THE SHOOTING AFFRAY. McKELVIE RUN TO EARTH AT TITIRANGI BUSH. He Shoots Himself to Escape His Pursuers. The Pursuit of McKelvio. Auckland, April 18.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 99, 25 April 1885, Page 6

THE SHOOTING AFFRAY. McKELVIE RUN TO EARTH AT TITIRANGI BUSH. He Shoots Himself to Escape His Pursuers. The Pursuit of McKelvio. Auckland, April 18.

The shooting affray in Customs-street on Thursday afternoon has had a moat strange conclusion. The fugitive was run to earth at Titirangi Bush this morning by Detective Hughes and Mounted Constablo Kelly, and shot himself in order to escape his captors. The police had been in hot pursuit Bince Thursday night. McKelvie was traced across Surrey Hills, along the Whau road, and to Avondale. The latest news rospocting him was gained from a settler who had seen him entering the Titirangi Bush immediately before dusk last evening. Detective Hughes and Constable Kelly picked up tho trail, and about 10 o'clock this morning were on the outskirts of the bush. Suddenly they saw a man answoring McKelvio's description ahead of them. Ihe man appeared to have seen Kelly lirst, and for a few moments did not seem to pay much attention to him. The constable was in plain clothes, and probably this fact allayed tho suspicion in tho mind of the fugitive But when he saw Dotective Hughes immediately afterwards, he appeared to have arrived at the conclusion that the two men were in pursuit of him. He at once disappeared into tho bush, and the officers lost sight of him. They, however, followed his track until they wore close to the Whau blockhouse, whon thoy heard the sound of a pistol-shot. They hurried in the direction from which tho roport proceodod, and after a search which entailed some difliculty they discovered the dead body of McKelvio lying on the ground. Thero wa^ a revolver in tho grasp of his right hand. A bullet hole in his forehead showed that ho had shot himsolf through tho brain. The body was still warm. It appears that McKelvie's son had stated to tho police that his father would not be taken alive, but that ho would shoot himsolf. Tho officers therefore were not unprepared for tho discovery that was mado. Information of tho occurrence was sent by telophono to Mr Superintendent Thomson, and he issued instructions for the body to bo brought into town and deposited in tho morgue, the reason being that it would be moro convenient to hold tho inquest at Gleeson's Hotel, in tho vicinity of which tho majority of the witnesses reside. Constablo Kelly therefore took a trap out from the Avondale township in order to wing in tho body, which he had loft in Detective Hughes's charge. Mr Thomson followed in a hansom, in order to see that his instructions were properly carried out. The body was expected to reach town at four o'clock.