TRAGEDY AT ONEHUNGA. MR GURR, TEACHER, FOUND DROWNED.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 173, 9 October 1886, Page 3

TRAGEDY AT ONEHUNGA. MR GURR, TEACHER, FOUND DROWNED.

Auckland, October 6. The morning, at 9.30 o'clock, a painter named Tingey was fishing off Mangere Bridge, whenhefouuda rope attached to the bridge. He hauled the rope up, and found the body of Mr Gurr, teacher of Onehunga school, attached to it. He was dressed in his ordinary clothes, with a black frock coat, and a rope was fastened around his body. His tweed hat was put in the bit of the rope which was fastened .around the bridge. This was about midway on the woodwork of the bridge, where the tide is strongest, The position of the body was such as to lead to the belief that his death had been a quiet one. His legs were straight, and his hands down by his side. The rope was Tound his body underneath the arms. It was aa ordinary clothes line. Upon discovering the body, Mrs Tingay sent word to Sergeant Greene, who was engaged at the Police Court, and who went to Mangare Bridge and found the {body already drawn out. It was placed on Mr JT. Moor's cart, and removed to Michael's Manukau Hotel, where the inquest will be held tomorrow. Gurr was last seen alive by Dr. Eraon and Mr Bright. The latter gentleman -witnessed his will, and asked if he thought he was going to die, and Gurr replied " No, but I am going to remove, ana accidents may happen." When the news became known there waB great excitement in Onehunga, knots of people standing about discussing the state of affairs. The sad occurrence is naturally associated with the charges which have been before the Board of Education at its last two meetings. It is understood that this charge consisted of improper behaviour towards female pupils attending the Onehunga public school. The complaints against Mr Gurr first reached the Board of Education on th« 23rd ult., when Mr P Clark, Secretary te the Onehunga Committee, wrote notifying the Board of the teacher's resignation. He proceeded to say that while the Committee recognised the Jtdvantage confei r d on the school by bis taste in the inside appearance of the rooms, and hie undeniable ability aa a teacher and disciplinarian, yet, from certain charges that had been made, they were of opinion that his retirement would be for the best interests and wellbeing of the school. This was in the face of the fact that the charges on investigation proved to be by no means so serious as at first appeared, The Committee farther expressed the opinion that as Mr Gurr's ■connection with the school and the Board *waa being severed, no good end could be gained by detailing the charges referred to. To this communication the Board replied stating that it was not willing to accept Mr Gun's resignation without fnrther explanation. They had, However, suspended Mr Gurr from his duties, and requested the Committee to turniah all information in their possession respecting the charges as soon as possible. The Committee wrote on September 25th, failing to see any reason for the refusal of the Board to accept Mr Gurr's r signation, and atating that in his letter Mr Gurr announced bis intention of leaving teaching work for other employment. For that reason, they felt that no good purpose would be served by publishing the particulars of their in tiuiry. In fact, some of the informants were given to understand that their statement? would not be made public. Mr Rice, -Secretary to the Board, wrote, in reply to this letter, repeating the request for all information in the possespion of the Committee legardinc the charges against Mr Gurr, andalsoasking for the letterof resignation. Mr Clark, Secretary to the Onehunga Committee wrote a reply under date of October 2nd. promising to forward the information asked for in a few days. He also stated that at a meeting of the school committ&e on the previous night Mr Gurr applied for leave to withdraw bis resignation, and under .the circumstances the •committee decided to forward the resignation and particulars jf the charges to the Board. Mr Gurr leaves a wife and six children. Two of the eons are grown up and in situations away from Aucklaud. The remainder of the family reside at <)nehunga He took an active interest in musical matters, was conductor of the Onehunga Choral Society, and acted as conductor oh the occasion of the recent •'Pirates of Penzance" performance. He formerly held a position in the Oamaru public school, and at the time of his death was President of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute. Gurr Overwhelmed by the Charges Against Him. Dr. Ereon states : "I was well acquainted with Mr Gurr. He came to see me laet night, and was^ in a very depressed state. I noticed this the more as I had been out of town for a holiday. I was the first to tell Gurr about the serioua charges against him. He stunned by the news. I consider Gurr a man deficient in moral courage. That is why he eank under his trouble. Gurr felt -that the charge was so serious after hia past success that when I told him lie said "Do you believe it." I eaid '* Ido not." Then he said " May I come to -see you." The night before last he called upon me and I saw a great change. This was caused by the publication of the charges in the newspapers, added to the fact that someone sent a slip clipped from a Wellington paper reporting the affair. Last night I told Mr Gurr to write a strong letter to the Board, denying the accusation. He replied, "lam beside myself, and do not know what I am doing, but if you will assist me I will -write." The late Mr Gurr told me that he bad not slept for several nights. I told him to take a dose of bromide of potaßeiura. He B aid he had some in the house, and would take it when he •went home. He declared to me that his mind was completely unhinged. I told him to show a strong face, and declare his innocence, as all his friends would rally round him. Mr Gurr replied " What further punishroe it could have been meted out to me even it guilty, than to have had the thing published throughout the colony as a flagrant charge, and after building up a reputation like mine, to be blasted in this way " . I then shook bands with Mr Gurr and he went away. I believe him to have been entirely innocent. His action was the reeultof not havingmoral courage to face the situation. I was present when the body was pulled up from the water. He had been dead for some time. l)r ErBon also said : I got the leading points he wished to bring before the Board. Those were : — (1) The investigation

was reported (2) he was afforded no opportunity of being brought face to face with his accusers and of repudiating the charge. (2) That the promise was I made to those inquired of that their charges would be held with strict privacy. (3) His resignation was Bent in when informed by some of the members of the committee, that there was no substantiation of any of the charges, and that action was taken on account of his natural feelings, and for the good of the school. (4) To draw the attention of the Board to the fact that the children alleged to have mada charges had continued to attend the school without murmur. (5) These points I took down a$ dictated by him. flis last words , to me when leaving, in confirmation of his oftrepeated declaration of complete innocence were " Before God I am innocent in thought, word, and deed of any wrong action to any of these children," Gurr was transferred to Onehunga from Chrietchurch about 15 months ago, and was formerly a teacher at Invercargill and Inspector al Schools at Christehuroh. The family are grown up. The deceaeed weut out shortly after tea last night, and retnrned about 10 o'clock, and went to bed. This morning, when breakfast was taken he was missing, but a letter was found on the table addressed to the Rev. Mr Mulgan, of St. Peter's Anglican Church. This declared Gurr's innocence, but stated that he purposed doing something serious. An employee of the Devonshire Dairy saw the rope as he crossed the bridge at 6 a.m. Mr Gillan, carpenter, also noticed the rope, but thought boys were underneath. Mr Blight's Statement. Mr Samuel Bright states that between 7 and 3 o'clock last night he was called upon by Mr W&atney'e, solicitor, to witness a deed. When he went in he was surprised to dis cover it was Mr Gurr's will. He questioned Mr Gurr, who said that »n accordance with advice he would leave the place, but he could not take his family with him. Be then signed the will and returned home, Mr Gurr retained Mr C. E. Button last week to defend him. He told a friend when his wife went South, that, having got rid ot her, he would fight it out in the Supreme Court.