FATALLY SHOT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 163, 23 April 1942, Page 4

FATALLY SHOT

HATCHERY RANGER’S DEATH. BOY DEFENDS MOTHER’S HOME. (Sp.) OAMARU, April 22. At the inquest to-day into the death in the Public Hospital on March 7, of Clarence Gilbert Oliver, manager of the Government Pish Hatchery, at Hakataramea, the evidence disclosed that on the night of March 6, Oliver made two attempts to fire the caretaker’s residence at the hatchery, occupied by Mrs C. H. Main (widow of the former manager, Mr .1. S. Main) and by members of her family. Oliver, when he attempted a second time to set fire to the house, was shot twice at close range by James Main, Mrs Main’s elder son, who was then 13 years of age. The story of the events culminating in the shooting of Oliver was told by Agnes McArthur Gilling, married daughter of Mrs C. H. Main. The members of the household on the night of the shooting were Mrs C. H. Main, .her mother, Mrs Catherine Hay Brown and two young sons, James and Andrew Main, Mrs Gilling and her baby aged 10 months. The household retired for the night at 9.30 p.m. “I was just beginning to doze off when I smelt fumes as if something were burning,” said witness. “I left the bedroom and I noticed a red glare. I promptly called out to my mother. Together we rushed to the back of the house. I saw something which at first appeared to be cloth burning at the bottom of the woodwork of the pantry. There was a strong smell of kerosene. I stooped down and gathered up what I thought was burning cloth and threw it aside, receiving burns on my right hand. “After my mother and I had extinguished the fire, we went inside the house and had a conference. It was quite apparent that the fire had been deliberately caused, and it was decided to send for the police,” said witness. Exchange Closed. As the telephone exchange at Kurow was closed it was decided to awaken James Main and send him to Kurow on his bicycle and that witness should accompany her brother. “Before my brother and I left,” continued witness, “a shotgun was procured from my mother’s bedroom and loaded by Jim, who showed my mother how to work the gun.” This was left for her protection and the two went to the river, where they stopped a car, the driver volunteering to return to Kurow and get the police. “Jim and I then returned home, and after our arrival there we kept the lights out and pulled down the blinds until they were a few inches from the bottom, so that we could keep watch. In the moonlight we could see the track up from the hatcheries. Watched From House. “While keeping watch in the house, my mother called me and said she saw Oliver coming towards the house from the hatcheries. I went to the kitchen window and saw Oliver crossing the concrete path leading to the back door. My mother told Jim to take the shotgun and ordered him not to use it until he had to, and if so, to fire low. Jim took up a position near the scullery window, while I kept watch at the kitchen window. The next thing I heard was a shot from inside the house, where Jim had taken up his position. I rushed into the scullery to my brother when the first shot was fired, and was only there a few seconds when my brother fired a second shot. At this time my brother was leaning on the scullery bench with the shotgun pointed through the window. I then saw Oliver leaning against the washhouse wall in a crouched position. He then rolled over to the ground. I heard him moan, but he did not say anything at this time. “A Second Fire.” “I saw that a- fire had started up again, and we all went to put it out. This fire appeared to have started underneath the house, and T saw a roll of scrim alongside the wall of the house where the first fire had started. This scrim was not there when we extinguished the first fire. We had some difficulty in putting the fire out as it was right under the house, and we had to use an axe to chop away some of the weatherboards to get at the seat of the fire, which was eventually extinguished. Witness also stated that she had noticed a beer bottle lying by the tank near the bathroom window. She picked it up and thought it smelled of kerosene. “My mother said tq Oliver: ‘Why did you do it, Clarrie?’ Ho replied: ‘I did not do it.’ My mother said: ‘What are you doing here, then?’ Witness also stated that she had noticed a beer bottle lying by the tank stand near the bathroom window. She picked it up and thought, it smelled of kerosene. James Main said he was 14 years of age on April 16, 1942. Witness corroborated the evidence of the previous witnesses leading up to the shooting. He was keeping watch from his bedroom window when he heard his mother call out from the kitchen: “Hero he comes!” “1 went into the kitchen,” he said, “and my mother told me to get the gun and go into the scullery, at the same time telling me that if 1 had to shoot, to shoot low. T saw Oliver coming toward the house from the hatchery. He was moving slowly and very quietly toward the gate leading into the backyard. I saw him with some scrim in his arms. While T was watching he opened the gate and then walked quickly across the yard. “I saw Oliver bend down near the

back of the house. I cocked both hammers of the shot-gun. I then saw a glare as if a fire had been started. I could see what I thought was the lower part of Oliver’s body. As soon as I saw the glare of a fire I fired one barrel at the portion of Oliver’s body that was visible to me. Oliver appeared to get a fright and Jumped up. He swerved round and started toward the window' I had fired from. I then fired the other barrel in the direction of his legs, and Oliver appeared to stagger toward the wash-house. “When Oliver jumped up after I had fired the first shot, I saw him with a beer bottle in his hand. “When I fired at Oliver, ] did not look along the shot-gun to aim, but pointed the gun in a downward direction before 1 pulled the trigger. I thought by the manner in which J pointed the gun that the shots would hit Oliver about the knees. I did not intend to hit Oliver about the face or chest. My intention when I fired the shot was to, prevent him from burning the house down,” continued witness. The Coroner returned a verdict that Oliver died from shot-gun wounds inflicted by James Main. The verdict added that the wounds were inflicted while the Main family was defending their home against an attempt made to commit the crime of arson.