THE PICNIC TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1924, Page 3

THE PICNIC TRAGEDY

AUSTRALIAN AND N’.Z CAIILE ASSOCIATION. BATSON STILL AT LARGE. SYDNEY, Feb. 11. Up to a late hour to-night Batson wa- still lmenptured inside the cordon. SYDNEY SHOOTING AFFRAY. CULPRIT HARD TO CATCH. SYDNEY. February 11. 'Tin* -eelte ul the plena -hooting ntIray is a small, isolated farming township on the. Upper Minay River, dose to the Victorian holder, with lew telegraphic and nt her I’aeililie-. Tim newdid tmi readi Syduet till alter nttdtllelll. Bat-oil l- <le-rriLe'l a- an experienced Int.'lnnan. thus making the chances ef In- capture noire ihtlieuit. Ihe Victorian hordei police are asi-ting in the *ea fell.

BATSON SHOOTS AT OTHERS SI DNEY. February 11. According In the latest report. Claude Valentine liat-on was seen in tlm vicinity of Larkey’s Creek live miles from the si cue of the shooting, where lie tired at Police Sergeant Morris, who had a narrow escape. After -hooting the picnickers yesterday evening, he fired at a boy who hail a narrow escape. Bat-on. i- aged LkJ, and is a labourer and illiterate, and was regarded as a harmless eeieiitrie. He went by the name of “Daily Batson." As Batson lifeil the shots from the Victorian side of the river, tbe ’Ability of his capture devolves on the Victorian police, httl the lore, - of loth Stale- are co-operating in the hunt. I minor or Trainor. one ol those -nt. was .1 vi-itnr to .1 ingellie. lie received a gutt-of wound I rad ui'iitg ins Mice. His condition Is serious, A cordon is around Batson. HOT ON THE TRAIL. 'Received this day tit lu.-i-'i a.m.) SYDNEY, Ceh. 111. David Thomas Shepherd, not Slteppari, died of hi- wound- in .1 ingellie. a -hurt time alter the shooting. All the able bodied men in the neigh-j I hood, numbering two hundred are j armed seeking Rat-on. who t- well j supplied with iood. The story of the shooting -hows the men did not take it seriously until two of their number were writhing m

agony I rum serious wounds. At the tir.xt di-charge they called .u rn-- the creek to Batson to eea-e his jokes. Tlte only reply was further -hots.

Sergeant Morris, of Holbrook, lias lotiud the tir-t trace of the ItigiHve, and was hot on the trail when darkness fell. He picked Up his tracks again in the morning, and later in the day Morris and another policeman came upon Batson in a hut. Without waiting lor a ( hall,’me Batson till’d two shots. The poll"-’ ret tinted the lire, hut Ml their shuts lieu wide. Batson then disappeared. Caving his hat behind. Late in the aftern i m a cordon wa- drawn round where H.’“fe ;iI ivo was -ecu It >’ expected be Will le raptured to-day. H * l “'' lawi"! lie i- making for the Murray River to em-s and ..’tier the iuipenc..rpil, ,n the ’Victorian ->•!• vino. C will l asi 1 v he able to dmC ,;,pruir \ dt’.-" v.itcli is being kept on the. fords and bridges, but Bat son is a strong swimmer. A GRAPHIC DKMCRIVTION. SYDNEY. !*'eb. l’_> A catch of Batson’s room revealed th,.t beside- a ritle, his revolver and a 111,-I/O rpianlif.v of ammunition are missing. Is is known rli.it he had a quarrel with Shepherd and King, but ho did not know the other two victims. The rifle he used was a mtlita:\\ weapon, and the use lor magazine chargers accounted tor Hie ext ramdinarv rapidity ol lire. Graphic stories of the tragedy are told by Gaynor and .McGrath, the former said—" King was lighting hi--pipe, and 1 was walking be-ido him, when I heard an explosion. At hr.-t f thought it was his box o! matches, hut insiitntlv he screamed, and grabbed |,j s -joinaeli. Blood spurted Iron) Ins clothing, and he fell. 1 went to his assistance, and as I was about to pick him up, I was .-hot in the knee, dust across the creek at a distance of forty yards 1 -aw the man in the act oi taking aim at me again. Then I fell am! roll'd over the bank of the creek into the water. At this moment my wile and Mr- McGrath arrived and denounced lint-on for shooting at unarmed men. H” appeared to have no ,Im.ire to -hoot the women. I swam over the creel: under the shelter ol the hank, on which Batson was standing. and lay concealed in the water about half an hour. My knee was blooding profusely and I was somtceuxeimi- till rescued by a party trout .(ingellie. M'ief 1 was shot, Batson continued l() lire at the rest, of the party. McCrnth was the third to he hit."

MCGRATH’S- STOUT. SYDNKY, !•'<•'>. '2. McGrath. wlni was formerly a major in the Light Horse. said that lu- heard a shot and saw King fall. followed hv Guvnor who fell on top ol him. C'onlimiiiiff. M.t-rath said--"I ran u , hi, assistance and as I did so, saw a mao taking aim at me at a distance los than thirty yards. Ho was on '-ho Other side of t 1m- crock and from the frequency of the shots, he was nppari■ 11 11 v u-ing a clip ol cartridge-. I thought the host thing I could do was i,, g„ (jack home and gut my ritlc. At this mcuuetit I’mtson had commenced to tiro at me. I was the lirst hit. When 1 started on the hundred yards run to the house, in full view of the armed men, judging that he had used all the cartridges in the- flip, I timed his shooting and dodged from lott- to right as I saw him taking aim over my Humidors. In all 1 was hit four time* i,' | |uid not dodged would certainly have heeli killed. F.veu alien t gained the house lie continued to lire at the house. Seizing the rifle I attempted to aim at him, hut could not -lonely the idle sufficiently on account of a wounded arm.’' ■•jnitson was making for the women and I ran to head him off. He saw no- coming and dodged behind th» tn.es. lie then took to Ids heels, running out of range as fast- as lie could. I reached the women and took thorn across the creek, waist deep in water, taking advantage of every corner." h appears that Batson hoarded with Bnrhor. one of the party. On the Sunday morning lie took a title and some ammunition and told HaiUef that ho was going shooting. He tiao ahmit rounds of ammunition and was considered one of the best shots in the district, though when shooting at the picnicker, he appeared to be labouring under a great mental and nervous strain, appearing like a man demented. He tired about a dozen shots at .McGrath, while the latter was running for Ids rifle. Batson, before leaving Barbers, ransacked the house for food and ammunition. Me has a passion for rifle shooting, spending all his spare time roamj ing the ranges with a rifle.