THE WANGANUI SENSATION

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1929, Page 3

THE WANGANUI SENSATION

FURTHER. DETAILS. ALLEN’S BEHAVIOUR QUEER OF LATE. WANGANUI, Jan. 4.. Further particulars gleaned regarding the St Hill Street tragedy on Wednesday evening go to show that at periods when negotiations were being made by the police and friends through the window to get Allen to listen to reason lie was most friendly at times and at others quite rambling in his conversation. For instance, lie remarked that he was not short of .money and could get anything he required for lie had backed a horse paying a big dividend at Marton. On another occasion he remarked that it “must he dry work out there, waiting,” and “did the boys want a drink?”

The offer was accented, in the hope that Allen would open the window wide enough to enable the police to get hold of his hand. Allen passed a bottle, of aerated water out, but did not open the window very wide.

When be ran short oif matches, one was placed on the sill at a time, but again Allen only opened the window sufficiently to pick up the match. Later in the evening he ran out of cigarettes, for he had been smoking almost continuously all the time. A request for a packet was acceded to by the police. A fact that may account for Ailin’queer attitude of late was that he had been an inmate of Wanganui Hospital from October 9 to October 17. Prior to that lie had been suffering from insomnia, and had complained only recently to friends that he could not sleep. He intimated through the window that he was well armed with Noble’s best No. 4 cartridges, and that he would make a good job of,anyone who tried to interfere with him.

Letters were left 'by him for ihe Coroner. Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., for his .mother and for Mrs West. It is gathered from the contents of one of these letters that he clearly intended to take his life.

A letter to Mrs West by Allen con tains some thirteen sheets of ramblin' statements, indicating plainly that he intended to murder .Mrs Withey. am to take his own life. He also mentioned another local citizen whom he also intended to shoot.