ADELAIDE TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 3 January 1927, Page 4

ADELAIDE TRAGEDY

'-6 P 0. OF^KJfALS SHOT

yBY DISMISSED. EMPLOYEE,

(From Our Own' Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, 24th December

Once the larger capitals of 'Australia' —Sydney and Melbourne—lisd ■".almost. * monopoly of violent crimes, iiut in the last few years the other State?capis< tals, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, aad Hqbart, have provided similar tragedies —perhaps i^yid.gnec .Q.f^th£ir.'gSo\vth to> large cityhood;.* :^lp'thing^:m'ore:rstosav! tional ha^.gyjr teeu recorijeclSin e'ifher.' Sydney or - Melbourne J.Ti"aii tho "inid-' day shooting of two high-placed Post Office officials 'in'^Adelaide,, -by a^dis- ■ missed clerk, aiidMtlie latter's suicide before tho horrified .gaze of scores'-;'o£ people. v '*?- ■'■...'-■ -.'■'&■' -■"'■■ The ghooting oceuvred shortly before 1 o'clock last Friday. The victims were -Mr. James Mason, head, of the Postal Department in South Australia; ' who was critically wounded, and Mr. iE. J. Dobel, head' costing clerk, who was also seriously wounded. '^Their assailant was James Haniiigan, who had' been formerly a temporary,.clerk.- ;-;; Hannigan had been employed' for about two years in the'engineer's department. About eight months ago he threatened Mr. Dobel and a woman employee with a revolver, and was then transferred-to the Department's" work-' shops. On Thursday he assaulted' -a boy apprentice, and on being reprimanded kicked tho sectional officer. For this ho was dismissed, Mr. Mason sending confirmation'of the ' "sectionar officer's action by '.toleplibne.'' Hannigan was told to cair'for'th'e-p'ay-due' to, him on _'riday, and early that morning he interviewed Mr. Dobel. He called again about half-past 11, and was told to return.-later for his pay. Shortly before 1 o'cldok, ,ieJ I'eturned and.received poftionjof-his money, and was advised to go' to-..this'"/cashier's branch for the remainder. A n^uute or two later; he reappeared on the landing outside the office, and walked into the office where a large, -number .of: •clerks of both sexes .were working; Approaching Mr. Dobel- Hannigan .pulled .out a service revolver and fired two' fehots point blank at him, both taking effect. / : - ■ Aghast at:the occurrence, the occupants, of the room saw Hannigan make ' aggressively towards' -another '■ officer's' room,, and failing ...to . open; the door, fired through, tho :'frosted"glass portion/of the door in tho direction of the official's chair. Fortunately, "?he official was absent. Otherwise, subse-quent-investigations, showed, he would have been sitting directly in the. path of the bullet; With), two undischarged cartridges still in his revolver,. Hanuigan ran quickly out of the office, down a flight of stairs, and along the corridor, approacMng the gallery, running round the main hall of the Post: Office ' on to which Mr. Mason's room opened! Mr. Mason was at- that moment leaving iis office for lunch. Hannigan fired at him and the bullet took effect over the heart. Mr. Mason collapsed Hannigajj. continued to the ground floor and .-^s -'.about "to leave thjFiiuildinff whengMr.jJohn Beare, the State wir£ and^thggr^tjEpurage MSnga hii "£. s>%l!*P»gVre was mfic^.'Smaller than Hannigan. The alarm had already been sent to the police, but be-' tore the latter arrived, Hanni": jerk,ed his revolver upwards,- and -shot himself through the head frdm tnT jaw. He fell dead before the lion* fied gaze of scores .of passers-by. Mr. Mason, who is 64 years of age S^^ff -^-?-Jo,,■retir. 6 ,.. ? i es .t,y xar . w | a •FostOffiee-m:■Victoria; ■■-'^■";:<- :-v-j.*'.*■-Hannigan was about 3S years of age. ™ */" "\ Adelaid<> -abtont four W«f I, 8*0""*8 w« he was a member of tho Royal Irish Constabulary, and afterwards.-had service in China the war He w,as a member of the Ade la l de before^ >,-ag the Post.Office, and:is said fc.iiaye suffered from shell shock.KHe!;was of an er-^ i-atic:.ana,at times violent' nature A powerful man, he took a prominent' part; an athletics a year or.-.sb,-ag~, .;•;' ■{ ■■. ',;■