Hamilton Shooting Affair

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 232, 13 September 1922, Page 3

Hamilton Shooting Affair

TRIAL OF ALEXANDER CROSSAN. INTENT TO DO BODILY HARM. YOUTH’S EXTRAORDINARY CRIME. t o Hamilton, Sept. 12. !? Sllpreme Court William Alexander Crossan, a young man, was charged with the attempted murder of Uetectiye Lambert, also on two counts loaded firearms. *•. x x? V s £ iven on the h‘ne of that tendered in the lower court. Detective Lambert said that after arresting the accused on charges of burglary, of which he admitted he was guilty, the accused said a missing revolver was hidden in a gully four miles from the town. A party was driven out in a taxi by Leo Jury, the accused obtaining permission to visit a lavatory at the Royal Hotel, which they passed. Upon reaching the gully a search was made for the revolver. Suddenly the accused pulled out a revolver and covered the Dolice. telling them to hold up their hands or he would fire. Jury commenced to run away and the accused fired at him, but the weapon did not discharge. Jury turned and said, “It isn’t loaded.*' The accused replied, “Isn’t it,” and fired into the ground. Witness closed with the accused and manager to get hotel of the revolver, but the accused dragged y it away and stood off a few feet, remarAing, “I’m desperate now, I don’t want f ° live.” He fired the revolver at witness and the bullet penetrated his stomach. The shooting was absolutely deliberate. The accused ran away, but was captured by the police and others. Constable Sutton gave corroborative evidence, declaring that the shooting was deliberate. After the shooting the accused put the revolver into his mouth and said, “A man ought to go on with it.” Witness called to him not to be silly and the accused threw the revolver down. Witness arrested him and took him to the police station, where when charged the accused said, “you can hang me if you like. I don’t care if I do get the rope.” Thqre was no question of the shooting being accidental, as the accused stepped back and fired point blank at Detective Lambert. William Teasdale, gunmaker, gave expert evidence. The shot was fired from over two feet away. Leo Francis Jury, who drove the car, said Lambert grappled with the accused, who threw him partially down and during the struggle the revolver went oft. Constable McGrath said that at the police station the accused stated that he got the revolver at his lodgings and loaded it in the lavatory at the Royal Hotel on the way out to the gully. Accused gave evidence that he intended to keep the revolver to commit suicide. He only fired the first shot to frighten Lambert. Later m the struggle with Lambert the latter caught hold of the barrel of the revolver and it went off. He continueu to struggle a few seconds afterwards and then Lambert fell. Witness jan away. To the Crown Prosecutor: When arrested the revolver contained one cartridge. Ho put the others in at thy Roval Hotel. He tried to commit suicide, but could not muster up courage. His idea at the gully was to compel Jury to drive him away by threatening him" with the revolver. After a retirement of one hour the jury returned a verdict of guilty of shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm. . Sentence was postponed until r nday to enable the probation officer to present a report. His Honour remarked that the case was an extraordinary one. The prisoner was quite young and seemed intelligent, while one would imagine from his bearing that lie had not followed evil courses before.