FIGHT FOR LIFE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 286, 4 December 1933, Page 9

FIGHT FOR LIFE

MAN SHOT IN STRUGGLE MURDER IN EGYPT GIRL FRIEND'S SEVERE ORDEAL. In an heroic attempt to defend an English girl friend and himself from Armed Arab bandits, Leading Aircraftman John Adam Howard was murdered at Heliopolis, near Cairo, in the presence of the girl, Miss M. Tippett, who was described in the reports as his fiancee. Mr. Howard, who belonged to No. 216 Bomber Transport Squadron, R.A.F., Heliopolis, hau his home in London, and his mother said that she received the news of her son’s tragic death early one morning. “It was a terrible shock to me,” she said, “because I had always believed that my son was engaged to a girl in this country, and I cannot understand the report, that the girl who was with him was described as his fiancee. The girl to whom he was engaged in this country is Miss Eileen Robertson. She had been in constant touch with him, and only the other day wrote to him.” According to the story told by the British Consulate in Cairo, the aircraft- - \n and Miss Tippett had been walking on the Heliopolic golf course when they wore approached by three armed men in native costume. Two of them were armed, one with a revolver and the other with a shot gun. Thrusting the weapons in the faces of the couple they demanded money. Mr. Howard refused their demands, and pushing them aside attempted to walk on. The three men, however, became more threatening. Seeing that they were determined to cause trouble, Mr. Howard suddenly closed with the man who had the revolver, and a fierce struggle ensued. Howard succeeded in securing the revolver and swung around to face the three. ’ At that instant, however, the bandit who had the shot gun fired at him point blank. The aircraftman fell mortally wounded, and the girl rushed to his side. The bandits took to their heels. ~ . Mr. Howard was still able to speak, and gasped to Miss Tippett: “They got me,” adding that the pistol would bo found inside his jacket. With it was also found a man’s headgear, whicli Mr. Howard had clutched in the struggle. In a few minutes the screams of the frantic En 8 B irl ad attracted the attention of the police, but they arrived too late to pursue tho murderer and his companions. Mr. Howard died in hospital two hours later and the police began a thorough search for clues to the bandits. Footsteps were found at the scene ot the struggle, and these were followed until the trackers camo upon a blooa stained garment and a shotgun lying in the garden of the house of a British Cavalry officer. The assailants had apparently robbed the dying man, a s 40 piastres which he had on him, were missing and this sum was found later near the gun in the officer’s garden. Further investigations led to the ar rest of the British officer’s two gardeners and a third man. They we *® confronted with Miss Tippett who u stated to have identified one of them as the man with whom Mr. Howard struggled. Miss Robertson spent the whole of tho day endeavouring to console Mr. Howard’s grief-stricken mother. “We expected him home tor Christmas,” she said “and were making preparation for his home-coming. His service period was due to expire then. Ho had not been home for tour 7< Mss Muriel Tippot is the daughter of a naval officer, and her people are at present living in Plymouth. She is greatly upset by the tragedy, w hi°h has profoundly shocked the British community in Cairo.