PUKEKAWA TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15303, 26 August 1920, Page 7

PUKEKAWA TRAGEDY.

, ADDITION^ p-ETAILS. AUCMiAND, last night. • News waa received m Auckland this -fternoon of the shocking murder/ of a well-known resident of the Pukekawa district, near Tnakau. The victim, Mr Sydney Seymour E>re, retired ,with his last nigbt at 9 o'clock, and three hours later had his head' almost blown off bt a .shot-gun. „ . From the particulars received, it ap-l pears that Mr ami .Mrs lyyre and their; family' of five children^ the eldest of wliom is a boy of 16 years, retired for the night shortly 'alter ; " 9 o'clock, the husband"' and wile occupying different beds m tHe same room. r . Eyre was a .returned soldier, having served at the front for about two years, and since his return 'it. had beenY-his custom to sleep near a window, which, he kept wide opem, for health reasons. About midnight Mrs Eyre *waa startled from her sleep by thie soond of an e^gilosior*, and looking towards'herY husband she cried out to know what was the matter. No reply Came, hut m the moonlight that was -filtering into the room she sa.w something straoige m his position aaid appearance^ . and hastily strik.iiig ft' light her horror-stricken eye» met a ghastly spectacle.; The body of her husbamd lay m bjfed drenched with blood, the upper part of the 'head being blown off. The dißtracte«. .woman heard no sonnd w' t, hh ut ■and saw no one, but realised that her, hps band must hay§ been fired at whilef asleep hy someone standing just outside the open window, the gla«s of which iWaa shattered, by the shock of .:'the; exploa__ ", V .The" noise "of the fehot7alsp .awakened the ' children, and the two 'eider #boysi were gent by their ntbtfi'er' to the Pukewaka V post office, -whehce an urgent sununons mialied Sei%t,YCbwa.n amd Dr. Wake, of Pukekohe, .ahont 1 a.m. YNo time was lost m setting out for the acene of the' tnag^diX l^ arid, at .4 o'clock Constable Thompeod, of .Tiiakau was pickedT up, and' the party proceeded to Pukekawa. j, ':., .-, .. 'AX So far as can He ascertained, the victim, who was aJjtjtan of very ki-ndly disposition and higftty respected, had ,no> enemies, and ttte motive for the dastardly act presents a' mystery- '-to all -Who knew him. • f. The' perpetrator oflfche crime, however, ;ws~ : evidently acquainted with Byre's custom of sleeping n|«leip the opeoi winMow, and chose a night -"'.vhen there was sufficient moonlight ito enable .him to oarry out his cold-bl^^ pm*pQße with precision. The natliro of the wound showed that a shqt-iun had -been used] lor tbe murder, : anq the indications, were that it. ha^J btehYactually rested! on the window-sill weinr fired. v Eyre was a sb^pwrjwr, and contracr tor, aiid before' the war* waa a member i of the Raglan Oouint[y Cbuiicil. About, three and a-half y«^jt» ago ill-health -sent, him on a trip Ito California, and ( while thei-e he enlisted m tlib Canadian Highland Regiment, TptuMiing from war service ab«iut 'twelve ; niontlvs ago ; -The deceased was about *I 8 years of age. Tho house at Which the tragedy occurred is situated about a mile and thieequarterß. frnm the Pukekawa poet office, and stands pome distance from the main road.-^Press Assn. .._,.'.