Biography.
David Robert Haggie JEFFREY was the eldest child of David Jeffrey and his partner Charlotte (Lottie) Stewart Burt, born in 1909 at Taihape. David Robert Haggie JEFFREY was usually known by the name Robert David Jeffrey. Robert's father, David Jeffrey, was from Scotland and after moving to New Zealand in 1882 worked as a surfaceman for the NZ Railways. Robert's mother, Lotte, had a daughter Thelma Charlotte WILLSON from a previous marriage, and had six sons with David Jeffrey, the youngest born after her husband's suicide. Robert's father committed suicide in 1916 after attempting to kill his family and murdering two of his children. Below are two brief newspaper accounts of the incident.
During his early life Robert David Jeffrey was convicted of several offences as outlined in newspaper reports below. He married Nellie Elizabeth ROBINSON in 1932 and they had a child. However, Robert had difficulty obtaining employment and providing for his family, resulting in further imprisonment following stealing to provide for his family. Nellie and Robert separated, and Robert eventually obtained work as a labourer and miner in the Waihi and Te Aroha districts. During WW2 Robert enlisted in the army. The 1949 Electoral role gave his occupation as a driver at Waharoa in the Waikato. Robert Jeffery died in 1964 and was buried at Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty.
Newspaper Report of Father's Suicide.
MURDER AND SUICIDE.
Tragedy At Kakahi
Man attacks wife and family.
Then commits Suicide
Taumarunui, Thursday.
Some time during the night a gruesome tragedy occurred at Kakahi, a small township eleven miles south of Taumarunui. A labourer named David Jeffrey, aged 43, shot his wife with a pea rifle, and attempted to murder his six children - Gordon aged one, George three, Neal five, Jack seven, Robbie eight, and Thelma nine.
All were terribly knocked about, and sustained fractured skulls.
The infant, Gordon, died this morning, and it will be a miracle if all the others survive.
Jeffrey afterwards committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth.
Mrs. Jeffrey was shot in the forehead, but is still alive. The parents, the infant, and one other child, slept in one room, and the four other cbildrien in an adjoining room.
The wife, in a dazed state, about seven o'clock this morning, struggled to a neighbour's fence to summon assistance.
A man named Gordon went over to her residence and found her on the couch, a terrible sight.
No instrument has been found yet to show how the childen were attacked but a gun was found at the wife's side of the bed.
The dead infant was lying at the bottom of the bed.
Jeffrey left a letter, which is in the hands of the police.
Jealousy is supposed to be the cause of the crime.
Source: King Country Chronicle, 8 July 1916, Page 5.
THE KAKAHI TRAGEDY.
Verdict of Murder and Suicide
TAUMARUNUI, this day.
The inquest on the Jeffrey case was completed to-day. A verdict was returned that David Jeffrey committed suicide after having killed his two children, being temporarily insane.
On July 7 last at Kakahi, a small township on the Main Trunk line, about 15 miles south of Taumarunui, David Jeffrey, a railway surfaceman, aged about 30 years, attempted to murder his wife and six children and then shot himself. Jeffrey gashed his wife's forehead with the barrel of a pea-rifle and then clubbed the skulls of the children. One child died about four hours after the discovery of the tragedy, and another died a few days later.
Source: Auckland Star, 5 August 1916, Page 6.
Newspaper Reports of Robert's Crimes.
SERIOUS OFFENCE ADMITTED.
Committed For Sentence
A charge of having committed a serious offence against a girl of 19 years of age was preferred against Robert David Jeffrey, of Turanga-o-moana, a probationer, in the Matamata Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, when Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., presided. An order was made for the suppression of the witness' names. Mr. G. G. Bell appeared for the accused, and Constable Mathieson conducted the case for the police.
The girl in question stated that she was 19 years of age and was employed at Turanga-o-moana. She had met a companion and set out to cycle to Waharoa to attend the pictures. The two had gone a short distance when they had noticed someone following them. It was a young man. They left to return home a little after 10 o'clock. After having gone a little distance the man in the dock came up. The three were cycling along and witness' companion said to the man: "Who are you?" He continued to cycle along. One of the girls asked who owned a certain house, and the accused replied "Boss' sisters." Later they alighted from their machines and accused asked if he could see witness home and she gave a negative reply. He again asked her if he could accompany here and caught hold of her around the waist. Witness had told her companion to go and get a stick. The other girl did so and gave it to witness, who hit accused. He continued to hold her and her companion also hit him. This continued for about quarter or half of an hour. Witness, then instructed her companion to go and get her father, and she went; but didn't come back again. Accused had his hands on her all the time, and finally she consented to let him accompany her home. She did so with the idea of getting away from him. She next jumped on to her cycle and rode off as fast as she could. Accused followed. She got off her cycle at the gate of the house where she lived, and was halfway up the drive when accused came up to her and caught hold of her. She then called out to her employer. It was then that the alleged offence took place. She had cried out. Afterwards accused said that he was sorry, and offered her some money. It was about 12.45 a.m. when she got home.
The medical evidence was to the effect that there were several bruises on both arms and both sides of the neck.
Corroborative evidence of the alleged offence was given by a school girl.
Constable Mathieson, giving evidence, stated that he went, after the accused, who denied knowledge of the offence, but later at the police station accused said he might as well tell the whole truth and be done with it. He then made a statement in which he stated that he had been in similar trouble before and was still under the charge of the Welfare Officer. The statement admitting the offence was read.
Mr. Bell entered a plea of guilty, and the accused was committed to the Hamilton Supreme Court for sentence.
Source: Matamata Record, 11 June 1928, Page 4.
YOUTH ADMITS SERIOUS CHARGE.
MATAMATA, Wednesday.
Robert David Jeffrey (19) pleaded guilty in the Matamata Police Court to-day to a serious offence against a girl of similar age. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Jeffrey is on probation for a similar offence.
Source: Sun (Auckland), 8 June 1928, Page 16.
OFFENCE BY A YOUTH.
STRICT- DISCIPLINE NEEDED.
DETENTION FOR THREE YEARS.
HAMILTON, Friday.
Three years' detention in a Borstal institute was the sentence imposed on Robert David Jeffrey, aged 17½ years, by Mr. Justice Blair in the Hamilton Supreme Court to-day. Jeffrey had pleaded guilty to a charge of committing rape at Matamata.
Mr. G. G. Bell said prisoner had been extraordinarily frank in his admissions regarding the case, and he questioned if prisoner had not pleaded guilty whether a jury would have convicted. The girl concerned had not suffered any serious injury.
Counsel said prisoner was one of a large family, whose father had died and left them destitute.
His Honor said there was a lot of truth in what counsel had said. To some extent prisoner was to be pitied. The case was not as bad as the nature of the charge indicated. He did not want to punish prisoner - he wanted to help him - and he thought in his own interests he should be put under strict discipline and training. Treatment of this kind would be given in a Borstal institute.
Source: New Zealand Herald, 16 June 1928, Page 14.
THEFT OF CASH BOX.
Leniency For Young Man
TAURANGA, this day.
In the Magistrate's Court this morning, Robert David Jeffrey was charged with theft of a cash box containing 10/ from a local restaurant. Accused, aged 23, has a wife and family at Te Puke. Recently he arrived at Tauranga and said he was hard up and wanted money.
Previously accused was three years in a Borstal institute, and he had been convicted of theft at Te Aroha.
The presiding justices, Messrs. A. J. Mirrielees and C. Whiting, in view of the fact that the accused admitted the theft, imposed a light sentence of one month.
Source: Auckland Star, 13 September 1933, Page 8.
THEFT FROM DWELLING.
Offence at Te Aroha
"It is very unfortunate for your wife and child, but the State will have to keep them. However, although your present offence involves only a small matter of 10/ in goods, I cannot possibly overlook your bad record."
With this comment Mr. Justice Ostler, in the Supreme Court this morning, sentenced Robert David Jeffrey to a period of reformative detention not exceeding two years. Jeffrey had admitted two charges of theft from a dwellinghouse at Te Aroha.
Mr. W. Noble, for the prisoner, said Jeffrey was but 23 years of age. He did not break into the house, but had gone in and taken some small articles of clothing worth 10/ for his wife and child. They were exceedingly hard up, and counsel asked his Honor to take as lenient a view as possible, and take into consideration the poverty of the family.
Source: Auckland Star, 1 October 1934, Page 3.
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
![David Robert Haggie JEFFREY [Robert David JEFFREY]](photos/thumb_David%20Robert%20Haggis%20JEFFREY%202.jpg)
1909 - 1964 (54 years)
Has no ancestors but 12 descendants in this family tree.
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