RANGITOTO TRAGEDY

CONSTABLE KILLED BY MAORI MURDEBER

SUICIDE TO AVOID ARREST

(Uy Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 21.

Wanted by tho police in connection with tho murder of four members of tho Davenport family at Rangitoto, King Country, on October 9, Henavo Hona, a young Maori, fatally shot. Constable Thomas Heaps, of Morrinsville, when he was being questioned yesterday afternoon on a farm near Morrinsville, and this morning committed suicide wheu lie was on tho point of being arrested by members of a largo party of police and armed settlers who had been organised to apprehend him. Tho death of both men occurred in the Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, this afternoon.

Under the name of "Laurie Bang," Hona was engaged at the Morrinsville Labour bureau on Thursday by Mr. James Downs, who is managing the homestead herd on the farm of Mr. Percy Eushton at Tatuanui. Ho was driven to the farm by Mr. G. Carter, a Morrinsville taxi-driver. On reading a. description of Hona published on Saturday, Mr. Carter recognised it as that of his passenger on Thursday, and conveyed his suspicious to Constable Heaps, who yesterday afternoon proceeded to the farm to investigate DRAMATIC SHOOTING. Mr. Downs said that on coming in from, harrowing yesterday afternoon a few minutes after 3 o'clock ho found Constable Heaps questioning the Maori at the milking shed. The three of them then went to the Maori's room at the back of Mr. Downs's cottage about 300 yards from the road. "When we entered the room tho Maori showed Constable Heaps his clothes hanging in the •wardrobe behind the door," Mr. Downs said. "I was reading tiro description and the constablo was comparing the points mentioned in it with tho Maori's characteristics. Constable Heaps lifted back the Maori's lip and we saw that several of his teeth were missing. We also noted that the tip of tho little linger of his left hand had been removed. The constable then asked tho Maori for his suitcase, and the Maori partly pulled it out from under tho bod. We wero standing near the door and the Maori had his back to us.

"As ho put some of tho clothes from the suitcaso on the bed,'' Mr. Downs continued, '' Constable Heaps told him to bring the case right out. Up to this point there was nothing in the man's, demeanour to suggest anything untoward. "The next moment the Maori bent clown and pulled a .32 calibre revolver from tho suitcase, turned round quickly, and fired two shots. One hit Constable Heaps over the left temple, and the other lodged in his arm. Constable Heaps dropped where he had been standing."

MAOBI MAKES OFF.

Mr, Downs said that he dashed out of the room to procure assistance and a weapon, and the Maori made off over the farm. Constable Heaps, still conscious and in grent pain, was removed to the Vaikato Hospital.

A further searcli of the Maori's room j produced evidence beyond doubt that he was Henaro Hona for whom tho police had beon searching for nearly a fortnight in connection with the murder of the Davenport family. Photographs of the Maori similar to those found in Hona's room at the farm of Major 1L H. S. Westmaeott at Bangitoto were among his effects. There was also a poeketbook wallet bearing the name of Edward Davenport. The police hold the opinion that' the revolver was taken from the Davenport homestead. Preparations of an intensive manhunt were made when Senior-Sergeant Power, of Hamilton, and Sergeant Moriarty, of Frankton, arrived at Morrinsvillo last evening with two car-loads of police. Each man was armed with an automatic pistol or rifle. Ammunition was served out and the weapons were loaded. About 30 settlers, all armed, arrived to join in the manhunt, the total forces available at 4hc height of the search being about -15 police and the same number of settlers. An alarm was scut to all farms and police stations. The night was iiuc, j with a three-quarter moon. HONA'S SUICIDE. Throughout the night various reports Were received and investigated. The first definite information was received at 10 o'clock this morning, when Mr. J. Cassidy, of Kiwitahi, advised the police that tho man had been seen at the back of his property near tho Mor-rinsville-Rotorua railway line about livo miles from Rushton's farm. Two parties of police under Sergeant, Tocher, of Auckland, and Detective-Sergeant J. Thompson, of Hamilton, were sent out. When the police were near the suspected hiding place tho Maori disclosed himself.

Apparently realising that his escape was cut off, the Maori jumped out of the ditch and, lying on tho ground, put a rovolver to his head and shot himself. He was alivo but unconscious when tho police reached him. He died shortly after 2 o'clock this afternoon, 20 minutes after the death of Constable Heaps.

Constable Thomas Heaps was born in Scotland about 50 years ago. He came to New Zealand as a young man and joined the Police Force in Wellington in 1910.