Murder Attempt?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 148, 10 July 1937, Page 5

Murder Attempt?

— -Press Asaocfatioxr.i

VIOLENT EXPLOSION INGARDEN Well . Knawn Auckland. Solicitor Injured

mysterious affair

(By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, ThiS Day. Wounded arid bieodihg from the head, hand and one leg, a Well-known Auckland solicitor1, Mf e. A. Singef, was found in a state of paftial feollapsfe foliowing a violent explosion that ofecufred at his fefet as he Was walking along the garden path of his home at Grafton road at 6.15 o'clock last night. Mr Singef, who had alighted from a taxicab at his gate a f ew seeonds earlier, was assisted iiito his house where he was attended by a doctor. He was ordered to bed at his home and his feondition this morning was not considered serious. Hurled sideways by the explosion which occurred in the rockery at the right-hand side of the path, Mr Singer was dazed but managed to stagger a few yards to the frorit porch of his home. He had already lost considerable blood when the door was opened. He was assisted by a passer-by Who had run tio the house after hearirig the explosion. Members of the household tOok Mr Singer inside arid endeavoured to stop the blefeding of his wounds. Df. Douglas Eobb was summoned arid the police were adviSed.

Terrific Forcfe df EiploSioiii Geriefal alarm was caused in the neighbourhood by the explosion whifch was accompanied by a brillh.nL sheet of flame. A deep hoia was torh in tlie earth of the rockery and two windows in ihe porch df the house nest ddor Were smashed. The whole path as Wfell as the taxi Which Mr Singef had just lfeft, w!ere litferally coatfed with fearth. Oue df the signs clipped to the side df ihe taxi was blown off and shriibs and fiowers iii the rockfery were up; rootfed. A bundle df books and papera Mr Singfef Was carrying was bufst opefc and thfe cdntents df some of thein bldwn to shreds, Werfe scattered about the garden. Jagged hdles weffe torn iri thfe stout brown pape'r in which the dociiments were wrapped. The taxi which was driven hy Mr Selwyn Casey, f ormerly a well-kndwn facing motor cyclist, did ndi stop in Grafton road, but on the ramp leading to several houses, including Mr Singer's, Whieh are on a much higher levei than the strefet. The car was still at the gate when the explosion occurred so rapidly did it follow Mr Singer's entry to his property. - "There was a deafening explosion and a blinding sheet of flame, ' ' Mr' Casey said. 'For a moment or two I could not sfee Mf Singer and I did not know what had happened. I then saw him staggering up the path toward the ffont .door. The fumes of some explosive Were heaVy in the air and immediately after the blast occurred the windows in the porch of the house next dfeor were broken. Showers of etarth rairifed down for quite a time all over mji car attd even on the roof of Mr Singer's house and that of thfe house nfext ddof."

Police Investigating. Attracted by the roar of ihe explosion, which was heard as far away ari Brinces street in the city, a crowd gathered rapidiy. Speculation was rife as td the cause of the explosion, Which occurred where a shadow falls across the path. Detective Moofe arid twd constables answered a call and were quickly ori the scene in a police car. An investigation was commeneed, including a preliminary search of the rockery, garden path and lawn for fragmnets of a bomb or other device that caused the explosion. Small pieces of tin or some other metal wfere found, some by Mr Casey* arid others by the police, who were later reiriforced by Detective-Sergeant McHugh. "Deliberate Attempt at Murderi" With his right hand bandaged and a dfeep wotihd iii the oalf df the left leg, Mf Siriger was intferviewed by a press; mati in bfed ht his home this morning. Dfespite severe shdck and wounds, he lodked feiriafkably Well, aiid is expected td make a good recovery. "It waB a, deliberate attempt at murdef ; it dould not . havfe been anything else," he said. Mf Siriger added that it was his custbni to rfetum home by taxi, every iiight at 6 o'eldck, but last riight hfe Was a q 11 hftef of an h°ur later. "Wheh 1 saw the flash and heafd thfe fexplosioh ori %th© fight-halid Bide I thobght therfe Was somethiiig on my right fear, arid a raised my hand to xriy fafefe," said Mf Singer. "I called out to the taxi drivef t0 ask if anythiiig had happened to the car. I then realised thfet I was covered with blood, Which was siinply etrerimirig froin me. 1 stfhgglfed alorig the pathway td the frorit door." It is thotight that had he not plaeed his hand to his Lice he iuight liaVe lost ari feye of sustained ofcllef sefidus injufy td the face. As eviderice of the terfifid natufe df thfe explosion, pdftiori' of Mr Singer's overeoat was blown into property next ddor attd scattefed over the garden. Detectives made a keen geatch aftef dayligbt this morning, arid found iri the garden jagged pifeces of tiri and blue metal. Mr Singfef has not the slightest idea who might have been responsible fof the outrage. Iniportant Discovery. The most important discovery made by 20 detectives searching in the viciriity of Mr. Singef's residence today was the finding, on the roof of a house two doors away, of a piece of tin canister about six by four inches, and tlie crumpled portion of a nozsio. The police, with step-laddcrs, are Searching all the roofs in the viciriity. J

They have not yet determined what kind of bomb was used, wkether it Was the kind that is thrown, the "."dinafy concussion type, or a time bomb. It is bfelieved to be of the home-made variety. Iri company with the chief deteCti^d, the Government analyst, Mf. K. M, Gfifiiri, visited the scene to-day arid inspected the police exhibit®. The tremendous force of the explosioa i*S indicated by the fact that mu ti ^as throwtt on to tho roof of a house 70 yards away.