Louisa White shot 1916

On 27th March 1916, Ernest Devoin drove to Wellington in preparation for his upcoming wedding. He had planned to stayed at the home of his fiancé, Louisa White. She worked as a sewing machinist and lived with her mother and step-father in a house in Devon Street. At about 9pm, Ernest suggested that he and Louisa go for a walk.

They walked to the Nairn Street Reserve (Park) so that they could have a private conversation. Ernest was distressed about his business affairs. He had previously told Louisa he was a hairdresser in Foxton with his own shop, but the truth was that he was a cook at a flaxmill. By about 9:45pm the wind had picked up, and Louisa suggested they go home. Next came the sound of a gunshot and she realised that she had been shot in the back. She fell to the ground. A second shot was heard immediately afterwards by those living in the area. Several telephone calls were received by the Mount Cook police reporting the disturbance.

Seargeant E.W. Scott and Constable Barns made their way to the scene and found Ernest lying in a pool of blood on the slope in the reserve nearest to Bidwill Street. He was unconscious and they observed what appeared to be a self-inflicted bullet wound in the right temple. Louisa was a few feet away and bleeding profusely. The couple were taken to the hospital. Ernest remained unconscious, but Louisa could provide the police with a few details of what had happened.

In the days after the event, it was reported that there was little hope of Ernest’s recovery. The bullet fired at Louisa had lodged in her spine, but ‘No immediate danger was apprehended in her case.’

Ernest was charged two days later with attempted murder and attempting to take his own life. He was placed under arrest at the hospital. While Ernest’s condition began to improve, Louisa remained in a critical state throughout April. She died at Wellington Hospital on 14th May. The coroner returned a verdict that her death was caused by ‘a septic condition and extreme wasting resulting from the damage done to her spinal cord.’ The charge against Ernest was changed to one of murder.

At the opening of the trial at the Supreme Court in October, Ernest refused to enter a plea. The judge, Justice Chapman, ordered a plea of ‘not-guilty’ be recorded. At the trial it was revealed that Ernest had married another woman (Maria Bailey) in Auckland in 1914, while engaged to Louisa. Ernest and Maria had separated, but not divorced. This was not known by Louisa or her family.

Mr Wilford, for the defence, said this was a case based on circumstantial evidence, and that Ernest was infatuated with Louisa. Rather then commit bigamy and ‘wrong’ her, it was ‘reasonable to assume that he would prefer to commit suicide, fire at himself, and miss, and the bullet strike the girl in the back.’

The judge asked the jury to consider ‘Was it an accident, or was it a crime?’. After four hours of deliberating, the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, with a recommendation that Ernest receive the maximum penalty. The judge inferred that based on their recommendation, the jury had great difficulty in arriving at their verdict. He addressed Ernest and said ‘I have to consider not what punishment to inflict, because I really do not know how to inflict punishment, but what measure to take to satisfy the conscience of the public, and secure other women for the future against a recurrence of this apparently motiveless act.’ Ernest was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for the rest of his life.

Ernest was sent to Mount Eden prison. Maria finally divorced Ernest in 1924. He was released on licence in 1932. No further trace can be found of him. He may have returned to Australia where he was born. His full named was Ernest Charles Jewell Devoin (or De Voin).

Louisa was buried at Karori Cemetery. Her mother and step-father were buried with her at their deaths in 1932 and 1937 respectively.

References:

Nairn Street Tragedy. (1916, March 30). Dominion, 6.

Nairn Street Tragedy. (1916, October 3). Dominion, 11.

Nairn-Street Tragedy. (1916, May 17). Evening Post, 2.

Sensational Tragedy. (1916, March 28). Manawatu Herald, 3.

The Nairn St. Tragedy. (1916, May 15). Dominion, 6.

The Nairn Street Tragedy. (1916, October 5). Dominion, 6.

The Nairn Street Tragedy

Louisa White shot 1916

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