THREE SHOTS FIRED

Evening Star, Issue 22559, 29 January 1937, Page 15

THREE SHOTS FIRED

THE CHRISTMAS BANK TRAGEDY * young clew to stand trial [Psk United Press Association.! INVERCARGILL, January 28. Tha charge of murder against the 17-year-old bank clerk 9 sw Cameron Cowie was heard in the Magistrate’s Court to-day concurrently with the inquest concern.no the death of Michael Fletcher, a storeman, who was fatally shot on the premises of the Bank of New Zealand at Invercargill on December 27. Cowie, through hts counsel (Mr Eustace Russell) pleaded not guilty, and he took the stand on his own behalf, giving evidence for more than an hour. There were nine other witnesses, and the hearing occupied a full day. Cowie was committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supremo Court at Invercargill next month. Edward Allan Wyatt gave details of lis movements early in the evening, and of what had occurred. He said he did not remember what on tho stairs, but recollected afterwards that shots were fired. To Mr Bussell, he said he was struckon the top of the head His right jaw was swollen and his left stiff, and both lips were cut. ' . . “I went out into the passage and unloaded one of the bank revolvers and went into the room with it with the idea of inducing the men to leave, said Wyatt. “ M'Quarrie finally got possession of the revolver. I do not remember handing it around. I cannot remember the circumstances in which the men eventually left tbe Do you remember what happened on the stairs? .No. Do you remember shots being fired. No; but I knew afterwards that shots had been fired. ■ Did you fire the. shots?-ho. Mr Russell: It is admitted that the accused fired the shots. There will be no contest on that. _ Witness said that he had taken off his coat because it was hot, and a little later one of the men—he thought it was Fletcher-struck him on the jaw. Mr Russell: Did you get any other blow?—I don’t remember. To Mr Mahoney witness said he had been in tho bank’s service about three years, and this was not his first experience of residence in the bank. He had slept at the bank at various week-ends. Did you have the authority of the bank to be in residence on this occasion?—Yes. ~ „ Did Cowie also have authority?— You were the senior officer of the two? —Yes. . Is it usual for residential officers to have firearms? —Yes. Do they have training m the use of firearms? —No. . . ... Did you have any training in the use of the firearm you had on the night of December 26?—No. Do you know if Cowie did P —l don t know. . , What instructions do you get from the bank in the use of firearms? —I have not had any definite instructions. The matter is left to our discretion when to us© them. ~ , ... Constable Summers said that m the early hours of the morning of December 27 he was in the watchhouse at the central station, in company with Constable Parks, when the accused ran into the station. He was very excited and out of breath. In his right hand he carried a revolver. Witness, immediately took the revolver it om him. “ The accused said that he had shot one of four men who had been drinking in the bank,” continued witness, “ and that there was another revolver in the possession of those men. I immediately cycled to the bank,’’ said witness. “ As I approached the intersection of Dee and Tay streets I saw Robertson running diagonally across Clyde street towards the monument. I accosted him and saw that he had been drinking, although he was not drunk. I accompanied Robertson to the gardens, where I found M'Quarrie and Kitson endeavouring to staunch the flow of blood from Fletcher’s left arm. Fletcher at that time was lying on the ground. I then sent Robertson on my bicycle to the police station to' ring for an ambulance and to remain at tho station until further orders. “ I removed Fletcher’s coat and found that he had been shot through tho upper left arm,” witness continued. “ This did not account for his condition, and on further examination I saw that a bullet was lying underneath the skin on the right side of the abdomen. While waiting for the ambulance I saw the shadow of what appeared to be a man’s head and shoulders through the first floor window of the bank. On the arrival of the ambulance I was told by the driver that Fletcher was dying. He died as we lifted him on to a stretcher. I then ran to the back door of the bank, where I found Wyatt lying on the ground at the back door of the hank in a huddled condition. He was conscious, but in a very bad way. He handed me the keys of the bank, with which I opened the rear door, which was shut and locked. I sent .Wilson and M'Quarrie to the police station and took Fletcher’s body and Wyatt to the hospital. Later in the day, with Seniorsergeant Kelly, Constable Brydone, and M'Quarrie. I searched the No. 1 gardens. M'Quarrie pointed out a shrub, from which I recovered a revolver. Mr Mahoney: Did Wyatt know of the shooting on the morning of Sunday?— I cannot say “ Yes” or “ No,” but I can give Wyatt’s remarks to me while in the ambulance. He said, ‘‘Don’t let Ossie lose his job. I did it.” This was said repeatedly. ACCUSED IN THE BOX. “ Everything looked quite quiet, and they began to walk down the first few steps of the stairs,” said the accused in evidence. “ Wyatt was about two yards behind them, and I was about two yards behind him. They went as far as the first landing, and suddenly in a flash I saw Wyatt falling back with two of them attacking him. I jumped at the nearest man to me and caught him by the shoulders. With that I received a blow at the back of the right ear. It dazed me. I crawled back to the top of the stairs and sat there for a short time. I wondered what the men were doing and what had happened to Wyatt. “ I rushed down as quickly as I could and stumbled on one or two steps. After turning at the landing where the conflict had taken place, I noticed Wyatt’s revolver lying at the edge of the stairs. I picked it up and ran down the stairs. Just before I reached the bottom I saw Wyatt just opposite me, standing outside tho strong room door bending over and holding his head in his hands. Partly due to glancing at Wyatt and the semidarkness of the building 1 stumbled on the bottom step and fell against tho gate of the lift.

“ I looked round and saw a shadow moving about. The thought flashed through my mind that Wyatt was injured. I did not know wnere the other three men were, and, as there were passages and doors in all directions, it was quite easy for them to be hiding somewhere. Under the impulse of great fear and in a fraction of a second I pulled the trigger. I don’t know how many shots I fired. I only saw a flash of shots, and just then the shadow I had seen ran past me along the passage for a few yards. He was holding his left arm. He turned round, ran back to the door, opened it, and left. A few seconds later I opened the back door, and, feeling faint, fell to my knees on the grass.

“ Wyatt followed me out of the door. He was holding his head. He took the revolver from me and ran out of the back door. I struggled to my feet and followed him into Wood and Clyde streets. I saw a man lying on the footpath with Wyatt kneeling be:iide him, and still holding tho revolver in his hand. I took it from him and ran as fast as I could to the police station. There I reported the accident” To Mr Russell: He had never fired a revolver before..

Detective-sergeant Robert Thompson, who saw the accused at the police station on the morning of the fatality, said that he was in an excited condition, but was quite sober. He visited the bank and found empty beer bottles and a gin flask, and also a partlyemptied gin flask. He also found two broken beer bottles. On the back door of the bank he found a bullet hole about 4ft from the ground. He took possession of the two revolvers, and in the larger revolver he found three shells which had been recently discharged, and also two live shells which had been struck by the striker, but had not exploded. One of the shells had since been accidentally discharged. When he saw Wyatt at the hospital Wyatt was drunk. This concluded the evidence, and the accused was committed for trial.