The Hawera Shooting Case

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 62, 25 November 1886, Page 3

The Hawera Shooting Case

£lE* UNITED PHERB ASSOCIATION.] MawEUa. November 24. ; The case against J. D. McLean, charged with being in possession of a •gun with unlawful intent lias assumed a new form, He is now charged with the attended murder of Fred. Iredale. At the Court this morning the evidence showed that McLean -fired at Iredale when about 60 yards off him, but missed. The cross-examination of the prosecutor has not yet been entered upon, but. it is understood ithat the reason alleged by prisoner for his action is that Iredale seduced prisoner's wife. Iredale denies that he did so. Later. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day John David McLean was charged with shooting at, with intent to murder, Frederick Iredale. Prosecutor's statement was to the following effect: Know the prisoner; he lives on a part of my property situated near Hawera ; there are two dwelling houses on the property; one is by myself, and one has been ! .occupied by prisoner. On Thursday 18th, instant, I saw prisoner about S o'clock in the morning ; prisoner j came up in an excited manner and took me by the arm, saying, 1 had .seduced his wife. I replied that he must be mad. He then said he would shoot me or I would shoot him and that he would give me two days to live ; lie said his wife had told him I had done so. I then offered to go with him to his wife, and said she must be mad. He was on foot ; I was on horseback. He proceeded along the paddock a little way and then fired at me ; I was just about turning when he fired ; he was about 60 yards off. I rode away I observed him going towards my house, still having the gun with him. As I had seen him near my house, I thought it better to keep away. When arrested he admitted to the police that lie intended to shoot Iredale, and said that if he had seen Iredale on the evening of the 18th he would have shot him, and then have committed suicide. This Day. The hearing of the attempted murder case against McLean has been, adjoorned for the production of evidence as to whether Iredale -was within range of the gun when McLean fired.