GAOL DRAMA.
DESPERATE BID FOR LIBERTY. Melbourne, March 21. Reginald James Barker (IT) shot down by Warder C. J. O’Reilly, after wounding two warders in a desperate attempt to escape from Pentridge Gaol, on Saturday, February 27, asked O'Reilly if he would die. He lingered for half an hour.
To-day the Coroner (Mr Grant, P.M.) found that the killing of Barker was justified. Barker was in gaol for having been in possession of unlicensed pistols, and was also awaiting sentence for having shot at a constable. Climbing a wall to a tower where harder A. R. Bennett was stationed Barker, it was revealed in evidence, grabbed the latters’ rifle and bashed him over the head with it. He was accompanied by another man, who was crouching behind him, and whom Bennett could not identify. Clambering along the dividing wall to the outer wall, Barker stood up and fired twice. He wounded Warder Dowd, who is still in hospital, several internal nerves having been severed.
Then a bullet fired by Warder O’Reilly, struck the desperate young criminal above the left eve, aud he tumbled into the yard.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19320401.2.21
Bibliographic details
Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10831, 1 April 1932, Page 3
Word Count
186GAOL DRAMA. Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10831, 1 April 1932, Page 3
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the Bay of Plenty Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.