SHOOTING TRAGEDY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22121, 27 November 1933, Page 9

SHOOTING TRAGEDY

DEATH OF A FARM WORKER (From Oce Own Correspondent.) BALCLUTHA, November 26. A young man named Allen Robert Houliston, aged 18 years and_ 11 months, third son of the late William Robert Houliston, of Tuapeka Mouth, shot himself with a .22 rifle shortly after returning to the home of his employer (Mr'F. Soper, Te Houka) on Friday evening, after having been at the Clutha Show at Balclutha. While at the show and afterwards when having tea with an uncle in Balclutha, the young man seemed perfectly normal, except that he complained to his aunt of having a pain in the stomach. He was employed as a ploughman by _Mr Soper, and had been at farm work since leaving school at Tuapeka Mouth, having previously worked for Mr Soper’s father at Clyde vale. He left a letter and a note which indicated his intention to commit suicide. THE INQUEST. An inquiry into the cause of death was held before the coroner (Mr H. J. Dixon, S.M.) yesterday afternoon at the Balclutha Courthouse, Constable Boyle 'conducted the inquiry for the police. William Alexander Blair, < agent, Balclutha, gave evidence that he had identified the body lying at the morgue at the Balclutha Hospital as that of his nephew. On Friday (People’s Day at the show) he had seen the deceased at 7 p.m., when he had tea at witness’s house in company with his mother and two brothers. He complained of a pain in the stomach, but did not look ill. The deceased left in a car with his brothers to go to Soper’s place, eight miles from Balclutha, after tea'. The deceased had received a great shock when his father died suddenly about a month ago. lan Blair Houliston, s brother of the deceased, employed as a county surfaceman at Tuapeka Mouth, said he had met the deceased in Clyde street, Balclutha, on the previous day at 6 p.m., but had not seen him at the show. After meeting the deceased, witness and his brother went with him to Mr W. A. Blair’s for tea, and afterwards witness drove him in company with his brother, David, to Soper’s, arriving there about 15 or 20 minutes past 7. The deceased got out and witness took the car right away. The deceased was then looking all right, and so far as witness knew had enjoyed good health .until then, , , ~■. ■

David Alexander Houliston, another brother, employed ag a farm worker at Tuapeka Mouth, gave corroborative evidence. He had not seen the deceased for a month prior to meqting him on the evening of the show, although the deceased was in the habit of going home, on Sundays at intervals of a few weeks.

James Frederick Soper, farm manager, Te Houka, said he had known the deceased for the past 18 months, and had employed him for the past year, first as a farm labourer and latterly ap ploughman. On Friday he saw him at breakfast, when he seemed all right, but he did not see him at the show. At 9.10 that night aftev witness had had tea and was sitting in the kitchen, he heard a shot, and the deceased called out, Fred, Ive shot myself.” On going out he found the deceased on the lawn that adjoined the hut where he lived. He was quite dead. The body was 25 feet from the hut door and about 25 yards from the kitchen door. The body was lying flat on , the ground, and a .22 calibre rifle was lying alongside the deceased’s feet. The weapon belonged to witness, and he kept it in a shed beside the coal-house. To reach it one had to pass the kitchen window. He had dffered the deceased the loan of' T} 16 rifle on occasions to shoot rabbits, but the offer had always been declined. Witness saw the rifle in the shed two days previously, and thought the deceased might have got it on the night of the tragedy. After telephoning for the police and a doctor, witness went into the nut ( and found an open sheet of paper with a message written • by the deceased on the table, and a letter addressed to Ins mother on the bunk; he also found a box of .22 long cartridges from which one was missing. The cartridges witness used were a different size (long rifle). When witness first employed the deceased, he paid him 22s a week, but a fortnight ago he raised his wage to 25s a week and found, and so far as witness knew the deceased had no financial or other troubles. He was a steady, well-living lad, and was very reserved. He,spent very little money, and had never given any trouble as an employee. dohn Neville Faithful, aged 18 years, said he had been working at Soper s tor a fortnight, and occupied a bunk in the same hut as the deceased. On Friday morning witness went to the show, and the deceased had said he was g° m S> but was going out with the team first, and he would see witness at the show at dinner time. Witness met the deceased at the show, and was with him for halt an hour looking at the horses. The deceased then appeared to be all right, and had said he intended walking home by i the river bank to Soper’s, and if witness was not borne in time he would milk the heifer for him. Witness reached Soper’s at 10 p.m., and found Houliston dead. Witness was sure the rifle was not in the hut the night before. He saw a box of cartridges on the mantelpiece when he first went to Soper s, and they were there all the time. William Stewart Boyle, police constable at Balclutha, said that at 9.15 on the previous night be received a telephone message from Soper, and went out to Te Houka and found the deceased lying as described by Mr Soper. There was blood on the outside of the deceased s clothes, and he had been shot through the left breast. The rifle had an exploded shell in it. The note and the letter he left indicated his intention to commit suicide. The coroner returned a verdict that the deceased had been killed by shooting himself with a rifle.