Martha BOUTS (1845-1910) married in 1874 to
Police Sergeant John PRICE (1834-1891)
* John was from Wales and a non-commissioned officer who served through the Indian Mutiny. He came to NZ about 1860 and was in the NZ Police force for many years serving in Canterbury & Auckland.
JOHN died in Cole St., Masterton 10 June 1891 aged 57 from acute bronchitis & is buried Old Ground at Archer Street
John's Obituary
MARTHA died in Masterton 17 Oct 1910 aged 65 & is buried Archer Street

JOHN & MARTHA had 4 known children:
*1875 - 1876 Florence Llewellyn Price
- Florence died 4 Feb 1876 aged 5 months and is buried in Bolton St cemetery, Wellington

*1876 - 1962 Harvey 'Harry' Llewelyn Price
-- Harry married Lillian SIDDERS in 1911
- Lillian was from Kent, England. She was in a de facto relationship with Horace Edwin FERNEE who was still married to Emma Rhoda Palmer (1859-1936). They had a son Horace George Fernee (1896-1963). Lillian emigrated to NZ with 12 year old Horace in 1908. De facto Horace stayed in England and remarried in 1916 after a divorce from Emma.
* Harry & Lillian lived next door to his mother, Martha Price, at 28 Sussex Street, Masterton when Horace served as Private 23818 in WWI
- Lilian died 28 Sep 1960 aged 84. Harry died 5 July 1962 aged 81. They are buried Archer St cemetery, Masterton

*1878 - MARTHA 'Minnie' PRICE
-- Minnie married William Daniel McKAIN, 4 Jan 1899 at 30 Sussex St (against her mother's wishes who thought she could do better than a brushmaker). William was 1 of 15 children of Daniel McKain & Amelia O'Hara, confectioners in Lower Hutt ... see STORY BELOW

*1880 - 1932 Edward Thomas Price
-- Edward married Helen May EXELL (1880-1963) in 1907
- Edward died 11 Dec 1932 aged 52 and is buried Archer Street cemetery, Masterton

The MURDER/SUICIDE of Minnie Price & William McKain
Minnie Price married William Daniel McKain, 4 Jan 1899
After a month long honeymoon in Dunedin, Christchurch & Auckland, William and Minnie returned to Wellington where William pawned his violin in Johnsonville to buy a ticket to Palmerston North.
They arrived there on Valentine's Day and were staying at the Royal Hotel. Three nights later, on Friday 17 Feb, William was heard in his room dictating a letter for Minnie to write (this later showed premeditation, the contents in link below)
At 4:20 next morning William shot Minnie with a revolver whilst she was in bed. Twenty minutes later he shot her again. An hour and 20 minutes later he turned the gun on himself
-- Minnie was 20 & William was 22 --
more on the Palmerston North tragedy

What is amazing to me and obviously many at the time, is why, when the other hotel guests heard the first and subsequent shots, was something not done at 4:20am?? Instead, later that morning when the housekeeper was unable to get in their room she called the police

Against his wishes in the letter, William is buried at Taita & Minnie is buried at Masterton.
... The Murder/Suicide Letter
... Another telling of the story


PHOTO
30 Sussex Street, MASTERTON - c1895
Martha Price aged 50 & daughter 'Minnie' Price aged 17
more photos, info & comments