THE WAIKINO TRAGEDY.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15994, 7 December 1923, Page 5

THE WAIKINO TRAGEDY.

INaUEST OPENS.

ACCUSED NOT PRESENT. tarots Association.) WAIHI. December 7. The terrible tragedy of October 19 when the two school boys Cbas. A. Stewart and Ivelvyn M. McLean were shot dead at Waikino schoolhouse and several persons were wounded or injured was unfolded in detail at the Coroner’s inquest held here to-day before Mr W. M. Wallnutt.

John C. Higgins who was arrested on the'charge of murdering the boys 'was not present but will be charged before the Police Court in the course of a few days. His solicitor Mr Sullivan of Auckland watched the proceedings on behalf of tiie accused and Police Inspector Wclilmann of Hamilton led the evidence

The first witness was Dr. T. G. Short. He said he arrived at the school about 11 o’clock and first attended to Constable Olsen who was wounded in the abdomen. He next saw the dead bodies of the two boys McLean and Stewart in the school-house. A casual examination showed death Rad occured about an nour before and a detailed examination showed that the boy Stewart had a bullet wound in his back and in his right side of the head. The bullet had passed through the brain and death 'was due to laceration of the brain by the bullet. The boy McLean had a bullet wound at the back of his neck and another wound at the left side of his spine, the bullet having passed through his abdomen. There was another bullet wound on the loft leg and death was due to haemorrage and shock". The bullet wounds were about the size of the bullets produced viz:— calibre .32. Ivy Graham school teacher said she 'was in attendance at the school at 9 o’clock. She was in charge of standards 2,3, and 4, in the room opposite the infants room. 6 had been teaching for about an hour when she saw a man walking along the fence of the playground She next heard the master’s dog barking and heard Mr Reid lift the window of the class room of 5 and 6 standards. She heard Higgins go into Mr Reid’s study and later the man walked into her classroom. She did not hear him speak. He went up the passage-way between the second and third rows of desks, and commenced firing shots. The hoy c Learn was sitting in the second row of the desks and Stewart was sitting at the second desk at the end of the row. She could recollect hearing three shots, but there may have been more. She did not see any of the children hit. Higgins was the only man with a weapon in the school. She made a harried exit from the school and later she saw the girl McGarry in the playground suffering from a bullet wound in the leg. Daniel Bustard, aged 10 years, was in Standard 2, and saw Higgins come into the porch and go with Mr Reid into the study. He heard shots come from Mr Reid’s room and then saw Higgins come into the porch and fire more shots. Higgins had a revolver when he came into his (witness’) classroom, and said: “I’ll have a shot at you,” and. began sheeting. The boys and girls began screaming and rushing out in all directions. Richard Fitch, aged 14, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. He saw the boy McLean shot. He (witness) sought shelter behind the cupboard, and after Higgins left the room he made his escape. He was the last to leave the school, and as he was going out he saw the boy Stewart lying in a pool of blood. . After a statement by Semor-Sergt. O’Grady, the coroner gave the following verdict“ That the deceased Stewart and MaLean, were shot dead at Waikino by John Christophei Higgins.”