AUCKLAND TRAGEDY

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23346, 1 November 1945, Page 4

AUCKLAND TRAGEDY

Inquest On Male Victim Opened (N.Z.P.A.) AUCKLAND, Oct. 31. An inquest into the death of Jack Dickinson, aged 34, a labourer, who died in the Auckland Hospital on Tuesday morning after the shooting tragedy in Wynyard Street on Monday night, was opened by the city coroner, Mr A. Addison. Evidence of identification was given by Rudolph Lucas, a waterside worker, who said he had known Dickinson for the last 14 years. Witness first met him in Whakatane, where he was employed as a farm labourer and later knew him in Rotorua. He met him in Auckland two or three years ago. “I did not see him again until I met him in the Clarendon Hotel on V-J Day,” continued witness. “He was a boarder at the hotel and was living under the name of Jack White. On one occasion he told me his father was in business as a grocer somewhere in Auckland. He was a quiet, reserved type of man and kept to himself.” Dr Childs, house surgeon, said Dickinson was admitted to the Auckland Hospital on October 29. He was evtremely cyanosed. suffering from shock and breathing with great difficulty. He had a small bullet wound just to the left of the middle of the forehead and around it were powder burns, indicating that the rifle had been discharged close to the head. The wound could have been self-inflicted with a .22 bullet, continued witness. In spite of treatment Dickinson failed to recover consciousness and died on October 30. In his opinion death was due to cerebral damage through the bullet wound in the skull. The inquiry was adjourned sine die.