been arguments over previous parties, and it was when Danaford announced his intention about a week ago of bringing other sailors to the house that Mrs Danaford left him. Only a day or two later he threatened the mother and her child, stating his intentions to Mr Bolton. There were occasions, too, when a police constable had been called into the home through Mrs Danaford’s fear of her husband.

A few days ago a neighbour stated that, she intended telling the commander of H.M.S. Philomel, to whom Danaford was steward, that he was not treating his wife properly, and that they were going to seek a divorce. Danaford is reported to have said: “If you do that there will be murder.” It is obvious that when Danaford called for the child he had no intention of taking him to the pictures, nor, as he said, “to buy him an ice cream.” The man had been dead at least four hours when he was found.

“ Tiie most beautiful little chap you could wish to meet,” was the description of the child Dennis given by more than one of the neighbours. “ He was a goodlooking child and was always bright. He played with the other children round here, and often used to go and visit older people in their homes. He was a favourite with everyone.” It is unquestionable that when Danaford wrote the notes and the messages on the playing cards he was not men tally normal. His grammar and his spelling were imperfect, and on more than one occasion he contradicted himself. Visions of an after life were expressed in language which could hardly be understood. On the three of hearts was scrawled the sinister message, “ Your death sign, Mrs Danaford,” while on the joker from the same pack was another reference in which the man dis-

played the workings of his mind. One of the notes and the two cards were found on the table of the kitchen, while the other note was concealed behind a picture on the wall.

The only sign of disorder found bv the police when they entered the house was a pile of furniture which had been used as a barricade behind the front door, ■the house, containing four rooms, was very clean and all the rooms were tidily kept. The two front rooms were locked and all the windows were shuttered. A number of naval hats were found in the room. Surrounding the dwelling were well-kept garden beds and lawns. ° George Daniel Danaford was 29 years o age and a naval officers’ steward, first-class. He joined the navy for home tiT'v f nd was transferred to the New Zealand station a year later. He was on the Chatham in 1920 and afterwards on the Dunedin and the Diomede. His last ship was the Philomel, where he was steward to Commander Nelson. . Commander Clover stated this morning that Danaford had an excellent record. He was a good steward and attended to his duties well. He was inclined to be a little forgetful, but n an' 1 ’n° m r that hc was a first-class Zi , rße C° nimal,der knew that Danaaffairs iad been tronbled over domestic f i >v IIC a ", intervi « w with me yesterday morning,” said Commander Clover and asked me to advise him concerning a pending divorce suit. He wanted to know what the costs would be and Uiat & 1 ° 1 that S ° rt ‘ 1 infor,D ed him nr™ \- liad n ,° ac( l l,ai 'itance with such Proceedings, but I referred him to an Auckland firm of solicitors, and I personally telephoned one of the principals I said that Danaford was goiJm sult him and asked the lawver to do perred h to C ° Ul<1 f h ‘ m ’ Danaf °rd appeared to me to be quite normal ” P Evidence that Danaford had ill-treated Ins ui.e was given at the inquest which Hunt^M 1 the 9Or ° ner (Mr F ’ K -

Henry Bolton (an engineer), ]i vin „ at Cautley street, Devon port, said h? had known the family for the last threo year S Danaford’s 'wife eame to live hm Hy f la a‘ Wednesda y morning. Mrs Danaford said she had left her h WT nd ’• X?Cau ? e he llad iH-treated nei. Witness s wife visited the D-’na-ford house on January 15 and found Mrs wPh at hrLJ| yiIIS thC H °° r "'’eonsemus, with blood coming from her mouth. Since that date Mrs Danaford had staved with the Bolton family, together with her child. Witness arrived home on Thursday night about II o’clock, and found his wife and Mrs Danaford agitated because the little boy had been missing since the afternoon. Witness went to Danaford’s house, and knocked and kicked at the door and shouted ’ George. Getting no answer, he went home. A little later he returned, accompanied by his mother and his wife, and again got no reply to knocking. They went Home and again went to the house about midnight. This time they were accompanied by Mrs Danaford. Again there was no reply to knocks, so witness and Mrs Danaford went to the Devonport police.

When shown the playing cards and the pieces of paper with writing on them, Bolton said that he recognised the handwriting of the deceased? In answer to a question, witness said that Danaford was “sometimes not right in his head.” Some days he was all right and on others quite funny. He and his wife had been separated once before, and he had never done the right thing bv her. ° •

Dlr R. A. Singer said that since January 17 he had been acting for Mrs Danaford. Danaford was an erratic man. He had been threatening his wife with an axe. In a letter which witness had from Danaford’s solicitor, the deceased raid there was no blame attached to his wife and that he had nothing against her character.

A verdict of suicide by gas poisonimr was returned in the case of the father", George Daniel Danaford, and “ Death by gas poisoning ” was the verdict in the case of the child Dennis.