A TAP-ROOM TRAGEDY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 17 October 1907, Page 1

A TAP-ROOM TRAGEDY.

FATAL SEQUEL TO A QUARREL. FOUR MEN CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER. A quarrel over the disappearance of some bagatelle balls form the Star Hotel, Clarendon-street, South Melbourne, had a tragio oonclusion yesterday afternoon. A man named Frank Mangan, a labourer, 34 years of age, who was standing on the front doorstep of • the hotel, was struck violently in the face. He fell heavily, and when Dr Aitchison saw him half an hour later he was dead. Four men named Edward Clarke (25), Edward Croke (2), Thomas Clarke (28), and Charles Ashton (33) were arrested yesterday evening, charged with manslaughter. The story of the quarrel which it is supposed led up to the. tragedy surrounds a set of bagetelle balls. These had always been kept in a drawer in the dining-room, but about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon Mr Spargo, a brother of the licensee, was informed that the balls had been stolen. The two Clarices, Ashton, Croke, and Mangan were all in the hotel at the time, the two Clarices having been there for fully an hour ;and a half before the balls were missed. Air Spargo lost no time in finding a police stable, and in a few minutes he ' returned with Constable Wright. Mangan, who was in the front bar, pointed to Croke, and said, "That is the man who has got the balls." Wright ran' his hands over Coke's pockets, but he was unable to detect the presence of the missing articles. Mr Spargo remembered having seen Croke leave the hotel, and walk down the street some little time before the balls were missed. Ho beckoned the constable to one sido, and brought him down the street in the I direction he had seen Croke taking. The 1 constable ineffectually searched a yard \vhere Mr Spargo thought the balls might have been hidden, and tboy then returned to the hotel. Wright informed the licensee that there was nothing on which he could take a charge, and left tho hotel to resume his beat. No ono who was in the hotel at the time is quite clear as to what immediately followed, but a few minutes later Mr John Kaiser, a son of the Hconsea, who was in the front bar, heard n voice say. "What did you say I took Lho balls for?" Someone else sai J, "You liar." and a few minutes afterwards Mr Kaiser heard two men dragging the body cf another one through tlia passage. Ho hastened out, and behold Jilan*an on the floor. The two men who had carried him were Thomas Clarke and Ashton, two of Croke's companions at the hotel during the afternoon. Mangan's neck was slightly discoloured, and over his left temple was a small lump. All three men did what they could to revive the dying man, but their efforts were futile. When Dr Aitchison arrived half an hour later Mangan was dead. Mrs Kaiser, the licensee, sent for the police, and before long Senior-constable Ryan and Constable Wright were on the scene. They were informed by a number of witnesses that when Mangan came through tho door Ashton, the two Clarkes, and Croke were outside. Of the actual altercation they conld glean less information. Mr Frank E. .lones, a stationer, who was standing in front of The door at the time, said he had seen Mangan come through the bar door-way. He saw a blow struck at Mangan's face, and was horrified* to see him reel ar.d fall. Who struck the blow hecould not say. Mr Joseph Mathews, a musicseller, who was standing near the Star Hotel corner at tho time when the fatal blow was struck, gavo the police evidence corroborative of that volunteered by Mr Jones, but he, too, was unable to say who struck the blow. Senior-con-stable Ryan immediately communciated '■ with the South Melbourne Police Station, and Constables Buntz and Wright \ were detailed to search for the four ( men who had been soen with Mangan i at the hotel. Detective Coonan had by this time been apprised of the tragedy, , and before long he elicited the informa- . tion that when Thomas Clarke and Ash- ] ton brought tho dying man into the diningroom of the hotel Mrs Kaiser gave : them 10s to go and secure medical aid. They left the hotel to do so, but in- '. stead broke a fire alarm in City-road. , When the brigade arrived both men jumped into the hose-cart and asked the driver to proceed to the Star Hotel. ] "There has been an accident there," one of them said, "and a man's very badly hurt." The firemen bundled the pair out and disgustedly returned to their station. Neither Clarke nor Ashton returned to the hotel. Constable Buntz , had in the meantime summoned Dr , Aitchison. Twenty minutes after the affray Constable Buntz and Constable Butler ar- i rested Edward Clarke, at his residence, , in George-street, Montague. At 6 o'clock Thomas Clarke and Croke surrendered i themselves to Detective Coonan and Se- i nior-Constable Ryan at the watchhouso. < Ashton was arrested by Constable Buntz and Constable Hal! at his moth- i er's house in Nelson-road an hour later. All four strenuously denied having struck Mangan. Edward Clarke stated that when deceased came out into the street he mado a blow at one of the . four, but before his fist was fully delivered he reeled and fell. Thomas Clarke gave a slightly different version of the affair, and tho statements of the others were considered contradictory. Dr Aitchson, who examined the body a short timo after Mangan died. pt,-itod .yesterday evening that, he noticed on the cheekbone a mark which had boen caused either by a fall or by a blow. He could make no definite statement, however, and until a post-mortem examination has been made the actual nature nf the injury which resulted in Mangan's death cannot be determined. Mangan was a married man, but he leaves no children. He was employed at Monteath's Foundry, and was of the stalwart build usually found in Such establishments.