TUNNEL TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1926, Page 1

TUNNEL TRAGEDY

Tl IF FULL DETAILS. SMITH HAS A RECORD. [by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS AB3OCIATION A FCJvLAX 1), Feb. Si. A shocking fatality occurred at, the Parnell railway tunnel shortly before half past eleven this morning, when Constable Adam George Begg, of the City Police Force, was struck by a passing train. The unfortunate man was killed while on duty. He was one of the police party searching for Thomas Smith, the man awaiting trial on a criminal charge, v. ho escaped from the Rotorua express earlier in the morning.

The circumstances of the case are unusually distressing as far as thy escape was concerned. Smith and the other man, .Tames Moyne, were being taken under police escort to Rotorua, where they were to appear on the charge of having stolen a quantify of benzine from the Terrace Hotel recently at Taupo.

As the express was nearing the Parnell Tunnel. Smith used an opportunity to escape from the window of the train, and. its the train was then ascending a grade, he was able to jump clear without apparent injury. An alarm was immediately given ami a strong search party was at once organised from Auckland stations. Constable Begg. wlm had been duly, was asleep a! the Bar racks at (his t ime. hit! , it it h the oi her n • dit duty Constables he received inxtnv (ion’s to take part in tin* search. II" was one of a party consisting of a Sergeant ami several Constables. The parte entered the tunnel, thinking that Smith might he hiding in there in the darkness. While the police were busy making their search, near the middle of the Tunnel. I hey saw a train approaching from tin; City end. I hev jumped across to the opposite set ol rails, so as to lie clear of the oncoming train, hut. just at that moment, a train from fin* Newmarket end rounded the bend at the entrance, and entered the tunnel on the down grade at a high speed. The searchers in the tunnel were caught in a trap and one man threw himself to the ground at the side of the rails, while the others tried to flatten themselves against to wall of the tunnel. All of them were successful in their sudden efforts, except Constable Begg. anil lie was apparently struck by the step of a carriage, of b.v some of the undergear. After till* trains had passed, it wafottnd that Constable Begg was seriously injured. He had sustained a broken Teg. a broken arm, and injuries to the bead. As soon its possible, he was taken in an ambulance to the hospital, but he died at one o'clock. The railway trallie through ibis tunnel is heavy, and, probably, no fewer than I -TO trains pass through in six hours. It is, therefore, quite a common tiling for the trains to pa-s in the tunnel, and this occurs many tin;"* a day.

Constable Begg was a siie.le matt. •Jd years of age. and he lived at the !’olice Barracks, lie only joined the Xew Zealand I’ollee Force in Oetohi r of last year, and thus he had only had live months’ service. For five years, however, lie had been a meinhei ol the Glasgow Police Force. lie wa.- regarded h.v tin* Auckland Police Otlieials as a very promising member of the force, ami he was a favourite with his fellow constables. Me Inis no relatives in New Zealand. lon. it i- understood that his people are in Scotland. Tho search for the escaped man. Smith, was continued, and large numbers of defectives anti constables were engaged in covering all the likely country, but their efforts were without .success. Smith was a member of the parly ol three men who aero originally arrested at Rotorua lor the theft of benzine at Taupo. A remand was gained at Auckland, as it was stated that other serious charges were pending. Ihe nail for the men was first fixed at CAO by the Justices at Rotorua, hut. on the application of Chiel Detective ( uiuniiugs at Auckland, the hail was incroasod to £AOO. One man, Reginald Phillips, found his hail, hut lie has since absconded. The other two men. dtuith anil Moving failed to liml their bond, and consequently Hup were remanded in cnslodv. Last week Smith made an application for a reduction of his hail, but Ids request was not sueoes-.l it I. Smith is stated by Hie police to have an Australian criminal record. lie e described as a clothier. At years >d age, and AIT lOi 11 in height. HXXySIgXUIBBfBtOVSCS3BMV3&XCW