The Kaikohe Tragedy

Amy Elizabeth Stewart, Auckland Weekly News, 9 July 1898, p.4, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-18980709-04-04

 Kaikohe is one of those little towns that you don't forget. I came across this case by accident as I was searching for something else.  This is the case of Amy Elizabeth Stewart who was charged with killing her daughter and was later committed to a mental asylum but I wonder if there was more to it.

The NZ Herald Volume XXXV Issue 10792, 29th June 1898 says this:

The mother insane - the mother before the court. An inquest on the Stewart child was held on Monday afternoon by Mr P. Dickson, acting coroner. The jury found that Amy Stewart committed the murder of her infant child owing to insanity. Dr Carolan of Kawakawa made an examination of the accused and pronounced her insane. It seems that on Saturday afternoon a man named Fred Jones, a gum digger who returned home to his camp and the accused woman's eldest child ran over and said "mama, knife, neck, sister". Jones ran over and discovered the woman cutting the child's throat. He immediately gave the alarm and set some women to watch over the accused while he went to Kaikohe for assistance.

The constable was away at the time on duty but on his return he arrived at the camp and arrested the woman. She appeared perfect composed and answered his questions in a rational manner. She had washed the body and laid the child out on the bed. She did not appear to realize her situation until the Sunday morning. After the inquest the child was buried at Kaikohe Cemetery and the accused woman was taken to Kawakawa enroute for Auckland to stand her trial. 

At 7 o'clock last night Amy Isabella Elizabeth Stewart was bought up before the police court at Kaikohe and formally charged with the murder of her daughter Mary Ann. The courthouse was packed and the accused woman occupied a seat on the dock. Her demeanor throughout the proceedings was quiet and unconcerned.

Frederick Jones, gum digger of Rakauwahia near Kaikohe stated that he knew the accused and had known her since she was 11 years old. He also knew the husband, Thomas Stewart now in Auckland Hospital  and the family who had lived in the same camp. When the husband went to Auckland he had left no provisions for the family and Fred's wife had given some food for the children. He had seen her shouting violently on former occasions and after fetching her father, he managed to pacify her then about 3 weeks ago Mrs Stewart took an axe and attempted to open a neighbour's door. She was confused at the time and didn't understand what she was doing.

I'm not an expert and I know nothing about psychology but it seems to me based on information we have today that Amy Stewart possibly had a nervous breakdown due to her situation. Back then gum digger's camps were extremely hard to live in plus there was no family benefit or financial help from the government. With her husband away in hospital she had no way of making money and a young family to raise - how difficult this must've been for her. What do you think?

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