MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS

SHOT BEAD IN SCHOOL Colt Revolver Levelled At Little Children HIGGINSS HEINOUS BEHAVIOUR

(From "Truth's" Hamilton Rep.)

All the perfumes of Arabia will not cleanse the blood-stained hands of John Higgins, who, m a frenzy, of uncontrollable passion, appeared with dramatic suddenness at the Waikino school and shot two children d«ad. Dropping the schoolmaster with a bullet through the neck Higgins then fired at the panic stricken children rushing pell-mejl from the schoolroom. The sensation shook Waikino to its foundations and for an hour an episode, reminiscent of our worst bushranging days, was staged. Shut m the schoolhouse, with two dead children and a wounded schoolmaster lying oh the floor, Higgins blazed away at the armed police and townspeople gathered outside. Then the tempest of his maniacal anger quickly subsiding he passed quietly into the hands of the law, m whose grip he remains awaiting the day when a jury of his countrymen shall estimate the enormity of his crime.

Waikino, a village m decay, full of broken-down shanties and empty shops, which remind one very much of the deserted mining towns of the West Coast, was last Friday the scene of one of v the saddest, most sensational tragedies m the history of New Zealand. The village lies on the slopes of a deep ravine on the right bank of the Ohinemuri River,, a few miles from Waihi, and was, m the. early dayß, p, flourishing gold mining centre, with prospects so bright as to induce the Waihi Gold Mining- Ctompany to. inatal there the largest jfold l battery m the Dominion. •

The place is now doleful and dismal to look upon, reflecting little of its past glory, and the most outstanding Incident that has happened there for years, has been a solitary suicide: What happened last Friday, however, will furnish the townspeople with sufficient sensational gossip to laßt them for years, for a tragedy as unexpected and undreamed

of as it was pathetic, was suddenly visited upon them to startle the 500 inhabitants and cast sadness and gloom over the district. Standing on the crest of the far ridge, is THE LOCAL SCHOOL HOUSE, whither a. hundred or more children go every day for their rudimentary lessonß m everyday subjects. Two narrowcobbled paths lead up the slope and It was along one of these that the principal figure m the tragedy— John Higgina, a local farmer, armed to the teeth and with murder m his heart, slowly made his way, shortly before ten o'clock. With lowered brow and heavy scowl, Higgrin9 entered the school, and the few scholars who saw him at that moment, somewhat awed at his appearance, would hurriedly have fled the vicinity of the building had they foreseen what shortly was to happen. Makinff his way to tUa hea.e master's room, which Is a cubicle leading off the main class room, Hicsins qjptorea and there found Robert Loo Reid, the head master, scanning some papers. Not I liking the look on the man's face Reid asked him what he wanted, and he stated that he had come there with referenoe t> a letter ho had received from the Auckland Education Board, over his children playing truant. He was obviously laboring under the excitement of Borne imagined grievance, and was m anything but a conciliatory mood. During the argument >which ensued. Hlgglris accused a little boy named McLean of tale-telling 1 about his children, and. suddenly growing more excited, he whipped out a HEAVY COLT AUTOMATIC REVOLVER. and before the astonished schoolmaster could take cover, fired point blank at him and Reid, lurching forward, fell to the ground, shot through the neck. He lay there, blood spurting from his wound, and apparently dead, while Higgins turned him over twice to satisfy himself that he was effectively dispatched and then, with a kick, and the remark "you are settled" this man, turned fiend, made his way into the main class room, where the affrighted children, who heard the shot, were already m a state of semi-panic. Ho scanned the forms occupied by the Beared youngsters, until his gaze lighted upon the boy. Kelvers Morris McLean, aged 13. whom he accused to tho schoolmaster of having "peached" on > his children. The youngster evidently sensed the mantac's Intentions, and m a piteous voice he pleaded, "please don't shoot me, Mr. Higgins; I haven't hurt you." Despite thlH pathetic appeal. Higgins with a madman's vengeance In his eye. levelled tho firearm at the boy. and pulling the trigger, shot him In tho head, the youngster lurching forward and falling to the ground dead, a bullet through his brain. Whilo this terrlblo incident was beinpr enacted, the remainder of the ncholurs wore scattering, wild eyed, m all directions. Some made for tho doors and othevß panic stricken endeavored to seramblo THROUGH THE WINDOWS. They left all they had , behind them, and pencils, slates, books and bags were littered about tho floor, while forms and blackboards, wore knocked over m the headlong flight of the terrified children. Higplns. however, not content with the damage he had already done, continued to Ore amongst the fleeing mites, and shot another boy of nine years, named Chftrlos Allan Stewart, dead. Meanwhile the shooting had been heard m the village, the shots re-echoing through the hills, and when the scholars were noticed to be streaming pell-mell down the hillside, a general alarm was sounded and quickly a largo party of workmen from the battery, rußhed to the school grounds. Thoro they saw Higglnn standing at one of the windows with a revolver m his hand, and as, the party drew nearer, ho flourished tho firearm m tho air and ho hurled deflanco at

them as he yelled, "Come on! come on!" v As they were unarmed, they saw the futility and danger of advancing closer, and several of them returned to the village f6r weapons, where they secured a pea rifle, a service rifle and several revolvers, with which they returned to the scene. In the meantime Hig-g-ina took SEVERAL POT SHOTS at the assembly outside, fortunately without. dplng any fUWher . Word hacl be^n qwcktyigot through to the police at Waihi, and SehiorSergeant O'Grady and Constable Ohlsen were conveyed to the scene with all possible dispatch. Arriving at the school, they manoeuvred -their way to the western side of the building and sought to make entry by the' dormitory door, only to be met with a volley of shots from Higgins's revolver, the man swinging round on their approach.

When the man again turned his attention to the crowd outside, Sergeant O'Grady fired several shots at him through the fanlight of the door, but failed to hit him owing to his crouching position behind a book cupboard against the wall.

The police then gave authority to the armed residents to use their weapons,, and a diiel was waged for some time between the besieged maniac and the besiegers. Shots were exchanged through the windows and woodwork, but as Higgins Was well sheltered, none of the bullets reached their mark, although the room was well riddled. Despite the fact that it was clear that the man had ample ammunition, the sergeant and constable entered by the dormitory door, and dashed across to a point of comparative safety, near the headmaster's room. Here they saw Reid lying •; IN A POOL. OF BLOOD, a few feet from Higgins, who apparently thought him dead, whereas he was only feigning death, a ruse that dpubtles saved his life. From round the corner the sergeant called on the man to surrender, but Hlggins's answer was to firo more shots. Constable Ohlsen then stepped forward to glance through a break m the door, when Higgins swung round, drew on him and shot him down. By this time Constable Trask had arrived and joined his colleagues, the sergeant [again several times firing at the madman, without succesg. t At this Stage, Higgins either realised j the seriousness of his offence or the I folly of keeping up a defence, for he i began to cool down and showed a disposition to parley. The sergeant again I called upon him to surrender, and eventually he threw his revolver through tho window. The police offlcers then approached him and securely handcuffed him, Higgins offering no resistance. On leading , their quarry from the school house, tho Infuriated crow<J outside, which had been swelled to great dimensions, tried to seize him and it \ took all the tact and strength of the two officers to get the man away alive. Immediately on arrest Higgins was asked to account for his terrible act. and although then apparently quite calm and normal, he declared that he did not know why he had done it. He added that ho was not accustomed to carry a revolver about with him and that he COULD GIVE NO REASON as to why he hnd done so on thJs occasion. He had bought tho weapon some time t^o »n Auckland and did not respond to tho police inquiry as to why it hnd not been registered. When seen later In tho police cell, Hlfirgins seemed dazed, although m his right senses, but did not appear to quite realise the enormity of his crime. Over his nose he wore a pad of cotton wool held m place by sticking plaster, while he was scarred about the left eyo and , showed signs of other minor injuries. Kiggins is a tall tparo man, about six feet tall. He possesses a tough, wiry frame, and isbotweon 50 and 60 years of oqo. In feature ho is rather gaunt, with oval-shaped face, receding somowhat from the nose, with scanty flrey hair straggling o vor nia forehead. His eyes ararnther larga and of a duil o'«y, and he appears of the morose, dissatisfied type. In fact, hit neighbor* 9»y ho is of a gloomy, quarrelsome haturo — a man with A gn»w*h, who was always finding fault and ••'- --dom finding satisfaction. He came to New Zealand about fifteen or twenty years ago from Canada, where h« was a backwoodsman, with his wife. He Has a young family, the eldest of whom is now about 17 years of ago. he took up a Crown section m the Waitowheta Valley, a few milea from Wnikino, and built a log wood cabin. wher« tin resided until tn» morning of tho terrible tragedy, whtn h& fe»c»mr l ocsoescd of tho demon of murdo".

He is declared to be a crack revolver shot.

In the school after his removal, the police found a large pig- krilife and several sticks df gelignite, with: fuses and caps attached. Had a stray bullet struck one of these dtps, Higgins and the officers would probably «have met their death m a very' violent manner. . .

An inquest . was opened on Friday afternoon by Mr. W. M. Wallnutt, district coroner, when the bodies of the murdered children wera viewed and the inquest was then, adjourned sine die.

Higgins was brought before the Police Court at Waihi, on Saturday morning, when there was a tremendous crush of people anxious to get a glimpse of the murderer. He was formally charged and remanded for eight days, after which he was escofttfl, heavily handcuffed, to Auckland, where he will await his trial.