CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12377, 10 February 1911, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY.

(Per Press Association. > CHRISTCHURCH, last night. The victim of the Tuesday night's or Wednesday morning's tragedy in Cashel street, has been identified as the divorced wife^ of a local resident, who after obtaining a decree against her husband, resumed her maiden name of Ethel Bradley. She comes of. an old and highly re- . spected Lyttelton" family;. So far as can be ascertained, the last person who saw her alive was her nephew, who saw her in Cashel street shortly before 8 on Tuesday '* evening: She cheerfully acknowledged his "good-night." The police state that the body was certainly not in the right of way at 2 a.m., and that it must have been placed the*jp probably after life was extinct, at 4 a.m. The girl's relatives, however, firmly believe she was murdered. A medical examination of the body disclosed the fact that she was pregnant! Tha inquest opens to-morrow morning. It is understood that the result of the analysis of the stomach of the victim will not be ready for the inquest tomorrow, and that, so far, the analysis has not found any traces of poison, but this is not final, as it is a tedious process that has to be followed before such traces can be detected. CHRISTCHURCH, thia day. An inquest concerning the death of Ethel Bradley, the victim of the Cashel street tragedy, opened to-day. The coro» ner said that the surgeon who made the post mortem examination believed that deceased, met her death by poison. Evidence was given by a brother and sisters of deceased to the ejfect that deceased was liable to fits of depression, but they knew of no reason why she should take her 'own life. She was keeping com: pany with a tobacconist's assistant, and spoke of an early marriage. G. T. I Weston, solicitor, who employed deceas- ' ed as housekeeper, said that she was not qualified for the work, and an opportunity was given her of resigning on February 1. She had resigned, and her • letter contained the phrase, "I am unhappy." Harry Alexander Jack, hairdresser, who had been indicated as keeping company with deceased, was called. He said ' he had not seen the girl since the previous Friday. He did not know she 'was pregnant. On Tuesday 'night he ' went to his employer's shop at 11, and ' remained till 2 o'clock. He had had •drinks. He denied having seen deceased '6n Tuesday flight, and declared ihe had never spoken to her of marriage.