IN MELBOURNE GARDENS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1924, Page 5

IN MELBOURNE GARDENS

MAN RUNS AMOK WITH RIFLE j

ELUDES SEARCH BY POLICE.

(DNIIIP FBISI ASSOCIATION.—COfTRIOBT.)

MELBOURNE, 23rd January.; •A young man, believed to be an escaped Junatic, ran amok in the Botanic" Gardens armed with a rifle, - and commenced firing indiscriminately. He fatally ghofc three people and seriously; wounded two others, one of whom is not expected to recover. Armed police are searching for him, but so far the man has / escaped capture. / *

From the meagre details supplied to • the police, mainly from- hysterical women, it appears to have been a little after b to-night when many people were in ' the Uardens. The man was seen stealing along behind the trees with a rifle iv his hands.

The first victim Was Mrs. Stroheiker, who was sitting under a tree knitting, while her. three children played nearby, itie marf stood behind a tree 100 yards distant, carefully aimed, and fired, JJeath was instantaneous. He then shot-Mrs. Perry, who was seated beneath a tree. : .- The first shot must.have appeared to the lunatic not to have-taken effect for he deliberately fired'again. His next victim was John Moxham, who was seated with his wife drinkinntea. His wife heard the shot and saw her husband collapse; turned; and saw the man .with a smoking rifle 'behind a tree a short distance , away: She jumped back into the nearby shrubs,-and the .man made off in the ■ direction "of the ejut from the Gardens into the Domain. AH the victims were shot at short range. Others bodies are lying in the morgue awaiting identification. r t The search by armed mounted and footpolice to a late hour was unsuccessful.