The two headless bodies of Manor Pl
And the last ditch room costing you just $998 a night!
Welcome back. Especially to those parents counting down the end to school holidays (breathe, just breathe).
Dunedin’s golden summer continues as the city prepares to welcome thousands of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fans for Thursday’s concert.
ICYMI, I wrote a story on Tuesday about how dozens of people were able to claim free tickets, thanks to an error on the Ticketmaster website.
You can read that story here.
While the company maintains only 50 tickets (retailing at $79 - so just under $4000 in tickets) were snapped up before the loophole, I believe that could be higher judging by comments.
I received quite a few messages from the people who sourced free tickets, including one woman who ‘bought’ five free tickets for their family and friends.
I guess if many of these people are from out of town it will still have a positive impact on the city, with Ticketmaster issuing the following:
“We will honour those tickets in good faith and the link has been disabled.”
I also had a quick check on booking sites for accommodation on the night of the concert. It wasn’t a pretty look. All the major hotels have sold out.
But there is this, at the former backpacker of Stafford Gables for $998, for two single beds and a shared bedroom. The reviews have been pretty bleak.
I’d expect a bit better for a grand a night.
Or you could upgrade and stay in a nicely presented four-bedroom house in Outram that sleeps eight, but also costs $1569 a night which includes a service fee of $219 and cleaning fee of $100.
So I guess unless you have friends of family in Dunedin, those free tickets may end up costing you a pretty penny.
I’m not going to the concert, I saw the Chili Peppers play at the Big Day Out years ago (the highlight from that festival was watching Joe Strummer of The Clash), but it got me thinking about my favourite acts I’ve seen at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
These are my top five:
Kendrick Lamar
Roger Waters
Elton John
Queen
Fleetwood Mac
A high profile list for a city of 120,000 people, and, apart from the first act, reads like a playlist for classic hits radio station.
While we were talking about Stafford Gables, I note it is a Historic Place Category 2 listing, with the former private hospital designed by Basil Hooper.
You can read about the opening of the building here.
It brings me to my main story - just a few streets near Stafford St - where a case made national headlines, including these:
GHASTLY TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN - The Southland Times.
FEARFUL TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN - Tuapeka Times.
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN DUNEDIN - New Zealand Herald.
You get the idea.
Anyway, a ghastly, fearful, horrible tragedy did indeed unfold in Dunedin, and more specifically on Manor Pl.
The street is home to possibly my favourite property in Dunedin (and it just happens to be for sale...), but I digress.
The subheading from The Southland Times reveals the elements of the tragedy:
A man destroys himself and wife with dynamite
The incident unfolded on the street - it became known as The Manor Pl tragedy - on July 6 1883 (for those playing at home it will be 140 years later this year).
It was just before 6pm on that winter’s evening when some residents thought they heard children playing with firecrackers - but a loud bang and bright light caused them to investigate.
Donald Cargill and his brother Archibald went to investigate and found a man’s body hanging over a fence, and the body of a female at his feet.
The newspapers from the time went into specifics about the bloody scene, and I will spare you some of those details.
“The sight was sickening beyond description,” said the report.
Another noted that when the Cargill brothers arrived they struck a match only to discover two headless victims.
An investigation found the deceased pair were married: George Timothy Stephenson and his wife, helpfully named in the newspaper reports as ‘Mrs Stephenson’.
I found out her name was Mary.
The reports from the time noted that the pair had been separated and “been on bad terms for some time”.
George Stephenson had become angry that he had been denied access to his two children and had “been known to entertain feelings of revenge towards the unfortunate woman and her parents”.
That included a previous incident where he was charged over threatening conduct.
The newspaper reports detailed how Stephenson had stalked his estranged wife, before the events of July 6 1883.
How is this for some breathless reporting:
“Of course what transpired at their meeting can never be known, as no one was near at the time.
“It is believed that dynamite was the explosive subside used.
“The affair has created the most intense excitement in the neighborhood!”
Days later, the Manawatu Times noted that Stephenson had visited New Plymouth seven years earlier and bought a large amount of land after making money in a quartz mine in Central Otago.
But Stephenson later returned and told the clerk that his wife would not leave Dunedin, and hated the idea of farming and bush life.
“He seemed much upset at his wife’s refusal to come here, and the consequent necessity for disposing of his land!”
The Press later reported more details of the murder/suicide, saying Stephenson had tried to take his kids from school that morning.
“Further particulars concerning the murder and suicide show that Stephenson had been threatening his wife with violence for some time, saying that one or both of them should die.”
Police believed he had fired a dynamite cartridge into both of their heads, after they found an unused cartridge in his pocket.
That was corroborated by the witness Cargill’s report of a blue flash spotted at the time of the explosion.
Police also found a letter on his body.
That letter, addressed to the Minister of Justice, asked that the separation orders obtained by his wife be set aside.
The newspaper report also noted Stephenson had been a known drinker over the last two years and appeared in court charged with drunkenness.
The inquest (held three days later!) noted that Stephenson had bought the dynamite on the afternoon of the murder.
“Deceased was anything but in low spirits then, and chatted freely with the men.”
The inquest found the following:
“That the deceased Stephenson and wife met their death by a dynamite cartridge fired by Stephenson, but that there was not sufficient evidence to show in what state of mind he was. They added a rider recommending that no person should be allowed to purchase or use dynamite without a license.”
And the Tuapeka Times noted this just days after the deaths.
“The excitement about the Manor Place tragedy has now entirely died away. People look with some feeling of satisfaction on the fact that Stephenson met his death along with his wife.
“All the harassing sensationalism of a long trial, which could only have had one result, has been avoided.”
On the weekend I took my youngest to Brighton to bodyboard and then check out the gala day.
I introduced him to the classic Kiwi fair staples of candyfloss and creepy clowns. Done and done.
But the real highlight was realising the Brighton Surfboard and Boat Hire shop was holding a soft opening (it is waiting for permits apparently)
We became the third-ever customers and hired a pedalo (love that word).
Great fun, but I’d recommend going with someone who can actually reach the pedals…
As well as the gig by the Chili Peppers, Marlon Williams is also playing in the city, but on Saturday night.
If you don’t know Marlon Williams, check this out, he is a great singer and very charismatic:
Today, I also checked out a tip (thanks to you, dear reader) that some of the back catalogue of The Chills had gone from Spotify, including possibly the country’s greatest ever record, the magnificent Submarine Bells.
But don’t fret, it is more a common administration thing and should be back to normal shortly, I was told.
Fair enough.
And now it is time for Tweet of the Week:
This was a bit of an unusual choice in that it was a tweet referencing a person’s blog, but is worth a read.
It is about musician Amanda Palmer and her love of the music of former Dunedin musician Peter Jefferies, who she described as her “teen idol”.
Here is a taste of his music:
Have a great week.
Wow, what a sad tale from Manor Pl, however, I want to take a moment to champion Mary. She left her husband to try to keep herself and her children safe. It's hard enough for those being abused now, to find the strength to leave, where we have supports available, and we talk about it more openly. I can't imagine how hard it would have been for her, she must have had an amazing support system around her.