TRAGEDY IN A SCHOOL.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1418, 20 October 1923, Page 5

TRAGEDY IN A SCHOOL.

MADMAN WITH LOADED , REVOLVEB OPENS FIRE ON THE CHILDREN. TWO DEAD AND SIX WOUNDED. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) WAIKINO, Friday. The small country school at Waikino, a township a few miles distant from Waihi, was the scene of a sensational and distressing tragedy. Half an hour after the school had opened for the day an elderly man of the locality, named J. E. Higgins, entered the schoolroom and engaged the teacher, Mr R. T. Reid, in conversation for some moments. Then, for some unaccountahle reason, he produced a revolver and started firing indiscriminately into the mass of the assembled children. Appalled by the wanton insanity of the man's action, Mr Reid rushed at the madman and attempted to overpower him, but was shot down. The panic stricken children made a wild rush for the door and windows, but before they had got clear about a dozen of them had been injured by the shots. A girl named McGarry and three boys, McLean, McKinney and Shaw, as well as the schoolmaster, were seriously injured. When the children, who numbered nearly 200, had stampeded from the room, all of ttiem getting out, although three were wounded in the abdomen, Higgins barricaded himself inside. Meanwhile attention was given to the wounded, and word was sent to the Walhi police, while a watch was set on the madman. Four of the children were sent to the. Waihi hospital, where two of them died of their injuries. The arrival on the scene of Constable Olsen, from Waihi, was signalled by a shot fired from within the building by Higgins. Two civilians were slightly wounded by shots from the building as a prolonged siege was set up, and eventually, after a couple of exciting hours, Higgins was captured. The man is between 50 and 60 years of age, and is a local firewood dealer.

HOW IT STARTED. THE SCHOOLMASTER'S ESCAPE. WAIKINO, Later. Before he started the shooting Higgins engaged in an altercation Avith the schoolmaster, informing the latter that he was going to shoot all the children. He then produced a Colt's revolver and opened fire. Mr Reid told the children to run for their lives, and he tried to overpower the maniac, but was himself shot. During the rush for the door the demented man shot two children dead and wounded four others. The police from Waihi arrived promptly, under Senior Constable •O'Grady. Higgins fired through the window, Constable Olsen, Waihi, being shot through the groin. Mr Reid, the schoolmaster, received two shots through the face and feigned to be dead on the floor of the school room. Higgins, evidently unjcler the impression he 'had killed his vicjtim'> rolled the body over and left him. The police eventually induced Higgins to throw his revolver out of the window, and the man was then arrested after a struggle, in which he received some injury and he was taken to the hospital. Those who were shot dead were a boy named McLean, aged 10 years, and a boy, Stewart, of -about the same age. McLean is a son of Mrs McLean, of Waitewheta. Stewart's father resides at Waikino. Those wounded are: Katie McGarry, shot through the leg; P. McKenney, shot through the hand; Roy Shaw, shot in the hand; Bustard (a boy) shot in the groin; Constable Olsen, shot in the groin; R. T. Reid, schoolmaster, shot, in the face. With the exception of McKenney and Shaw, all the casualty cases were admitted to the hospital. It was found, that the demented man had a five chamber Colt revolver and a box of ammunition. The affair caused a great sensation in Waikino and Waihi. The school room presents the appearance of an abattoir.

LATER NEWS. WAIKINO, Friday. A 'later message states that Higgins was armed with a sheath knife, and had three large plugs of gelignite in his possession. On the floor of the school a short fuse and a detonator were found, giving rise to the belief that he meant to blow up the building. Higgins, now in the cells at Waihi, answered questions in a normal manner when asked by the sergeant how he came to be in possion of the revolver. An inquest was opened before Mr Wallnutt. district coroner. The victims of the tragedy are Kelvin McLean, aged 13,, son of Thomas and Mary McLean; and Charles Allen Stewart, aged 3, son of Charles Stewart, locomotive driver. In escaping through the window James Cochran, aged 12, son of George Cochran, and Ashley Curry, aged 13, suffered a broken arm and a sprained wrist respectively. Higgins had received a letter this morning from the Education Department about his boy not attending school. Reid, Olsen and McGarry had to be operated on and are in a dangerous condition. LATER DETAILS. ASSASSIN SAYS "YOU'RE SETTLED!" (By Telegraph. Press Association.) WAIHI, This Day. The man Higgins is a firewood dealer and settler, of Waitewheta, middle aged and married. At about 10 a.m. he entered the school house, armed to the teeth with an automatic, a pig knife and three large plugs of gelignite with fuse and detonators. He accosted Mr Reid. (he master, and informed him he proposed to shoot all the children, adding that he (Reid) had better go and tell the police. Mr Reid tried to soothe him, but when

he recognised that this was useless he called to the children to run for their lives, and then he attempted to grapple with the madman. The latter fired two shots, one hitting Reid in the jaw and the other entering the neck. Reid fell and feigned death while the assassin turned him over, and thereafter he lay weltering in his blood all through the rest of the tragedy and heard Higgins once remark', with satisfaction, as he kicked him, "You're settled and can do no more damage." The fellow then turned his pistol on the poor children, who were screaming with terror and wildly trying to escape. Shot followed shot, and pools of blood now show where the little victims fell. Two of the boys, Curry and Cochrane, were injured getting through a window. Cochrane's right arm was broken. Meanwhile the shooting was heard from the township half a mile away. Miners and others set out to see what was the matter and met a stream of terrified children. Seeing Higgins flourishing a pistol and inviting them to come on, they went back for arms and summoned the police from Waihi. Sergeant O'Grady and Constable Olsen went out and were met with shots. The sergeant got two back in return from a fanlight over the door, but Higgins was behind a cupboard out of range. Those with rifles were given permission to take a hand, and a sharp fusilade was carried on without effect. . Two policemen, watching for the opportunity, dashed inside, and it was then that Olsen was shot. Constable Trask now arrived, and Higgins was called on to surrender. He showed an inclination to parley, and a little later threw his revolver through a window. He was then secured and handcuffed. A letter was found on Higgins from the truant inspector, relative to hie failure to send his children to school. When asked to account for his action he appeared rational and normal, and could only say he did not know why he had done such a deed.