DEATH AFTER DANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1050, 7 January 1926, Page 5

DEATH AFTER DANCE

TRAGEDY FOLLOWS GAIETY

Motorist For Trial

(From "Truth's" Special Auckland Rep.) Once again the modern menace of the road has taken its toll of a life, and an evening spent at a cabaret with gaiety and jazz music concluded with the death of a wayfarer homeward bound. . It was a dirty night m Ponsonby, Auckland, when Oscar Frederick Swanson and his -three friends were on their way home. . :■ With Swanson were his brother, Norman Gregory, Hector Arnold Flanagan, and George Smith, and about 11.30 p.m., while, they were crossing XVilliamson Avenue the grim reaper swooped down on the quartette. Death chose for its instrument a motor-car driven by Ronald Gordon Frankham, who, with 'three friends, was returning from a happy ' evening at. Dixieland Cabaret. • Frankham was charged with manslaughter before Magistrate Hunt, and pleaded, not guilty. . s It' was a simple story as told by the dead man's brother. The four men were crossing from Ponsonby Road m a bunch, Flanagan slightly behind the witness with his hand on his shoulder. They had not gone very far when Norman Swanson discovered a motor-car about a yard behind him. He called out and the next thing he was on the ground, and as he lay there his brother saw the rear portion of the car bumping over him. ' , » "The car struck Flanagan arid as he fell he grabbed me, which brought me down. I got up and rushed after the car, which was a little further on from where my bi'other was lying. It had pulled up." He took its number and noticed that the lights were out. .". The horn was not sounded. As to the speed, he could not say what it was, as the car was too close when he first saw it. "I could see that my brother appeared to be badly injured and he was hurried • to 'the hospital m the car, Frankham driving it." In the car with Frankham were* James Mervyn Adams, Marguerite Rita Dias, and Violet Wordley Bates. They had all been to Dixieland for the evening. Frankham," it appeared from the evidence was wiping some of the drizzling rain off the wind-screen when the accident, occurred. i Mr. Hunt came to the conclusion that the car was driven m a culpably negligent manner by the accused, who was admitted to bail for £200 to appear at the Supreme Court for trial.