THE TOLAGA TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12584, 14 October 1911, Page 5

THE TOLAGA TRAGEDY.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST.

Inquests into the circumstances sur- ; a-ounding the tragic deaths of Maud Reid and Walter Reid were held at Tolaga Bay yesterday, before Mr W. A. Tullock", J, P., acting coroner, and the following jury : Messrs Thornton (foreman)^' O'Connor, Parry, Woo'ttoh, Bore- 1 han>, and Goodley. MRS REID'S DEATH. The circumstances m connection with the death of Mrs Reid were investigated first. Mary Jane Parks, wife of Wm. Parks, resident of Tolaga Bay, said : Deceased is my daughter, aged 31. I last saw lier alive yesterday (Thursday) morning •about 7 o'clock, when she came over to my house. She appeared well and strong. I asked after Walter (her husband), and she said he seemed all right that morning ; he had been suffering from a bad leg. I noticed that she was excited. I never heard of any ill-treatment or such by her husband, but they had words since he got back from Gisborne. I never heard of any threat. My daughter did at one time remark that I Mas mot to be surprised if anything happened, but I did not attach importance to it. When I was called over to the hotel my daughter was dead.

Alex. Tait, porter at the hotel, said : I was on tlie staircase of the hotel, working. I saw deceased come running out, . and heard her baby scream from the room. I jumped to the conclusion that the baby had fallen out of the window. I immediately rushed downstairs, but seeing nothing, I returned and rushed into deceased's bedroom, where 1 found Mr Reid (deceased's husband) dead, face upwards. I have been m the employ of the hotel for about seven weeks, and have never heard of or saw anything unusual between the couple ; have never heard wrangling, and have had every opportunity of seeing them. During my employment at the hotel I have never seen the husband drink. He was a trustworthy and temperate man, and if he hod been drinking I Avould have known.

P. ,0. Elliott, proprietor of Tolaga Bay hotel, stated : Deceased was m my employ as laundress since about Ist August. Her husband joined at the beginning of September, coming here to work as stableman from Gisborne. I gave him the billet at the urgent solicitation of Mrs Reid. They both occupied the same room. During the time they were employed I heard no quarrelling) but I certainly had been told that there' was quarrelling at times. I was caljejl frpm the yard. I went round into -the • house by the back door, and found the deceased lying on the floor by the front staircase. I immediately sent for the doctor and the constable. Mr Reid was a well-behaved, good, and strictly-temperate man. I last saw Mrs Reid at 1 o'clock! on Thursday afternoon. I did not see Mr Reid.

Dr. Harold Weeks, medical practitioner at Tolaga Bay, said: 1 was sum*tn.9™e'd to^ the hotel by telephone at halfPjjst 2 o'clock. I went at once, and ■fphnd deceased lying at the foot of the staircase. I saw that her throat was cut, and life was extinct. The cause was evidently the severance of blood vessels on ' the left side of the neck, about 3 to 3£ inches long, and caused by a sharp instrument. Such instrument produced (razor) would cause the same. There was no smell of poison. Constable Larmer, said : On information received, I proceed to the hotel! at. 4 p.m. On arrival I found the deceased lying m a bedroom, dead. I examined her effects, arid found two letters (produced), dated 19th and 24th August.; The contents of the letters would show tliat the couple had been quarrelling for some time, but contained no direct threat as to any act being anticipated. I found no trace of liquor m /the room. ' ' The jury returned the following verdict : "From the evidence of the letters, the jury are of the opinion that the parties lived unhappily, and were continually quarrelling, and that deceased met her death by wounds m the neck, but there is no direct evidence to show by 'whom they were inflicted." THE HUSBAND'S DEATH. Wm. Parks, blacksmith, Tolaga Bay, said : Deceased is my son-in-law, aged about 27, and had been married three' years. There was one of a family, a girl, aged Uyo years. I last saw deceased about a week ago at the stables. He was of very temperate habits, almost a teetotaller. I have had occasion to speak to him about the ill-treatment of my daughter about a year ago, but I have had no complaints since then, for he has not been hear me. Tlie fault found Wfls en account of carelessness j attd failure to provide the necessaries of life. He had never abused, thumped, or ill-treated her m other ways to my knowledge. He at no time suggested ,tlje ; ta-kang of life: Deceased and I were good friends. Deceased appeared fond of InVwife and child- His parents resided m Australia ; he had an uncfe m Auckland and Napier. 'The only cause f4r the rash act was, to my mind, money .troubles.

Alex. Tait stated : I last saw deceased/at 2.15 p.m. going up to. his room. (He repeated his evidence m the former ca^se.} I never . heard pf any threat. Deceased was on good terms with his fellow-workers. Mrs Reid went up to the -room' after Mr, Reid. I was near enough to hear quarrelling if any words were spolren, but heard none. P. O. Elhott stated deceased was m his embloy as stableman since September sth. About October 3rd he met with an accident while unloading potatoes from a dray, and sprained his leg badly, and they doctor ordered him to lie up. On Wednesday evening last (11th) I spoke to him, asking him how his leg was getting on, and he, replied m very sharp tones, quite unlike his usual manner, "that he was getting ori all right, and. as soon he was well he would 'be at work again ; that loafing was no good to him." Having heard his wife had been talking sharply to him, I assumed she must have accused him of .-, malingering. • hence his sharp reply to; me..'' l did not again see him alive. About 2.30 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) 1 was informed by the porter that deceased was lying m his room with his throat cut. His 'head was towards the window, and his. feet near the dressing table; he was then lying on his face. I found Reid a sober and industrious servant. -

. Dr. Weeks repeated his former evidence 1 as to coming to the hotel. He added : On going to deceased's room I found him lying prone on the floor m a, pobl of blood; he was quite dead. I found that his throat had been cut f rom;. ear to ear ; the blood vessels had been severed. The razor (produced) was likely to v cause. "the wound, and death ipesttlted therefrom. His chin was discolored; apparently a burn from lysol. (bottle produced)' would cause it. Death was due to the' cut. I could not say whether; lysol had been' drunk. There were .no marks m the mouths discernible". ; The 1 ' wound was such' as would be self-inflicted.' '.

Arch. John Reid (ho relation to deceased), assistant storekeeper, Tolaga Bay, stated:. I know deceased ; he was m the- shpp on Thursday morning about 11 o'clock, . and purchased a bottle of embrocation and lysol. 1 He made no reference as to what It was for. In view of his having previously met with a" accident, no inquiry was made. I never aaw.?him under the influence of liquor. Have kjnown hijh for 18 months as a sober main

Constable • Larmer said: I found deceased lying dead m his bedroom upstairs m the hotel; his throat was cut fr6_nV ear ' to: ear. I searched ; his clothing, and found m his left-hand trousers pocket -a - purse (produced) containing £3 14» 9d., J . also found a razor-cover (prodhced)> m his coat-pocket. I also made an examination, of the room, and found. a razor (produced) on the dressing table, .with two large gaps, and covered with > blood ; ; also a bottle of lysol containing •a : small drop on the dressing table; also :found letters (produced and referred to m previous case). Wrangling fwas "no doubt the cause of the trouble. I have known deceased for, gay, 'six weeks, and always found him sober. I would assume from the appearance of. the room that deceased had cut his throat m front of the lookingglass.' - The following verdict was returned :

"The jury are of opinion that deceased committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor." They added the following rider : "The jury are of opinion that the cause of the act was due to family troubles."