CROWD KILL MANIAC

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1930, Page 3

CROWD KILL MANIAC

T WO DEAD IN VOLLEY OF SHOTS. MARSEILLES, December 4. A tragedy in which the chief figure was a madman : set tlie St. Louis' district of Marseilles in a state of.ypanic last night. ' / ; V ’ tj' ' Oscar Betti, 'a 24-years-oldiblrajian, who had 'once been confined in ~|i mental home, presented himself, ;■ armed with a sporting-gun, at the police commissary’s office. A woman, Mine, Binucci, was waiting mere to see tne. commissary. Betti, addressing himself to the.secretary, M. Anfriana, shouted, “No, I am-not mad. No, I did not load it!” The official, realising that lie had to deal with a demented man, gently tapped him on the shoulder, saying: “Now, then, keep quiet. What is it you require?” The Italian pushed him violently on to a bench, loaded the rifle, and, as the secretary was rising, shot him dead. The waiting woman then fled, the madman following closely at her heels. A soldier tried vainly to stop him. Betti fired, but fortunately the soldier ducked and avoided the shot. The madman, infuriated, took up a position at the angle of one of the main thoroughfares and surveyed his surroundings to pick out his next victim. 1 ; Everybody in the vicinity fled right and left, taking shelter in doorways and shops.

SERGEANT KILLED

A sergeant of the Foreign Legion passed the spot. Before he could be warned of the danger Betti shot him dead. Two other passers-by were also fired at and seriously wounded. Then a number of soldiers arrived and, under cover of a. motor-lorry,‘fired at the madman. All their shots were ineffective, however, and still firing, the madman ran. awa£. Finally several military guards in a lorry caught up with the fanatic on a country road and brought him down with a shot. Before the soldiers could reat'h him the man was torn to pieces by infuriated civilians.