SHOOTING AFFRAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 48

SHOOTING AFFRAY.

BULLET PASSES THROUGH A MAN’S I.EG.

ELDERLY MAX ARRESTED. GISBORNE, October 20,

A sensational shooting affray occurred about three miles beyond Matawai, the head of the construction works on the Gis-borne-Motu railway, on Sunday morning. An elderly man named Michael Mannix, who lives by himself in a camp opposite one of the railway boarding-houses, came out of his tent about 8.30 yesterday morning armed with a Winchester rifle, and fired at a man named John Fitzgibbon. The ball struck Fitzgibbon in the right leg just above the kneoj and passed right through the leg. Mrs Porter, the keeper of the boardinghouse, who was an eye-witness of the occurrence, called out, *• For God’s sake don’t shoot,” but Mannix is reported to have deliberately raised the rifle a second time, and fired at Fitzgibbon again. The shot on this occasion did not take effect. Mannix then said, “ I am sorry I did not hit him in the head,” and walked back into his hut again. The local police officer, Constable Butterworth, was immediately notified, and ho arrested Mannix at his camp. Fitzgibbon was attended to by District Nurse Greenslade, and brought to Gisborne by this morning’s train and taken to the Gisborne Hospital. Mannix was brought down by train this morning to Te Karaka, where ho appeared before Mr W. A. Barton, S.M., charged with shooting with intent to murder John Fitzgibbon. He . was remanded to appear at Gisborne on Monday. From inquiries made it appears that there has been a long-standing feud between the two men, which dates back to December last. Mannix, who is now in the Gisborne gaol, has been a cripple through rheumatism for some months past, and has been unable to work. He has, ho declares, been subject to a great deal of chaff from the men, Fitzgibbon being the ringleader. Mannix brooded over this to such an extent that some months ago he came into Gisborne and consulted a lawyer on the matter. Ho was advised to take, no notice of the “barracking ”he was receiving. This led him to declare that there was one law for the rich and another for the poor. He then decided to take the law into his own hands, and by shooting his tormentor to compel the case to come before the court. He declared to the police that he was simply carrying out the unwritten law, and felt happier after shooting Fitzgibbon than lie had clone for months. Fitzgibbon. who was a worker on the railway construction works, hails from the Waimata district.