TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 December 1943, Page 2

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

MURDER AND SUICIDE FARMER SHOOTS WIFE, SON AND HIMSELF. SETS FIRE TO HOUSE (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, December 19. A tragedy in which three persons lost their lives occurred at Wainui, some time on Friday night or early on Saturday morning. The victims were Archibald William MacPhail, aged 52, a well-known Wainui sheep-farmer, Henrietta MacPhail, about 44, his wife, and Archie Rex McPhail, aged 16, his s'on. ’ It appears that Mr MacPhail shot his wife and son, set fire to the house and outbuildings and then took his own life. Wainui is 50 miles from Christchurch, on the Akaroa Harbour, on the opposite side of the harbour from the ({ownship of Akaroa. The tragedy was discovered at 7.30 a.m. yesterday when a neighbour saw the fire and went to give assistance. Three buildings—a five-roomed house, a wash-house and store and a garage containing a car —were then burning fiercely and nothing could be done to save them. MacPhail’s body was found on the back porch and beside him lay a .303 rifle. His wife’s body lay beside the tubs in the washhouse and that of his son on a stretcher in a bedroom. Near the kennels lay the bodies of MacPhail’s three sheepdogs, also shot. The MacPhail’s were seen at 8 p.m. on Friday by Mr Walter Reid, grocer, of Duvauchelles, who said that everything then appeared normal at the homestead. The inquests were held at Akaroa today before Mr F. F. Reid, coroner. The verdict was that Henrietta and Archie Rex MacPhail were both murdered by Archibald William MacPhail, who then committed suicide while temporarily insane.