In a list of Dunedin insolvents during the past week we find the name of George Timothy Stephenson, of Dunedin, miner. — Debts, £207 16s 4d ; assets, £25. ($36,608 and $4.400 today - GBC) -Cromwell Argus, 12/12/1882.
CITY POLICE COURT. (Before J. Logan, Esq,, J.P., and J. Hyman, Esq., J.P). Drunkenness. — The following offenders put in a first appearance, and were convicted and discharged: — John Farley, Angus McNeil, William Richardson, John Menzies, Michael Delaney, and Mary Graham. James Lackey, William Robison, James White, Margaret Millar, and George Timothy Stephenson were fined 5s each, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment; Elizabeth Lindsay, 10s or forty-eight hours’; George Timothy Stephenson, 20s or four days’. -Evening Star, 30/4/1883.
MURDERED WITH DYNAMITE.
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN.
TWO HEADLESS BODIES.
[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.]
Dunedin, Friday. Shortly after six o'clock this evening the residents of Manor Place were startled with the intelligence that a murder and suicide had been committed in the locality. It seems that at about that hour Mr. Donald Cargill and his brother, whilst conversing at the corner of Lees-street, had their attention attracted by a flickering light some fifty yards up Manor Place. They took it to proceed from children playing with crackers until they suddenly heard a loud report as of the firing of some explosive material. Hurrying up the street where the sound came, they were terrified by finding a man's body hanging over a fence alongside the street line, and the body of a female lying prostrate at the man's feet. Both bodies were headless, the pavement being strewn with brains and covered with blood. The sight was sickening beyond description. The bodies, which presented a most ghastly appearance, were removed to the morgue by Constable Parker.
On inquiry we learned that the victim of this terrible tragedy, the first of its kind in the colony, was Mrs. Stephenson, and that the murderer was her husband, George Timothy Stephenson. Mrs. Stephenson is well known in Dunedin. She for some time past has occupied the position of head milliner at Saunders, McBeth, and Co. She was a daughter of Mr. Stenhouse, of Maitland st, and has been separated some time from her husband, who has quite recently been engaged as groom for Campbell, Crust, and Co.
The parties, as is well known, have been on bad terms for some time, and Stephenson, through being denied access to his children, of whom he had two, has been known to entertain feelings of revenge towards the wife and her parents. In May last he was charged at the instance of Mr. Stenhouse, at the Police Court, with threatening conduct, and was then bound over.
It is said that he has persistently dogged the footsteps of his wife for weeks. It is surmised that this evening he followed her home from her place of business, and overtook her in Manor Place. Of course, what transpired at their meeting can never be known, as no one was near at the time. It is believed dynamite was the explosive substance used. The affair has created the greatest excitement in the neighbourhood. Later. The Stephenson referred to in the case of murder and suicide was not the banker at Mosgiel, but was many years a clerk in the Bank of New South Wales in Cromwell. He afterwards was proprietor of a quartz mine in that district, out of which he made a considerable sum of money. Afterwards, about 1878, he went to Taranaki, whtre he resided some time. His wife had before then left.
A telegram received at an early hour this morning says:— Further particulars concerning the murder and suicide show that Stephenson had been beating his wife with violence for some time, saying that one or both of them would die. To-night he had followed her home, and overtaking her on the footpath he grasped her by the breast. He then fired off the dynamite cartridge, holding it in his right hand, and pointing it at her head. She screamed out when he caught hold of her, but no one was close enough to render assistance. The effect of the explosion was to blow their heads almost entirely away, and the one half of his face and side of the head. He had evidently premeditated the murder, and it is presumed his own death also, as he must have been acquainted with the properties of dynamite.
In his pocket afterwards was found a cartridge similar to the one it is conjectured he did the deed with. It had a head fuse inserted at one end, and tied by a piece of thread. To the fuse was a match, head outwards. He evidently struck the match, then waved the cartridge in the air after the fuse caught to make it burn brisker. This was the blue light seen by the Cargill's. On him also was found a letter drawn up to the Minister of Justice, asking that the separation order obtained by his wife should be set aside.
He had been drinking from time to time for the last two or three years, and recently has been several times before the Police Court for drunkenness. During to-day he had attempted to get the children away from his wife's control, having taken one of them away from school, but the little one ran away from him. -NZ Herald, 7/7/1883.
THE DUNEDIN TRAGEDY.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS. [by telegraph.— Press association.]
DUNEDIN, Saturday. The scene of last night's dreadful occurrence was visited by crowds of people to-day, but there is little visible to gratify their curiosity, the police having last night cleared away nearly all the evidence of the crime. Some of the pailings of the fence surrounding Mr. Read's house, against which Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson were standing when the explosion took place, are stained with blood, and brains are visible scattered over the laurel hedge and fruit trees in the garden, and some even on the roof of the house.
The deceased man, who is said to be about thirty-five years of age, has parents living in Otago, and a sister married to a contractor in Dunedin. As early as 1866 he was a clerk in the Bank of New South Wales on the West Coast, and four years later was transferred, to the bank's branch at Cromwell. It is understood that his services were dispensed with, and he brought an action against the bank for wrongful dismissal, but failed to recover damages. Then he engaged in quartz reefing, and became owner of the Caledonian claim, on the Carrick Range. For a time the mine turned out well, but afterwards it ceased to give a profitable yield. Then he gave way to intemperate habits, and a downward course followed. He went to Taranaki and Canterbury, and supplied stores on the railway works, and whilst he was away from Dunedin the protection order, which, he alleged, was the cause of much of his marital trouble, was granted. Quite recently he took to pick and shovel work, and his latest employment was as groom for Campbell and Crust, expressmen. Stephenson made numerous attempts to get the protection order which was granted in 1880 set aside, but the magistrate always refused. Unsuccessful in moving the Court in his favour, he communicated with the members of the Government, and the Hon. Mr. Oliver, with a view of getting an amendment of the Married Women's Property Act to meet his case, and he addressed a lengthy communication to the Minister of Justice setting forth the hardships of the existing law. A letter from him on this subject was addressed to a local paper and appeared a couple of months ago. He endeavoured to persuade a legal gentleman in the city to take up his case, but he never discussed the matter in a frame of mind that was likely to lead anyone to assist him. His fancied wrongs had deprived him of the power to talk reasonably on the subject, and he was always vowing to be revenged on those whom he declared had injured him. He was advised to clear out from the colony, but declined. Not later than yesterday he was heard to declare that he would "make New Zealand ring with his wrongs." Stephenson's great grievance seems to have been that every obstacle was put in the way of his seeing his children; indeed, that he was practically denied access to them.
Marian Corfield, who is head milliner at Messrs. Saunders and McBeth, states that yesterday evening she and Mrs. Stephenson left the shop together about five minutes past six o'clock. She lived in the same neighbourhood as Mrs. Stephenson, and frequently went homeward along Princes street and Manor Place with Mrs. Stephenson. On this occasion, as they were passing Mr. Lainer's fruit shop, Miss Corfield saw Mr. Stephenson standing on the pavement, and he followed them until near the Prince of Wales Hotel, when he went up on the right hand side of Mrs. Stephenson and spoke to her about their children. He said he had Fred out of the school, and went to the other school to get Sissie away also, but was refused admission to see her. He seemed nervous and agitated in his manner, and Miss Corfield thought this might be the effects of drink. Mrs. Stephenson seemed all right and in good spirits when Miss Corfield parted from them, but she did not speak to her husband at all. Miss Corfield parted from Mrs. Stephenson as usual at the corner of Melville-street, in Manor Place.
Mr. John Blakely, tent-maker, of Princes street south, saw Mrs. Stephenson and Miss Corfield passing his shop on their way home last evening, and he also noticed the husband following behind them. He had repeatedly seen Mr. Stephenson following his wife along the street when she was accompanied by anyone, but if Mrs. Stephenson was alone her husband was in the habit of walking alongside her and talking to her.
THE INQUEST. The inquest touching the death of George Timothy Stephenson and Mary Stephenson, his wife, was held to-night at seven o'clock. Henry Blyth Stenhouse, Maitland Stand, father of the deceased, Mary Stephenson, deposed: My daughter was 33 years of age, and a native of Scotland. She has been married ten years, but was about five years separated from her husband on account of his idle habits and threats which he had made. The deceased, Stephenson, about two years ago, went up country, and wanted to borrow money of me. He threatened that if he came back broke from the North he would cut his wife's throat, the children's throats, and his own. He used every night, on her way home to follow her, and molest and abuse her. He also abused me, and on one occasion even assaulted me. She had given him about £30, and he always wanted more. She did not appear to be frightened of him. Whenever he could get drink he gave way to intemperate habits. I never saw anything strange or peculiar about his manner. I last saw him on Thursday at my house. He wanted to see me, and when I said I would have nothing to do with him he asked to see the missus. She saw him, and told him she would have nothing to say to him. He went away without making any threats. He used to blackguard us when he came to the house. About two month ago, when he got seven days for using language to her calculated to provoke a breach of the peace, he said to her, "One of us must die." Yet she never seemed to be afraid. I heard the report made by the explosion of dynamite, but did not see the victims till some time afterwards. I had my own fears about his threats. The man was not safe to go about, and I often went to bed not knowing if I would see the light of day. He appeared to be fond of the children, but they having heard him use bad language were afraid of him.
Andrew Turnbull Anderson, contractor, brother-in-law of the deceased Stephenson, 39 years of age, a native of Lincolnshire, England. He had been in this colony nearly all his life. I have seen him daily of late, and knew him to be staying at the Spanish restaurant. He had been in work till last Saturday. Lately he had been very despondent — indeed so much so that my clerk remarked to me on the day of his death that he was very down-hearted. This despondency was caused, I believe, by domestic troubles. He was always wanting to see his children. When he was at work he was very steady. Yesterday, at half-past four, I saw him. He had just received some letters from the Minister of Justice, which he said gave him no encouragement in connection with upsetting the protection order and seeing his children. These, he said, were his last hopes, and he could not settle down in the frame of mind in which he was. At four o'clock I he told me he had been out to Anderson's Bay with some dynamite, that the party was not there, and he had left it. He brought the dynamite down from Hindon last Tuesday where he had been working as a miner. He seemed very downhearted when I last saw him. I have heard him say, after he had been refused to see the children, "Don't be surprised if they find me dead on their doorstep some morning," and that he had nothing to live for, and he might as well be dead as alive. This was some time ago. I opened his box, which was at my house, tonight and found a little bag containing dynamite. It was nothing unusual for him to buy dynamite, he being a miner. He always talked of his domestic troubles.
Marion Corfield, head milliner at Saunders, McBeth, and Co., knew the deceased woman for some time. Witness accompanied her part of the way home on the evening of the murder. When they passed Harner's shop Stephenson was writing a note on some boards outside. He followed them, and said "good evening" to his wife, and began to speak about the children. Speaking to his wife he said, "God alone has joined us, and He alone should part us." Mrs. Stephenson said something lightly about the weather to the witness. Her husband replied: "You talk lightly to your lady friend; your sister Margeret met death without much warning; look out you do not meet death the same." Witness noticed he was very nervous and excited. Witness left them, proceeding towards Maitland-street at the corner of Melville-street and Manor Place, Mrs. Stephenson saying good night.
To the jury: Mrs. Stephenson appeared to me to be a very good-tempered woman. Robert Gray stated that after the last witness left the deceased and his wife he noticed the male deceased following close behind his wife, and when near a lamp post he took a few quick steps and caught up his wife. Witness then lost sight of them, and proceeded down Manor Place. He afterwards heard a report, but did not know the cause. Mrs. Stephenson did not appear frightened, and her husband was quite sober.
Archibald Cargill, clerk, residing in Manor Place, deposed that, about six o'clock he was standing in front of his own home, and saw what appeared to be a squib twirled in the air. While this was going on there were two very loud shrieks in a female voice, then followed a tremendous blast, which he concluded must have been caused by the discharge of a gun. He ran up the street, and passed two figures, one in a standing and the other in a sitting posture. The woman was the recumbent figure. He and his brother were surprised that the figures were motionless, and they turned and struck a match. Both figures were headless. Information was at once given to the police.
David Carswell gave evidence regarding the visit of the male deceased to the Anderson's Bay quarry. He wanted to sell some dynamite. He left a package of dynamite, about four pounds weight, in witness's keeping. This was at one o'clock on the day of the murder. Deceased was in anything but low spirits then, and talked freely with the men.
Police-Sergeant Gearing gave evidence regarding the searching of the bodies. Among other things he found a dynamite cartridge in Stephenson's trouser pocket. He produced letters from the Minister of Justice found on the deceased, upholding the decision of the Resident Magistrate regarding the protection order before referred to.
The Coroner then summed up. There was no doubt, he said, deceased had caused the death of both himself and his wife. The question for the jury was to decide on the state of mind the male deceased was in at the time of this horrible tragedy.
The jury found a verdict that the deceased Stephenson, and his wife, met death by a dynamite cartridge fired by Stephenson, but that there was not sufficient evidence to show what state of mind he was in. They added a rider commending that no person be allowed to purchase or use dynamite without a license. -NZ Herald, 9/7/1883.
THE STEPHENSON TRAGEDY.
[By Telegraph.]
What is called the Manor Place Tragedy—that is, the awful event by which George Timothy Stephenson and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Blythe Stenhouse, were sent into the presence of their Maker without a moment's warning — will doubtless have special interest for readers in the Cromwell District. Stephenson was well known in Cromwell and Carrick some ten or twelve years ago. He came to Cromwell as clerk in the Bank of New South Wales under Mr Preshaw. Succeeding Mr MacNab, he was discharged from the bank's service in Cromwell and sued his late employers for damages for unlawful discharge. Much surprise was felt at his course of action. Directly afterwards he at once went into quartz reeling, not by any means as one of the kid glove speculators but as a hard-working miner. It was considered much to his credit that after a life of ease in a bank he should have tackled hard work with the energy he did. His labor brought its reward, for he obtained a capital prospect in a reef he opened on the Carrick which was called the Caledonian. From this he obtained one or more good crushings, and the money he received put him on his legs. He went down to Dunedin quite a capitalist and there married Miss Stenhouse, to whom he had paid his attentions a year or two previously, but whom her parents would not allow him to marry till his circumstances should improve. He brought his wife back to Cromwell and resided at Quartzville for some months. During this time he continued to work hard at the claim and did very well; he afterwards went to reside in Dunedin, and there his wife and he for some reason began to disagree. Two children had in the meantime been born of the marriage. Relations became so estranged between the parties that they separated. Stephenson went away to the North Island, leaving his wife and children in Dunedin. As he contributed nothing to the support of his family, Mrs Stephenson whilst he was away north, obtained a protection order against him. About three years ago he returned to Dunedin and then found his wife employed as head dressmaker with Messrs Saunders, McBeath and Co., and it may be of interest to say here that Mr McBeath is a brother-in-law of Mr Wm. Talboys of your town. Mrs Stephenson was living with her father, a very respectable man, following the occupation of painter with Mr H. S. Fish. Stephenson had little or no money when he came back and showed no disposition to again engage in steady work. He was deeply annoyed at his wife earning a good wage and could do nothing to force her to give him assistance. He made numerous attempts to get the protection order set aside, but in vain; he made many attempts at reconciliation with his wife, but she would not listen to his promises of amendment, and these developed into threats against herself and her relatives, whom of course Stephenson blamed, as they had always opposed his marriage. He made continual efforts to see his children, but these were always frustrated, and he got into his head, whether rightly or wrongly, that he had cause for jealousy. All these grievances he brooded over until to those who knew anything of his circumstances he could speak of nothing else. He was away for a time mining at Hindon or the Serpentine, but returned some months ago, and since then instituted a regular system of persecution against his wife. He would follow her home from work, attempting to get into conversation with her and being refused would naturally become abusive. She had to get him bound over to keep the peace on one occasion on account of his conduct; he also got the worse of drink occasionally, and once or twice was fined in the Police Court for drunkenness. Latterly his principal cause of complaint against his wife was that she would not allow him to see his children, and he expressed himself very bitterly about this to more than one person. He indulged in threats, for instance, to the Rev. Rutherford Waddell, who attempted to mediate between them. He said he need not be surprised to hear of something desperate occurring. This was a day or so before the event of Friday evening. On that evening he followed his wife, who was in the company of the head milliner, who worked in the same shop with her, along Princess-street south, and up Manor Place towards Maitland street. She parted from her female companion at the corner of Melville-street. Stephenson was then telling his wife about an attempt he had made to see his children, but the schoolmistress had refused to allow them out of school. His wife took no notice, but spoke to her friend, and Stephenson said, "You speak lightly to your lady friend; your sister Margaret had little warning of her death, take care you have not as little." (The sister referred to had died suddenly of typhoid fever.) His wife paid no attention, but went on speaking, her face towards her house. He followed a yard or two behind for about a couple of hundred yards, then when no one was near (it was of course quite dark by this time) he rushed up to her, seized her round the neck with his left arm, and pulled a dynamite cartridge out of his pocket. This he had prepared for the purpose. He had tied a match with the head outwards to the fuse with a piece of thread, and had a second one similarly prepared in his pocket. He struck the match on his trousers with his right hand, holding his wife firmly the while round the neck whilst she screamed in fright. Then he waved the cartridge in the air to make the fuse burn more briskly, and holding it close to her head with his right hand, it exploded with a tremendous report. One can scarcely bring himself to describe what was the result; one cannot read it without a sickness, and one must shudder at its recital. Both persons were in an instant of time in eternity, their heads being completely blown off. Stephenson's right hand was also blown off, and portions of flesh and bone were thrown great distances. They both sank down where the explosion took place. Mrs Stephenson was found sitting on the pavement in a natural posture, and Stephenson was found hanging on to a fence by one arm. Those who first arrived at the scene could scarcely believe their senses when they discovered that it was not persons who were before them but headless trunks. Stephenson must have been well acquainted with the effects of dynamite, and there is no reason to doubt that he deliberately conceived the idea of killing himself and his wife by the one stroke, and at the one moment. He completely effected his diabolical purpose, which while in the cool deliberate way he went about it, and carried it out, would seem to have been the work of a sane man, yet in its horrible atrocity would bespeak the invention of a madman. Was he mad, and did he actually intend his own death as well as his wife's? are questions that cannot now be answered. They will receive investigation at the great Tribunal which must alone judge between the murderer and his victim. An inquest has been held on the bodies with the result that the Coroner's jury have decided that there was no evidence by which to judge of Stephenson's state of mind when he committed the dreadful deed. It was shown that he procured the dynamite when mining at Hindon, and that he had three or four pounds weight of it in his possession. On the afternoon of the murder he had received a reply from the Minister of Justice to a petition which he had forwarded, asking that the protection order should be set aside. That reply was a refusal of his request; and to his brother-in-law, Mr Anderson of Anderson and Godso, he said his last hope was now gone — he did not care whether he were dead or alive. It seems plain that brooding over his grievances, whether real or fancied, had driven him into a settled morbid condition of mind, the outcome of which was his resolve "to do something desperate." It can scarcely be regretted that his deed resulted in the life of himself as well as his wife being the penalty. Had it been otherwise — had he escaped — we should have had a lengthy harrowing trial. The defence would have been set up of insanity, and the public mind would have been exercised for days or weeks over the question. The papers would be full of the sensational crime. As it is, the event will be a nine days wonder, and terrible as it was, and deeply regretted as must be the sad ending to two lives, which set, only a few short years ago, on a career of promise and happiness, the whole affair will soon gladly be forgotten. -Cromwell Argus, 10/7/1883.
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| Mary's grave. DCC photo. |
SOMETHING ABOUT STEPHENSON.
The Taranaki Herald has been supplied by Mr C. Whitcombe, Crown Lands Commissioner, with the following particulars relating to George T. Stephenson, the perpetrator of the Dunedin tragedy ; George Timothy Stephenson came to New Plymouth in March 1875. He was often at the Land Office inquiring about land. He said that he came up from Otago, that he had been in a bank at Cromwell, but that he did not like desk work and had thrown it up, and was then interested in some quartz reefs, which were turning out pretty well. He, however, intended to turn to farming, and wished to take up land in this district. After looking about, he took up 665 acres in the Moa district, namely, sections 95 and 97, 265 acres for cash; section 41, 200 acres, on deferred payments in his own name; and section 91, 200 acres, in the name of his wife, Mary Blyth Stephenson, as was allowed by the Taranaki Waste Land Act, 1874, then in force. He went out to the block, and remained there some few months in a whare, looking after the felling of timber on a portion of the land some 200 acres, which was being cleared by two adjacent deferred payment holders, West and Williamson. I believe he then told me that he was going to Dunedin to fetch up his wife and children. In 1876 he returned and told me that his wife would not leave Dunedin, and hated the idea of farming or bush life, and that he should have to get rid of his land. On March 6th, 1876, applications were received from himself and his wife to transfer their deferred payment holdings — his to Edward Burgess Kingdom, and hers to William Alfred Sinclair Kingdom. The Board acceded to the applications, and the Kingdoms also, it is believed, bought his cash land. Stephenson was never after this in New Plymouth. He seemed much upset at his wife’s refusal to come here, and the consequent necessity for disposing of his land. -Temuka Leader, 19/7/1883.
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| George's grave. DCC photo. |
George Timothy Stephenson, who has become notorious in connection with the Dunedin tragedy, was (says the New Zealand Times) well known in Wellington, having passed his early years here, and there are hundreds of his old schoolmates who regret the sad termination of his career. His father, Timothy Stephenson, was in business in Wellington. Thomas Divan and Co. now occupy the premises formerly Stephenson's store. Mr Stephenson, sen., was for many years a commercial traveller in the Colony, but has now settled in Sydney, where he went some time last year with his family. -Daily Telegraph, 25/7/1883.
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