MURDER OF A CONSTABLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16600, 25 January 1916, Page 6

MURDER OF A CONSTABLE

THE MURDERER HANGED, i': DEATH INSTANTANEOUS. Pnn Amoeiatioxi —By Talegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, January 24. (Received Jan. 24, at 10.15 p.m.) Joint Jackson, lor the murder of Constable M'Grath, cm October 1, executed at the Melbourne gaol this morning. Death was instantaneous. At about a quarter past 2 o'clock on the morning _of October 1 Constable Warren, on duty in Victoria street, near the Trades Hall, Carlton (Melbourne) t heard a sound of ' hammering from the building. Almost as she noticed it, Sub-inspector M'Kenna arrived on his roimd. Warren remained on ■watch, while M'Kenna went to the Russell street barracks for reinforcements. Seniorconstable _ Dent and Constable M'Grath returned with him, and the three forced an entrance through a window on the righthand side of the front steps. They searched the lower floor and switched on the lights. Inside the main vestibule is a circular wall, surrounded, on the second floor, by a guard rail and wooden banisters. The police saw moving shadows behind the 'banisters, and Dent and M'Grath mounted the stairs. Dent went into the rooms of the Typographical Society. M'Grath went down the corridor which leads to the council room. As Dent entered the room he heard M'Grath call out "Who's there? We are the police." Immediately afterwards a fusillade of shots rang out. Dent rushed to the help of his comrade. As he did bo a man slipped past hhn and made for the stairs. Dent fired, and the fire was returned. This man had a handkerchief over the lower part of his face. He and Dent exchanged shots until the man disappeared on the lower floor. Knowing that M'Kenna was below, Dent turned to find M'Grath. As he did so a second man rushed for the stairs, and Dent fired again. This man also returned the fire. Dent then went towards the councM room, and, lying on his back, just before the entrance, was M'Grath. Dent spoke to him, but he was too far gone to speak. Dent heard further shots below. M'Grath was breathing with difficulty, and was obviously dying. 'Meanwhile Sub-inspector M'Kenna had gone through towards the back entrance, on- the ground floor. He heard the shots above, and almost immediately two men rushed into view, making for this exit. He called "Stand, or I fire." One man fired at him, the other immediately fell, as M'Kenna. believes, from the fire of the man behind. This was John Jackson. The other man doubled back, and for the moment disappeared.

By this time other police had appeared on the scene, guarding' the exit, watchingth© building from all sides, and searching the rooms. Amongst these were Constables Hoban, HiDman, Mid O'Reilly. Hoban and Hillman found a second man crouched under a form in the room of the Amalgamated Carpenters' Union- .He was bleeding from a ■wound in the chest, high up under the collarbone, and another in the leg. It was Richard Buckley. Jackson was shot in the thigh and had a broken ankle.

There was a third man in the building. He had no hope of escape by the doors. But, if he dared a leap from the upper floor of the_ building on to the lawn in front, he might escape. Ho dimbed out through one of the windows of tho textile workers' room, and stepped upon the cornice, which is about 15in wide.' Working along till he was over the lawn, he was seen by the police from the 6trect and from inside the building, and was immediately covered by their revolvers. He was dragged inside and taken to the watchhouse where two charges were entered against him—one of murder, the other of having been illegally on the . Trades Hall premises. • At the trial« Jackson was found guilty of murder, and his comrades, tried on the game charge, after two jury disagreements, plaeded guilty to burglary, and were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.