VICAR SHOT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22777, 10 July 1937, Page 2 (Supplement)

VICAR SHOT

CHURCH HALL DRAMA ORDEAL FOR VERGER ASSAILANT TAKES OWN LIFE Shots ringing out in the parish hall of a North London church formed the prelude to an amazing drama in which the vicar fell wounded with a bullet wound in his face. Two other men narrowly escaped death, and the gunman took his life after being barricaded in the hall. . The drama was played out recently at St. John's Church, Yartry Road, Stamford Hill. Mr. W. E. Longhurst. the verger, entered the hall first, and was shot at by a man who was hiding behind a curtain of the stage, and using a chair as a rest for his .22 target rifle. "Don't move!" he shouted, and Mr. Longhurst stood still. Then the verger turned and -ran for the door. Two more shots whizzed past him, but each missed. Shouts lor Help Mr. Longhurst called for the 62-year-old vicar, the Rev. Charles Walter Sykes, and together they returned to the hall. Mr. Sykes put his head round the door to see what was wrong, and was immediately shot in the face. The vicar staggered back and fell down *the steps leading to the hall. Mr. Longhurst knelt beside the vicar and shouted for help while trying to staunch the blood from his wound. A postman, Mr. Frederick Lake, who was passing on his round, heard the cries and rushed to see what was the matter. He discovered the vicar lying in a pool of blood. When he went to enter the hall Mr. Sykes called out weakly, "Don't go in." Mr. Lake, however, was already entering thd porchway. A bullet screamed past his head, and the postman ducked for cover. Then, courageously, he dashed forward, slammed the doors of the hall, and locked the gunman in. Former Churchwarden He called for help, and while Mr. Longhurst did all lie could for the wounded vicar, a passer-by was sent to telephone to the police. A moment or so after the doors of the hall had been locked a shot was heard. When the police entered they found a man dead, a rifle beside him. Ho was identified as Alfred Stanley Kirbv, aged 25, of Dcrwent Avenue, Kdmonton. He had been a churchwarden and member of the St. John's Church Scout troop. His family moved to Edmonton about a year ago, and lie then gave up his duties. The tailor's name in his suit and laundry marks were the only clues to Kirby's identity. He had no money and no possessions of any sort except a single brown button in his waistcoat pocket. "I came into Yartry Road and heard cries for help coming from the parish hall." Mr. Lake, the postman, said. "I hurried forward, and was just going into the doorway when I saw the vicar lying there. "As 1 was about to enter the hall a shot rang out. 1 -dodged back, and then there was another shot. The man had turned the gun on himself." The police raced to the parish hall in cars and tenders when the telephone call was received. They found the vicar weak from loss of blood from his wound, and suffering severely from shock. He was taken to the Prince of Wales' Hospital, Tottenham. Wile's Story Mrs, Sykes stated that she heard the shots and ran to the hall. "L found my husband lying at the bottom of the stone steps loading to the entrance of the hall," she said. Mrs. Sykes accompanied her husband to hospital in the ambulance, and when ho was able to speak to her, his first words were, "1 do hope the man who shot at me was not' one of my parishioners. I have done too much for them to have such an enemy." "My husband," said Mrs. Sykes, "told"me that as he was about to enter the hall lie heard a shot from inside, and felt a stab of pain in his face. He then fell down the stops." The Her. C. W. Sykes is popular in the district, where he has been for about nine years. Recently, however, he had received several threatening anonymous letters. At one time Mr. Sykes was curate of St,, John's, West Hcndon, and before that —from 1597 to 1924' —he was a Congregational minister.