FARMER SHOT DEAD

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1929, Page 11

FARMER SHOT DEAD

BOY SAVED FROM HANGING

“COLD-BLOODED” MURDER.

“Y 7 our youth saves you from the hanging you so well deserve,” said Judge Wasley, in the Court of St. Arnaud, Victoria, recently, when’ Eric Pike, aged 15| years, was charged with having murdered John Smith, aged 36, a farmer, of W errimall.

At the trial the charge was reduced to one of manslaughter, to which Pike pleaded guilty. The jury was then discharged, and Pike was sentenced to three yCars’ imprisonment with hard labour, with subsequent detention in a reformatory.

“The killing was a deliberate and callous one, there being a pumping of bullets by accused until Smith dropped,” said the Crown Prosecutor, Mr. Sproule. “Smith apparently hod spoken to Pike, who replied with a bullet, and, on the principle that dead men tell no tales, Pike pursued Smith and fired further shots.”

Robert Smith, brother of deceased, said that he found his brother’s body riddled with bullets in the bush.

The Judge said that Pike had committed a cold-blooded and callous murder. He was not safe to be at large. Pike seemed to think that if anyone quarrelled with him all he had to do was to shoc-t.