DEMENTED IN A "DRY" DISTRICT.
ATTEMPTED WIFE MURDER AND SUICIDE.
BLOOD-LETTING AND A BLAZE AT BALCLUTHA.
An English Emigrant's Failure — Clerk, Farmer, and Carpenter — The Tragedy of a Life — How it Ended — Wife Attacked in Bed — How She Escaped — Threw Her Child Through the Window — The House in Flames — The Somnolence of Balclutha — A Gruesome Discovery — Charred Remains Found — The Wife's Story — The Inquest Opened — The Woman Unable to Appear.
The tragedy of a disappointed, hopeless sort of life comes from Balclutha, an Otago town — the town, or portion of an electorate, which has the doubtful honor of being the first to go "dry" and has since remained "dry." The tragedy includes attempted murder, supposed suicide and the firing of a home. The parties to the tragedy are Frederick John Littlewood, a carpenter (now dead) his wife and six-year-old child. Just now, the woman is in a precarious condition, so much so that the inquest on her dead husband has been adjourned
PENDING HER RECOVERY. Frederick John Littlewood was 35 years of age at the time that he culminated the tragedy of his life. He was an Englishman, and in England he had followed the calling of a clerk. No doubt, drawn by the alluring attractions of life in a new, young country, where there was work for all, and good wages for everything; where every prospect was supposed to please, and where, in a word, fortunes awaited those who asked for them, Littlewood, with his wife and child, came to New Zealand. Furthermore, Littlewood's health was failing him. Evidently possessed of a little capital, possibly the savings of a lifetime, the desirable immigrant went "on the land" in New Zealand, but failure was his reward. Four years ago he went to Balclutha, and there the poor English clerk, whose health had failed him, who had failed in the heart-breaking, hardtasking attempt to become a yeoman, tackled carpentry. For two and a half-years the poor chap seems to have struggled on and on, and eventually it was found that as a carpenter he was also a rank failure, and the fact that 18 months ago he was granted an under-rate workers', permit, as he was not a fully-qualified tradesman, too clearly indicates how hard was the lot of Littlewood. In order to keep the home going and to keep up appearances, his gallant little wife endeavored to assist in the battle by making a little money as a photographer. For 18 months it had been a hard battle, and Littlewood, in the long run, was obliged to end it
HOW HE ENDED IT is told by the tragedy enacted at an early hour on Sunday morning last.
At 2.15 a.m. a fire broke out in the four-roomed house in James-street. Balclutha, occupied by Littlewood, his wife and child. The somnolence of Balclutha can well be imagined from the assertion made that a resident riding home noticed the fire, and, galloping to a firebell in a near-by street, sounded the alarm. A vigorous alarm was sounded, but few, if any, stirred, and it was after the house had been destroyed that the brigade reel arrived on the scene. The fact that a vigorous alarm was raised, and that the local brigade was slow to turn out and save the house, has, naturally, created concern in the dry district, and all sorts of excuses have been made for the Brigade's inactivity.
However, after the Brigade had arrived on the scene, too late to be of any service, a gruesome discovery was made. The mortal remains of Littlewood were found in a front room. The throat bore marks of having been cut, and it is surmised that death occurred before the body was attacked by the flames. In the meantime, however, particulars
OF A GRIM TRAGEDY had been gathered. Mrs. Littlewood had been attacked by her maniacal husband, who had set fire to his home, and she had, with her child, whom she had thrown out of the window, escaped from her burning home to a haven of safety in a neighbor's house. Mrs. Littlewood's story is to the effect that her husband returned home on Saturday afternoon, appearing to bein his usual health and spirits. Subsequently, Mrs. Littlewood said he appeared to be somewhat down-hearted. The husband and wife retired at 10 o'clock, and both she thought had gone to sleep. Later on, she was awakened, and noticed her husband in the doorway of the bedroom. She said, "Hullo, you're up? Where have you been?" Littlewood made no reply, but rushed at her, and, as she threw herself up in bed, he struck her with a chopper. She collapsed, and could not tell how many times she was struck, although, judging from the wounds, the attack must have been a savagely murderous one. On regaining consciousness, some time after, Mrs. Littlewood found that the bedroom door was closed. She got to the door and, opening it, found the passage full of smoke and flame. The child at this time was asleep in his cot, and the frightened mother secured him,
THREW THE CHILD OUT OF THE WINDOW, scrambled out after him, and rushed across to a neighbor. She was suffering from several wounds on the head, and there were marks across her throat. Weak from the loss of blood, the poor woman screamed. She dropped her child, and, as a neighbor, attracted by the cries, came on the scene, the woman called out, "Save me from Jack! He has gone mad." The neighbor, a Mr. B. Briscoe, took the woman and child into his home and then summoned medical aid. The child was also attended to, and it was found that its left eye was swollen and bruised, presumably as a result of the fall when the mother threw him out of the window; otherwise, it was uninjured.
Constable Harvey was early on the scene, and he made a search and found outside the bedroom door the head of a heavy gorse grubber, and it is believed that this was the weapon which Littlewood employed when he attacked his wife. The theory is that Littlewood, believing that he had killed his wife, set fire to the house, and then cut his throat. On Monday an inquest touching Little wood's death was commenced at Balclutha, and, after the jury had viewed the charred remains, Constable Harvey said it was impossible to call evidence, as Mrs. Littlewood was
IN A SERIOUS CONDITION, and would not be able to give evidence for some days. Dr. Stenhouse had given it as his opinion that it was impossible for her to attend in less than a week at least, and it was doubtful if she would then be in a fit state of health. The constable outlined the facts as secured in a statement from Mrs. Littlewood. The only reason for calling the inquest was to enable the Coroner to get the body buried. The Foreman thought it would be wise to get some evidence of identification, and Wm. James Harvey, constable stationed at Balclutha, deposed that on Sunday morning at 3.30 he removed the body now lying in the courthouse from the house in James-street occupied by Littlewood. It was lying in a front room used as a workroom, and he believed it to be the remains of Frederick Littlewood, though from the charred condition of the body identification was impossible. An examination showed that an incision had been made with an instrument on the throat before death. The cut was from left to right, but owing to the right side of
THE NECK BEING BADLY BURNED it was impossible to trace the cut, and the doctor could not say whether the artery on the right side of the neck had been severed. The inquest was adjourned till next Tuesday, May 6.
NEITHER DRANK NOR SMOKED. A former employer of Littlewood's stated to a reporter on Monday that the deceased was a man of most exemplary conduct. "He neither drank nor smoked, and I never heard him utter a swear word, although he often worked in circumstances that would have called forth considerable profanity from a colonial. He was a most willing worker, and had latterly qualified as a journeyman. He was altogether a fine fellow to work with — bright and cheery always, and his conduct, in fact, seemed almost too perfect. He is the last man I would have though of to attempt a deed like this." He was a Lancashire man, and had latterly worked for Mr. Bulfin, builder, of Tuapeka Mouth. -NZ Truth, 3/5/1913.
THE LITTLEWOOD INQUEST.
AN OPEN VERDICT.
The adjourned inquest on the death of Frederick John Littlewood, which occurred at Balclutha on Sunday, April ' 27, was held in the courthouse, Balclutha, on Wednesday, at 2 o'clock, before Mr G. W. Wood, J.P. (acting-coroner) and the jury — Messrs D. T. Fleming (foreman), S. H. James, J. H. Quest, W. J. M. Roberts, D. Mackenzie and W. Stewart.
The acting-coroner read the evidence which was taken on April 28.
Dr A. Stenhouse, sworn, stated that on Sunday, April 27, he attended Mrs Littlewood, who was suffering from various wounds on the head, was faint and dazed, and suffering from shock, but conscious. That would be just about three o'clock on Sunday morning, and he attended her at Mrs Briscoe's house, opposite the scene of the fire. The wounds were bruises, not clean cuts, and he thinks they had been caused by a blunt-edged instrument. The police produced a mattock, and the doctor said it was quite feasible that the wounds would be caused by the back edge, but not the face edge of the instrument. While he was attending Mrs Littlewood she cried out as if she was afraid that Littlewood was still after her, and said that he had attacked her in her own bedroom. The boy, who was also attended to, was suffering from a very large bruise on the head, underneath which was a fracture of the skull, and he was showing signs of concussion of the brain. Mrs Littlewood also had come symptoms of concussion of the brain, witness thought the boy's injury may have been caused by a fall on the pavement or by a blow; there were no special signs to show that it was caused by a blow. If the bruise had been made by the instrument produced there would have been cuts also. On April 28 witness examined the charred body of Frederick Littlewood. There was a transverse depressed mark on the throat on the left side immediately below the voice box. The corresponding portion of the neck on the right side was burnt away, and under this condition it was impossible to trace whether the arteries had been cut or not. It would be practically impossible to say if the wound had been inflicted by the chisel which the police produced, and it was almost impossible to say if the man was dead before the fire reached him, but the remains of the arms were slightly raised. The trunk of the body was in its natural state, but the legs, from the knees downwards, were burnt off. It was very probable that Mrs Littlewood had been unconscious for a short time after receiving the wounds.
Ethel Littlewood, widow of deceased, stated that she had one child six years of age. She and her husband and child arrived in the Dominion three years ago and settled in Balclutha. Since her husband's arrival he worked as a carpenter, and his last employment was at Clydevale, where he was working for Mr Bulfin. On Saturday, April 26, he arrived home about three o 'clock in the afternoon, seeming a bit downhearted and depressed then. He said he had not been sleeping well, but there was nothing to give him any worry. On the Saturday night they retired to bed about ten o'clock, the little boy sleeping in a cot in the same room. Just before retiring to bed deceased seemed a lot brighter. Some time during the night witness woke up and found that her husband was not in the room. Witness just called, asking her husband where he was, and he came into the room, and witness asked him where he had been, but he never replied. He then caught her by the shoulder and struck her on the head with a wood chopper, and then got her by the throat. That was the last witness remembered. When she regained consciousness she found the bedroom door closed, and on opening the door found that the place was on fire. The boy cried when she was struck, but he was quiet after that. When she saw that the house was on fire she lifted the boy from the cot and put him out through the window. Witness thought the boy must have fallen on the asphalt footpath. He seemed to be too frightened or sleepy to stand up. She then got out through the window and carried the boy on to the street, and then she went over to Briscoe's. Mr Briscoe met her at his gate, and he carried Charlie, the child, in. Her husband was 35 years of age, did not drink, and was steady in every way. She did not know of any of her husband 's relatives who had been in a mental hospital. The only solution she could give of his mental lapse was that he was troubled through want of sleep, and he could not do without sleep. He had told her that for about a week he did not sleep. Since coming to Balclutha he had never been ill.
By the Acting-Coroner: Mr Littlewood had not been at home for a fortnight.
By the Foreman: There was no light except the moonlight in the room when the attack took place. She did not think her husband had been doing any studying while he was at Clydevale. His health did not break down in the Old Country, and he came to New Zealand because he wanted a more open life.
Robert W. Briscoe, employed at the freezing works, stated that he was wakened up shortly after two o'clock on Sunday morning, April 27, by hearing a woman screaming. He jumped out of bed, opened the front door, and could see the figure of a woman, in night attire, who was screaming, which he recognised as Mrs Littlewood. She said: "Save me; Fred's gone mad. Get my child." Witness assisted her to his house, then ran for the child, which he found lying in the gutter outside Littlewood's house. The child screamed twice, and then collapsed. After taking the child into his house witness ran to Mr Chirnside's to seek help, as the Littlewoods' house was on fire, and he then went to Mr Batchelor's, subsequeatly running back to Littewood's house, which by that time was a roaring furnace. He ran round the back of the house, but could see no signs of anybody. It would have been suicidal for anyone to attempt to go into it. When he met Mrs Littlewood she was screaming and hysterical, and her head and face were covered with blood. Witness was a neighbour of Littlewoods for about three years, and frequently visited each other. Deceased was always steady ever since he had first known him, and he had never heard him complain. He last saw him alive a fortnight before the night of the tragedy.
By the Foreman: Mrs Littlewood was bleeding freely from the head, but the child was not bleeding. He had always known the Littlewoods as a happy couple, good natured and independent. In his opinion the fire had a good hold on the house before Mrs Littlewood made her escape.
On the jury returning after a 30minutes' retirement, the foreman said they could not be unanimous in saying in what particular way Littlewood met his death, but they were unanimous on the following verdict: "That the deceased Frederick J. Littlewood met his death on the morning of Sunday, April 27, when his house was burnt. The evidence points to a fit of temporary insanity, but there is not sufficient evidence to show whether deceased came by his death from the fire on from a self-inflicted wound." Robert Briscoe was allowed 6s expenses. -Clutha Leader, 30/5/1913.
Frederick John Littlewood is buried in Balclutha's Old Cemetery. I do not know whether his grave is marked. I will search for it next time I'm in the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment