TIMARU TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1920, Page 5

TIMARU TRAGEDY.

DETAILS OP THE SHOOTING, EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. ASSAILANT STILL UNKNOWN. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Timaru, Last Night. An inquest concerning the death of Clarence Edward Wagstaff, who died from a shot from an unknown man, was held to-night by Mr. Mosley, the Coroner. Henry Wagstaff, father of the deceased, stated his sou slept in a hut apart from the house. About 12 p.m., being in bed, he heard persona running round the house, and the sound of a scuffle. He heard his sou calling out, and he went to the door, when he saw a man running towards the front fence. He saw him turn round, take a dclib irate aim, and fire; he thought throe times. The man then jumped the fence. His son fell after the shuts. Knapp, who stayed with hie son, went through the gate after the man. Witness lifted his son, and going to <v neighbour's house, rang for a doctor and for the police. When a doctor came he attended the hoy and ordered him to tho hospital, where he died at 12.15 a.m. Witness had not the slightest idea who fired the shot; it seemed to be a revolver from the rapidity of i the shots.

Clifford Vincent Knapp, an employee of the Public Trust Office, stated lie went to his sleeping place, a chain ffora the house, at 1] p.m. The deceased was in bed. Whilst undressing, witness looked out through an aperture in the door and saw a man crouching'' between the side of the houso and the fence. He said to Wagstaff, "There's a man trying to get into the house." Wagstaff 'rose, put on his pants and boots, and keeping on the grass, both went to the front of the house, where they saw the man at the front dour. When the man saw them lie returned to the side of the house. Wagstail' followed him, and witness went round to the other side to intercept him.

When witness got to the back of the house the man jumped a low concrete wall, followed by deceased. Witness tackled the man, but was pushed aside, The deceased continued the chase, followed by witness, and when the deceased had reached the corner of the house, witness heard a shot, and then two others in quick succession. The first narrowly grazed witness' head, the second missed, and the third must have been the fatal one. Wagstaff staggered a few steps and fell, The man had crossed the front lawn to the fence, which he jumped, and then ran down Sefton Street. Witness went throueh

the gate and followed him to a near-by vacant section at the foot of Sea View Terrace.

Witness then heard the distressing cries of his friend and he gave up the chase and returned to the house. The man disappeared northward. Reaching the house he found deceased's relatives and friends attending to him. From the rapidity of the firing, he concluded a revolver was used. It was a raocn-

light night, but the moon was partly obscured by clouds. He saw the man moving distinctly.

Dr. Gibson testified that lie found the deceased lying on his hack • smothered in blood and vomiting blood at. intervals. He asked a constable to take a statement. The boy was removed to hospital, arriving pulseless and hardly con-

scious, and he died at 12.20 a.m. Witness made a post-mortem examination during the day, and found a 'bullet wound an inch below the left colKvbone, one and a half inches from the middle line. There were no other outward wounds. The wound would cause death inevitably. The causo of death was haemorrhage from tin puncture of a vein at the root of the heart. The Coroner's verdict was in accord-* ance with the medical evidence. He added that death was caused by a bill let intentionally fired by a person unknown.