A PAINFUL TRAGEDY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7119, 7 June 1901, Page 3

A PAINFUL TRAGEDY.

■'.'■ MRS FLUNKETT FOUND DROWNED. [ ' AWAITING AN ■ INQUEST.-. - At.; an early »hour this morning it was rumfturtd in io\vri that a painful ti-agedy ■ halocpuired at the Temple Home adjoinVng.Alie Choral Ha.l, in Madras /"Street, where Airs PlurkeU hs-s-, resided fcr sonic rtime', • tuid inqniiies made from ■ the i>ol:ce jshoTv&dHh'at the story which* had gained 'currency in the streets was Cjinf top '^\'«11 .'foiu&'ded'. .■ • • ..'• -. ■- • -.-.:. Id seems tlwtfc--,Mrs- Plunketfc has been in for some weeks, ' suffering frcm ' exfci'enie depressioij, , uf. times "airaost, to. jiulancholia, and . tha,t. ' th« -.effort* -of- h*r -ftkiKls ..-t-O: roivse-her have bsen ineffectual. Two o:- three medical nien were cdnsuit«d as lo her condition;, but they all agreed that oothiiig more thaii the care.ful nursing she was receiving could be done for her, and after prescribing a course of medicine they discontinued their visits. A professional nurse was, however, tngaged, and this lady was. in constant attendance upon ths patient, except at night, \yhen Mrs Phmkett expressed a desire, to.be alone,' declaring that she could sleep much sounder yrhen left to herself. During the early part of the present week she seemed to be rather better, and her friends were encouraged to hope that her complete rer covery would' be not much longer delayed; Last, night she retired at her usual hotirj after . listening to part of, the concert in .the Choral Hall, and lay for spins time talking, to one of her lady friends. \ She was depressed, as she often was at this hour, but there was nothing alarnung eit&r in her .manner or. in. her conversatich, and jiyfren her friend, left her, just before mid: night, . she expressed her great . gratitude "fp.r the ; constant .kindness she <vas receiving frojm. all fiiose arouiid. her;' „.Vs?lien the domestics employed about the house t(>s& shortly after sis o'clock this niflfning their attentipii was arrested -bj fiading. 'the door of- Mrs 'JPlunkett's room stan#ng open. A further- investigation 'disclosed. th*. fact that the patieat had left •lie'r room, and, g&iog downstairs, let her.self out .of the hoilss in^o the garden by .one of th> side-wailk-s. In the garden there is aVfountain of artesian water which", discharges Itself into a shallow concrete basin measuring nine or ten feet across. A search here reveaded Mrs Plunkett's body on the surface of the water, with her ankles tied • tog-either and a cloak drawn loosely over -her. shoulders. , ..'•' Tshe position of the body and the surrounding circumstances leave no doubt that ihe' unfortunate ladyy while iv a fit . oi .aberration, left the "home after the other inmates. had re-tired to rest and threw her; self into the little basin of water wheri ishe .was found. There . vrss no sign that gheiad'inad* the least struggle. after ectering th« wat-er, an.d it is probable that. death was much, .more rapid than it would have been -with a person 6i\ more- robust .constitution. ■ ■ ■ : The body was at once . -removed from the water, and wh£e waiting for Dr Jennings, who - was summoned by telephone, th« friends of the deceased lady made every effort to .restore andmatiGtn. When .the- doc* tor '•■ arrived on the- scene he could only -pronounce life extinct, and tell the friends that it was utterly 'hopeless to continue •their efforts. The! police were then communicated with, and after they had. made . aii* examination, the. body was removed to vthe'jhiouse, where it now awaits an inquest. *i Mrtf Plunkett was the eldest 0f ..-.foui'sor five asters who lhave ■ all'achieved.considcr■able'distinction in America. Mrs Eliinkett herseSf did » lot of literary Avork -before domdnk' Jfeo N«w Zealand,, after ijer ai*»af'toere kept up an extensive correspondence .with- her old Mends in. the States. Ihe leaves-two children,, a daughter, who has been^adopted into a family in-Christ-church, ondia-sbn who is now residing.witli his- (relatives in New York. THE CAREER OF THE DECEASED. Afcs piunkett, who has heeu more, generallvlinownto the people of Cbristchurch as Sister Magdala, has had V'^T-^X caree-. She'aiived in Chnstchurch in 1889 -vrta 'Arthur Bentley Worthiugton, and the -two immediately started a branch of ;tae "body knowt as the Students of Truth, beginning in a small way ia a house in Office Road, Sf Albans. Owing, in a great measure, to the influence exercised by bister Magdala, num'bei-s were attracted to the classes, and the body soon became so large that the Oddfellows' Hall was taken for the lectures, and subsequently the. Temple of. Ifcutli was built in 1890. Sister Magdala then took up a special branch of the work, and carried this on for about a year, when a disagreement- arose between herself and Wortbing-ton, which resulted in their parting company, and from that time the ' Students of Truth gradually declined, a good many of the . adherents considering that Mrs Piunkett had been badly treated, threw in th^r lot with her, and from that time she laboured alone. In 1894 she, with Miss •Gawitin (Sister Franc), went tc Australia, stod settled in Sydney for a time, but eventually returned to Christchurch. Wortbington was . also in Sydney during the time. they were there. Worthington returned to Christohurch early in 1895, and in July of that year married Miss Jordan. A number of the public were so incensed at his action, after having announced that Sister Magdala was his wife, that on many occasions he. met with very hostile receptions and en the occasion of one of his lectures in the Oddfellows' Hafll; which he used after the Temple of Truth had been lost, a very large force of police, had to, be employed for hi* protection, and so ag,gr.esstve was the large crowd which had gathered in front of the hall that Mr R. Beet-ham. S.M.. considered it necessary to read the Riot Act Although "^erthington endeavoured to struggle on'- here until 1399. he was. eventually compelled, to relinquish his campaign and seek fresh fields in Melbourne, being virtually starved out of Christchurch. At the time when he* wished to marry Miss Jordan he applied to Pastor" Birch to perform the ceremony, but the latter declined to do so, and the marriage was celebrated by rhe Registrar. Since that time, Sister, Magdala. in. conjunction with Sister Franc, has carried on a School of Mental Science in the house attached to the Temple of Truth. On March- 19 of the pvessnt- year she' was married to Mr J. S.' Atkinson. The inquest •will l>e- held at the Choral ; Hall at 11.-30' a.m. "to-morrow. ;