A TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3353, 2 January 1884, Page 2

A TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN.

A dreadful affair is reported from Dunedin. A man named William Pearce has been arrested for the murder of Matilda Hancock. The two were cohabiting together. Both were abandoned characters. The woman has been frequently convicted for drunkenness and prostitution, whilst Pearce only a few months since came out o| gaol after serving eighteen months, on a serious charge. The woman was stabbed on the 29th inst., and died to-day at noon. Pearce was arrested this afternoon on the charge named. Particulars are not yet to. hand as to how . the stabbing arose. La«ee. The man Pearce and the woman Hancock had been drinking to-gether on Saturday, and had a quarrel. There is some donbt whether anyone was present when the stabbing took place. The wound is a gaping one, on the left side of the body above the hip. The woman lingered in her own house till about 1 o’clock this morning, when she died, and about 8 o’clock this mbrning Pearce reported to the police that the woman had died suddenly during the night. The police found the body with the wound on it and also several bruises. The woman was lying on a mattress. An inquest was held this afternoon, at which the only evidence taken was that of Pearce, who deposed to the identity of the deceased. He had known her for eleven years, and had lived with her for fear months. She had a daughter seven years old, and she herself was 42. A post mortem showi’ that death resulted from the wound. The woman is the divorced wife of a man who was a well-known publican in Dunedin some years ago. It has transpired that Dr Copland was called in to see the body of the woman Hancock early on Monday morning. It, is believed that there were several per-, sons present about the time of the quarrel between the two, and, that a Mrs Boyd can give material evidence. This Mrs Boyd attended to the woman after the occurrence, and her evidence will probably be taken at the adjourned inquest ou Friday. Pearce’s last sentence was for stabbing a man. for which he got 12 month’s. He is a fish hawker.