MAN-HUNT ENDS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 8, 21 October 1941, Page 3

MAN-HUNT ENDS

■■ rv GRAHAM WOUNDED. SHOT AT VERY CLOSE RANGE. WHEN APPROACHING A HOUSE. AFTER SEARCH FOR 12 DAYS. HOKIMKA, October 20. Pursued by police, Army personnel qnd homo Guftrds day and night for 12 Stanley Eric George Graham met his match early this evening, receiving serious injuries at the hands of the police. Graham, whose doings have excited the interest of the whole Dominion since the fatal shootings of Sergeant •W. Cooper, Constables P. C. Tulloch. E. M. Best and F. W. Jordan, and. Messrs R. J. M. Coulson and G. Hutchison, fell into a carefully-planned trap laid for him by the police and was shot in the chest before he had an opportunity of firing back. Graham was sighted approaching the home of Mr H. Growcott at the foot of Mount Doughboy when he was shot by Constable Quirk, the bullet entering his left side and coining out below tjie shoulder on the other side. Graham’s movements were watched from a small hill on the Growcott’s farm by Messrs HOnry and Robert Growcott and George Lindsay, who saw him coming down a track on the' side of Mount Doughboy. Police cars were approaching with men to spend the night on watch in Growcott’s house, but one of the watchers warned them of Graham’s approach. Constables Ross and Quirk, with the Messrs Growcott and Lindsay covering them, followed Graham’s movements, Constable Quirk waiting till Graham was near a fence 20 yards away before firing. The first shot found its mark, and the constable went to Graham, who was groaning, and said ‘ You ve got me,”

Short of Food. From Graham, Constable Quirk took an automatic pistol and a Mauser rifle both fully loaded and ready to fire. Graham was removed to a nearby house in an Army trtfck and subsequently was taken to hospital. Proof that he was hit in an earlier episode was found in an old wound at the base of the left thumb, which was septic and swollen, and another at the top of the right shoulder. He was operated on this evening. A shortage of food was probably the factor which forced Graham to come out of his retreat in the thickly* wooded area at the back of Mount Doughboy at dusk, and in doing so his movements, carefully anticipated by the police for some days past, led to Ms capture. In planning his capture the police had the assistance of the military authorities and Captain Mundy,. of Burnham Military Camp, who gave great assistance in mapping out positions which were occupied by regular soldiers and polite for the last week. Mount Doughboy, north of Mount Camelback, has been the centre of operations since Graham was last sighted and wounded a week ago last Sunday. His visit to the home of Mr George Lindsay at Lake Arthur in the early hours} of Friday morning last had confirmed the view held in police circles that Graham was in the immediate vicinity of Mount Doughboy, which is a hill 1000 feet high about four miles back from the Graham homestead on the Koiterangi main road. Plans were then completed for the encirclement of the hill. Difficult Country,

Mount Doughboy presented great difficulties to the searchers, being composed entirely of thick hush through which a Way had to he chopped by those hunting Graham. One of the best descriptions that might he given of the vicinity is Ahat of a Greymouth resident who is familiar with the type of country in Australia in which Ned Kelly and Dan Kelly held out for two years against all efforts made by the police to capture them 1 . This resident, after a visit to the locality, said that in his opinion the country in which Graham was sheltering was at least three times as difficult as that in which the Kellys so long held out. Against such difficulties as these, the police, with the assistance of residents and Army personnel, have done a remarkable job in tracking down the fugitive in the comparatively short space of 12 days. Cautious Procedure. i) Safety has been the keynote of the search operations. The shooting-of four police officers on October 8, followed by the killing of two Home Guards the next night, made it imperative that no further lives should he sacrificed. The police are to be complimented on the capture of the wanted man without further loss of life. In spite of all precautions there was a constant fear of further tragedy. The fact that Graham was using a powerful Mauser rifle and probably a Winchester rifle, made preeautiopary measures more necessary. Since the disappearance of Graham the Koiterangi and Kokntahi districts hate beCn in a state of tension, height - ened by two appearanees of the wauled man at his own home. Residents have had little sleep while farms throughout the area had- to be neglected at important periods. Many residents hate been assisting the police Irom the outset and have not spared themselves in the effort to track down Graham. Nearly all are dairy farmers. Many have Spent the night on duty, b'avnig their posts only in time to milk tne cows in the morning. The work done by the women of Koiterangi is beyond praise From the commencement they

have rendered yeoman service in catering for nearly 200 searchers. The Koiterangi Hall has been the centre ot their operations but many have done a great deal of cooking in their homes. What helped Graham more than anything was the nature of the country. He has lived there almost all his li>j and has an intimate knowledge or everv part. The tremendous amount of blackberry and undergrowth, also the thick bush of the mountainous hills, including Doughboy and Camelback, afforded shelter, which he used to the utmost advantage, hence night searching was ruled out. But each nifdit armed guards were stationed at many vital points. There were no fewer than 40 separate look-outs in the area and it was when approaching one of these about G.AS o’clock this evening that Graham was trapped. For a man of 41 Graham had 111 loci in his voars with an unusual variety ot occupations. For many years his principal interest, apart front fanning, has been rifles. It is doubtful i( any othol man on the West Coast possessed a variety of rifles comparable with those owned bv the raptured man. Brought up on the iarm wliioh his father had owned since tlx* opening up ot the settlement in the Kokntahi Vnllev. he followed the occupation of rnbbitor, sawmill worker, deer stalker (in which he was specially proficient), shearer and barman. Tie married about- 12 years ago and took over portion of his lale father’s estate and farmed the property until the tragedies. He was also a fine athlete. Rugby footballer, boxer and weight lifter. His larm is noted for its line herd of prize Ayrshire cattle most of which he secured from Southland.