TWO HEADS BLOWN OFF BY DYNAMITE.

Manawatu Times, Volume VIII, Issue 305, 7 July 1883, Page 2

TWO HEADS BLOWN OFF BY DYNAMITE.

(Per United Press Association.) Dunedin, July 7. Shortly after 7 o'clock this evening the residents of Manor Place were startled with the intell gence that a murder aud suicide had be v committed m the locality. . It seems that, at about that hour, Mr Donald C;; and bis brother, whilst conversing t the corner of Lees-street, had thoir attention .ittracted by "a flickering light some fifty yards up Manor Place. Tbey took it to proceed from children playing with crackers, until they suddenly heard a lound report as of the firing oPsome explosive material Hu ning up the street to the^spot whence the sound came, they were horrified by finding a mau'a body banging over a fence alongside the street line, and the body of a female lying prostrate at tbe man's feet. Both bodies were head ess, the pavement being strewn with biains and covered with blood. The sight was sickening beyond, description. ...The which pre^. sented a most ghastly* appearance, were removed to tbe morgue by Constable Pirker. On inquiry, it was iearned tha tsie vicb. of this horrible tragedy, the first of its kind m; the culo y, was Mrs S.eplieusoii, and. that the murderer was her husband, ,* George Timothy dteptieiwqn. Mrs.Sttphenson is well known m Diinedin. She for some time !>.ist has oeeupu* I tbe pos;ti n of head miilincr at Sauinlcrs, iVKßtratb, ard U<». i$ He vi as i daughter ot Air Sten* house, of Maitliind street, and has been sepa aed u-mie time from her h-tsband, who has quite recently been engaged as. groom for C»mpbel , Cruet, <n»d Co. ; The (uarties^as is wed known,, navr been on bad terms for some time and Stepbenson, through being denied tccess to hu children, of whom he bad two, has been known to entertain feelings of revenge towards the unfortunate woman an i Uer parents. In May last he was ci arged. at £he instance of Mr . Steiibouse, ,at the City Police Court, with threate .ing conduct, and was then bound over. It is said that he has per* silently dogged the footsteps of his wife tor weeks. It is surmised that thia eveuiug he followed her uumv f. o .» her place of busines.-, and* ove took htr m Manor Plaett. Of. course wiiit tran. pired at their meeting c;ui never be kuo*n, as no one was ne .r at tbe time. It is believed that dynamite was tbe explosive sub* a rice used The affair has cr ated' the greatest excitement m the neighborhood. • Later, The Stephenson, referred to m the oaße of murder and suici ie, waa not a banker at Mosgiel. but mauy years a«*o was clerk m the Bank of jtf e w South Wales m Cromwell. He afterwards became proprietor of a q >artz mine m that "district, out of which be maue a considerablesum?6f ftbney. Af'erwards about 1878, he' went 3o Taranaki, wbere he resided soine. time. His «.-^ v.a before then left him. - t " » - < 3 pm. A portion of deceased's brihuatid scalp were found 20 yards away from whej-p the bodies were discovered, and this, morning one of the male decensei's fingers was picked up m Maitiaud St. It is said' that Stephenson procured dyoimite at-Hindon, and that^he had expressed his intention', of taking a quarry at Anderson's Bay. -Au- inquest will bt held to-uight.v -The explosion wat plainly beard at the north end of the city. Stephensou's grievance was principally that he was denied access to his children/ and thata protection order was granted in-'hirfWnsence, whilst every obstacle wss put m the way of getting its reversal. 'I herJra^little doubt thab brooding over -these- things drove him to desperation, a3 when- talking of his troubles he spoke and acted like a maUman. r .. ; .? Y'l " '