WOMAN PLUNGES TO DEATH

Southland Times, Issue 23676, 26 November 1938, Page 7

WOMAN PLUNGES TO DEATH

Dunedin Resident In Sydney JUMP FROM FOURTH FLOOR WINDOW BODY CRASHES ON TO TRAM TRACKS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received November 26, 12.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, November 25.

A sensational plunge to instant death from a fourth-story window of the Hotel Australia occurred this evening during the height of the city shopping crush. The victim was a Dunedin woman, Miss Muriel Hara, aged about s°. The body landed in Castlereagh street, on the tram track with a terrific thud. A girl employed at the Prince Edward Theatre, directly opposite, was apparently the only actual eye-witness. She uttered a piercing scream when she saw the woman hurtling through the air from a height of 120 ft.

A strange feature is that the body overshot the veranda of the Hotel Australia, which gives the impression that Miss Hare leaped well forwards with the deliberate intention of missing i* and going to her death. Miss Hate received shocking injuries, particularly to her head. An enormous crowd gathered and traffic was brought to a standstill while an ambulance moved the body.

The police ascertained that Miss Hare was due to sail by the Awatea at 5 o’clock tonight. She arrived at the hotel from shopping in a taxi and hurried upstairs. Fifteen minutes before the sailing hour she leaped to her death without acquainting anybody of her intentions. The taxi was actually waiting to take her to the Awatea when her body crashed on to the tram track.

Miss Hare booked in at the Hotel Australia on November 4 and had since been away for brief periods to go into hospital and to visit Canberra, but no motive for her deed today can be discovered beyond a strong suggestion that her health was not good.