Mary Wade Family

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 19 August 1927

FIVE DEAD.

NOBLE PARK TRAGEDY.

FAMILY WIPED OUT.

SUPPOSED MURDER AND SUICIDE..

Cries attracted attention to the home of Robert Daniel Parsons, a cottage in Heatherton road, Noble Park, near Dandenong yesterday afternoon, and soon afterwards the police found parsons, his wife and their three young children dead in one of the bedrooms. Circumstances, the police say point to the case being one of murder and suicide.

The police theory is the Parsons, becoming unbalanced as a result of war injuries, attacked his wife and children with a razor, and then took his own life by the same means. The victims were:-

PARSONS, ROBERT DANIEL, aged 38 years ganger, employed by the Electricity Commission

PARSONS, FLORENCE M aged 35 years, wife of Daniel Parsons

PARSONS, VIOLET, aged six years

PARSONS, ROBERT, aged four years

PARSONS, JOYCE VERA, aged 12 month

About half-past 2 o'clock, Mr. L .Collins contractor, of 158 Summerville road, Yarraville, who was engaged upon road work in French street, Noble Park, heard a woman call out excitedly to him from a house near by. He gathered from the cries that a tragedy had been witnessed, and hurried to the Dandenong police station.

Acting upon his information, Sergeant Hill and Constable Goodall went to the home of Parsons, in Heatherton road. They saw blood stains on the pathway and gate, and upon entering a front bedroom they found Parsons on the floor with a razor in his right hand. His wife and the older daughter also lay on the floor, and the two younger children were on the bed.

All had terrible wounds in the throat, and were found by Dr Oldham, of Dandenong, to be dead.

The calls which caused Mr. Collins to summon the police were uttered by Mrs. F. Hannon, from whose home in French street the rear portion of Parson's house in Heatherton road, running parallel, could be seen.

In a statement to the police she said: When I was standing near the front door of my home I heard screams from the direction of Heatherton road. I ran round to the back, and saw Parons come out through the back door, seize his wife, who apparently had just returned from the township, and take her forcibly towards their front door. Both were screaming. I thought that something serious must be happening, and sent for the police.

After the police inspection of the scene, and the removal of the bodies to the morgue, it was stated by the police that apparently the children were first attacked when about to begin their lunch in the kitchen at the rear of the house, The table was in readiness for the meal, and food had been prepared.

Although as far as could be gathered, nobody saw her at the time, Mrs parons is believed to have gone out shortly before noon, possibly to shop. She was in street attire when found. Mrs Hannon believes that she saw bloodstains about Parson's throat when he met his wife upon her return, and the police consider that, having killed the three children, he had commenced to take his own life, but had not inflicted the final and mortal wound when his wife reached home.

Mr. Edward Buchan, who with his wife and family occupy the neighbouring house in Heatherton road, said that the Parsons family had lived there about l8 months. They were aware of no domestic or other trouble in the family.

Charles Parons, of Leonard avenue, Noble Park, brother of the dead man, was able to suggest no possible explanation of the tragedy, unless war injuries had suddenly affected his brother, who, he said, was a man of good habits.

He had been free of domestic unhappiness, and was earning wood wages. Mr.Parsons did not know why his brother had not gone to work that day. In fact, he was unaware that he had not left home as usual to work with the "flying gang" of the Electricity Commission, as a member of which it was his duty to travel about on emergency jobs.

He added that his brother enlisted at Harrietville, and served during the war with the 8th Battalion, B Company. Their mother was a resident of Eilden Weir, near Alexandra.