JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 273, 23 May 1907, Page 3

JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE.

In connection with the young man Grace who was fined £5 for manslaughter at Melbourne, advices from there state: — A charge of murder has arisen out of a midnight episode which occurred in Rowena-parade, Richmond, last night (sth May). In his desire to protect a woman from assault, William Grace, aged twenty years, struck her assailant, Arthur Hayes, a blow on the fad and killed him. The three principals in this sordid tragedy are residents of the locality. The woman's name is Norah Snell. She is married, but is separated; froiri her husband, and is jiv r ing in J>erby street with her iwq children and her mother, Her story of the occurrence is as follows: — "At about five minutes to twelve last night I got on a tram in- Melbourne to return home. Hayes, who was with two other men, came up and sat alongside me. He was under the influence of drink. I knew him by sight. He turned to me and said, 'I know you.' I replied : 1 don't thitik you know me:' He again spoke to me, but I took no notice of him. The tram stopped at Punt road, and I got off and walked down the road. Haynes also got off and followed me, remarking that he was going home my way. He walked with me down Punt road and turned up Ro-wena-parade. While crossing the corner of a vacant allotment deceased tried to pull me down, and I began' to sing out. He said, 'If you call out I will hit you. 1 At that moment Grace came up, and without saying a word he hit Hassej with his fist. ■ 9%yes <J fcfll down, and ne.vfer.ifcpok'e'oc inbveq. Grace then said, -I will walk along to the costoer with you.' He did so, and I wished him good-night and went- home. About three o'clock T was awakened by the police, who tols me. $§t the man was dead.?' 1 ' '• Grace made a frank admission of the whole occurrence to the police. He said that he saw the man tiring to throw the woman down,, and en hearing her scream he went to the scene. After striking Hayes with his fist he walked with the woman to near her home. He then returned to the spot and found deceased lying where he fell. He tried to rouse him, but failed. He then recognised the man as Arthur Hayes, and went to the house'of his brother-in-law. When a doctor was called ' in life waff extinct. Grace states that he had no intention of killing Hayes. The cause' of death was extravasation 1 of blood on the' brain. •-.