Postmaster Found in State of Collapse

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 157, 23 September 1927, Page 9

Postmaster Found in State of Collapse

MOTOR-CAR BOGGED AFTERMATH OF FIRE (From Our Oxen Correspondent) ROTORUA, To-day. THE postmaster from Ngongotaha, Mr. F. J. Heerdegen, is at present a patient in the King George V. Hospital, Rotorua. His car was found some days ago bogged on the Taupo Road and Mr. Heerdegen was found afterwards in a state of collapse. He was concerned in the fire in the Post Office at Ngongotaha, which was reported from Hamilton last Monday afternoon. Several stories were current after the mishap at Ngongotaha. One was that Mr. Heerdegen had been assaulted and another was that he had collapsed and knocked over a lamp which set the place on fire and burned some paper money. The story, which was told after the accident, was that at 12.15 a.m. last Friday morning a resident of Ngongotaha, Mrs. Davies, was returning home with her son, Mr-. W. Davies, when they noticed smoke issuing from the post office. When they entered the building they found Mr. Heerdegen lying unconscious on the floor and papers burning on the table. An oil lamp had been knocked over. Mr. Heerdegen told them that he had suddenly become unconscious, and remembered very little of what had happened. Later Mr. R. H. Boyd, postmaster at Hamilton, and Detective J. H. Sweeney made a thorough investigation of the situation and said that they were satisfied that an accident had occurred. After the accident Mr. Heerdegen carried on the business of the office, though he was suffering from shock.