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Taranaki Herald, Volume XX, Issue 1181, 3 April 1872, Page 3

DOUBLE SUICIDE AT WANGANUI. THr Wtnganni Herald says: — "Tho Wanganni Bridge ba» aoon obtained as unenviable notoriety pertaining to well known and favorite places for •ujcide. The quiet of the town wai disturbed on Friday night the 29th of March, by a raraonr that •uom gamed ground that a double suicide, or a crime of, even deeper dye, have been committed on theimftge. A crowd coon gathered, and tbe facts of the.'CMe, very meagre in their details, soon beCkroe known. It -appears that a lad named James waa coming across the bridge from the Campbelltown sidt, and on getting a third of the way over, he saw a mau and a woman standing talking on the carriage way near to the iron work dividing it from the footpath. When within a few ynrJs he taw them walk across the bridge to the other side ■of the carriage way, and there continue their conversation. There being nothing in what the lad hid seen to attract his attention, he walked over, j On nTtring trtar th« toll-house, he heard a heavy •plash, in the water. He told the collector that he i had seen a couple standing on the bridge and i described their appearance as well as he could. Tbe splash w«sal*q heard from the 83. ' Go-ahead' lying at the Government wharf, and a boat' was put off to fimd out the cause. On arriving underDeath the bridge, -a gentleman's white hat, of the * belt-topper' shape, and a lady's white straw hat with brown gosamer on, were found floating .on the water. The police were immediately communicated with, and they instituted a search for the bodies. The men on the steamer who heard the splash in the water, state that they also heard a second or two afterwards, .two wwk cries, apparently from tome persons iniibe Water. - A sound described as a moan, shortly after the . fill, was also henrd by j Mr*. Blair, on the other side of the river. At the time of this tragic affair, the tide had beguu to flow, go. that the bodies may have been carried •way some distanoo up the • river, and on the ebbing of tbe tide, <taw» again. . The hats found were identified *• belonging to a man named Richard Crowing and his wife. They had lately Arrived from Sydney, aud were in treaty for some land. A transaction bad taken place, Crossing having bought Mr. Townsend'g farm on the Brunswick Line. A\ variety of rumours were loon afloat M to the eimte of the suicide, one being that the unfortunate man had received a letter on Thursday from Sydney, containing news of the failure of the firm in whole care he had left his money. The lorn preying upon his mind, might have induced depreiiion of spirits, ending in tho commission of the fatal set. Whether the female was a willing participator in the suicide or not, is open to question, but they fell into the water together as but one vplash nu heard. The police upon making enquiries, found a man of the name of Robert Luscombe, a servant of the deceased couple. He atates that Crossing came from Sydney, where he has left a wife and family, and brought the female with him, passing her off as bis wife. He doe* not know whether his master knew of any failure, but lately ha had been in a desponding «Ute, and on Good Friday afternoon, he gave him (Luscombe) a walch and pocket Look to keep for him, and later still a roll of notes.* In a pocket book wu -found a letter' bidding farewell to his friendt, and -intimating contemplated suicide. The couple were '•teen about 8.80. p.m. at the Bed Lion Hotel, where they had called for some refreshment, partaking of hot brandy and water. The man was a stout elderly individual, apparently about 55 years of uge, the female being only about 20."