TWO MEN SHOT AT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15292, 3 May 1913, Page 5

TWO MEN SHOT AT.

THE TAKAPUNA SENSATION. CRAGO APPEARS IN ' COURT. EVIDENCE OF THE WOUNDED. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. After repeated adjournments, necessitated by the serious condition of Mr. Skeates, the youth Robert Jasper Crago was brought before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S>M., in the Police Court .yesterday. He was charged with attempting to murder Percy Robert Skeates and Bertie James Hanna by shooting at thein at Takapuna on March 13 last. • The Court was crowded when the case was called. The accused; who hardly looked his 18 years of age, was defended by Mr. F. W. Thorne, and. apparently, took but little interest in the proceedings. On March 13 last, Crago was trying a car at Takapuna, apparently with a view to purchasing it. Skeates was with him, While Hanna' was- driving the car. Crago is alleged to have left the car and to ,have " opened fire with a revolver on Skeates and . Hanna, wounding . both of I them— former very severely. He is then said to have driven the car to . the Takapuna polios station, and to have told 'Constable Steere that while he had left the car for. a few minutes an unknown man had opened fir© on Skeates and i* Hanna, the former being dead. Further inquiries resulted in Crago being arrested 1 for the alleged shooting. Accused's Negotiations lor . Oar. *

The first witness called for the prosecution, which was in the hands of Inspector McGrath, was Bertie James Hanna, a mechanic employed by the firm of Skeates and White, motor garage proprietors. He deposed that, at ten o'clock on the morning of the affair, lie saw the accused in the garage in Customs Street, talking to Mr. Jenkins (the foreman). Witness was told to show Crago a new Parry car, the latter saying that he wished to spend about £(00 on a car for the purpose of taxi-work between Northcote and Birkenhead. Later on, witness was instructed to get the car ready for the road. Witness, Mr. Skeates and the accused, ( took the car down to the half-past _ one o clock ferry boat for Dcvonport. Witness drove the car from the Devonport Wharf. The accused sat next him, and received instructions as to how to manipulate the car. Mr. Skeates sat behind, and conversed with them. Witness was under the impression that the car was to be driven to the accused's house, where he would take delivery and pay for it. The Eventful Drive. They drove on past Takapuna, as far as Campbell Bay Road, continued witness. Just before reaching this spot, the accused pointed out a nice-looking _ house about a mile away, and said that it was hie realdence. The car was turned down the ''oad. and after proceeding some 200 yards, Cra,go said that he wished to stop, in order to get his mail-box, which had been left by.a neighbour in the scrub. Accused wi.-nt into the scrub, while witness and Skeates remained conversing in the oar. • After the accused had been absent for a tew minutes a shot was heard, and witness felt a bullet-wound in his right shoulder.

A Regular Fusillade. Witness said that turning round, he saw Crago standing' outside the scrub, about a couple of yards from the driving side of , the car. Witness saw a revolver in Crago's hand, and ho was firing at Skeates. Several shots were fired in quick succession, and Skeates fell back in the car. Witness jumped up, but Crago directed his fire at him, and he felt a bullet wound on the back of his neck. Crago continued to fire, and witness fed on to the ground. Accused retired behind the car towards the scrub, reloading his weapon as he, went. Witness went over to Skeates, and taking him for dead, made for the ecrub on the opposite side • of the road, and went for help. The accused, witness went on to say, then walked up to Skeates. who was lying on the ground, and fired several shots point-blank at him. . Finding the Accused. Witness, continuing, said he next saw Crago about two hours later. The accused was in a car with Dr. Fullerton, and on witness telling a constable to stop the car the latter said to Crago, "Whats all this about? Who has been doing the shooting?" . Witness pointed to Crago and said, " You." Accused replied, That's a lie; you are telling an untruth." The constable then searched Crago for a revolver, but could not find one. Witness then went off with tho doctor to have his wounds attended to, the accused remain- ! ing with the constable. Subsequently j 1 witness and the doctor drove off to look r for Skeates. All they could fihd, how-1 i ever, was a pool of blood on the road. > While searching, a sergeant and three constables arrived with the accused in a cab. They found Skeates in a whare ' having his wounds bathed by an old lady, ? Skeates was driven to Devonport and then 1 sent to the hospital.

The Doctor's Evidence. The next witness was Dr. L. W. Fuller ton. He stated that at about 4 p.m. he saw the accused with a constable. On being told of a shooting affray, he inquired what injuries had been done. Crago replied, '"One man is dead; the other one ran away, but I think he has a broken arm." Thev drove off together to the scene or the affair. On the way they met Hanna, who looked ill and was dragging himself along. Witness asked Crago what the man was like who ran away. He pointed to Hanna and said, "Something like that." The doctor took Hanna into the car and asked him if he was shot, He said that he was, and that Crago had done it. Crago denied it, and became very voluble. "It is ridiculous," he said; " they can't prove that I had a revolver." A constable then came up and searched Crago. ' The Victims' Wounds. Witness went on to describe Hanna's wounds. He had been hit four or five tiirites, but none of the wounds were dangerous. Having dressed the wounds, witness left Crago with the police, and drove with" Hanna to look for Skeates. All they could' see were the wheel-marks showing that the car had been turned round, and a small pool of blood. When Skeates was finally located in the whare the witness found him conscious but suffering from innumerable bullet-wounds. These were dressed and washed. In removing Skeates s clothes several bullets fell out. 1

Skeates's Terrible Experience. Percy Robert Skeates, who seemed to have quite recovered from his wounds, then pave evidence. He corroborated Hanna's evidence about the accused s negotiations for buying the car. Coming to the shooting, witness said that after Cra»o had gone into the scrub,, to fetch his mail as he said, he heard a revolver report and knew he was struck. He felt back into the bottom of the car. Several more shots were fired, and opening his eyes to 1 see what was happening, witness saw Crago resting his hand on the edge of the car and firing point blank at him. _ Ho heard several reports, and felt himself struck repeatedly. Crago then opened the door of the car, and witness fell out on to the road where he lay. He heard a clicking noise as if Crago was reloading his revolver,' * Crago, >*itness continuoa, then went up to him, and pressed the revolver against his left eide and fired. Witness lay still, hoping thereby Crago would think him dead. ~ , , Continuing witness said the accused then ceased his fusillade, and after several in-

effectual attempts at starting, drove away in the car. Witness then struggled through tho scrub until he met a woman who assisted him to the wharo where he was subsequently found. . Witness said he saw nothing of llanna after the first shot was fired. During the firing he recognised Crago's voice Baying, "Bert; Bert, who shot us?" Identifying the Revolver. Evidence was given by F. W. Richards, a de»«<jr, to the effect that on the day of the affair he sold the accused a revolver for 355, and also 50 cartridges for it. A constable from Devonport deposed to having found the : revolver caught up in. • the scrub some 30 paces from the bloodstains in the road. One of its seven chambers was empty, and the other six had discharged cartridges in them. Witness also found one loaded cartridge on the ground. The revolver and its cartridges were pro-, duced in Court and identified by the two last witnesses. Accused's Version of the Affair, j

Sergeant Baekiville said that in consequence of having received information to the effect that two men had be-on shot in a motor-car, he and a constable went out. They met Crago, who was accompanied by Constable Steere. All four got into a cab. Crago when questioned scouted the idea of being; accused of doing the shooting, saying that the driver could not see, as his back was.turned. He then detailed his purchase of the car, stating that ho had Daid £425 for it. He had paid Skeates £300 in sovereigns, he said, and the balance in notes, the transaction taking rlace in the Ferry Dining Rooms. The £300 had been won m a sweep, the £100 at the races, and he had borrowed £25. v 'Accused, witness continued, stated that having bought the car, he was taking Skeates for a trip, Hanna driving the car. Crago told the sergeant that he went into the scrub for a few minutes. He heard some shooting close by, but could not see who was doing it. He saw a man running away into the scrub with a brown hat on his head. Skeates he saw lying dead on the ground. The accused was not arrested until the party reached Devonport on their way to the hospital with Skeates. Up to that time the accused had been the complainant. _' ' Corroborative evidence was given by Constable Steere, who stated that the accused drove up to him in his car and told him the same story about the shooting by an unknown nun. in consequence of which ho (the witness) rang up the sergeant and started inciuiries. V ■ This concluded the evidence for the prosecution. The accused, who pleaded pot guilty and reserved hie defence, was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.