Double Murder

Ocean Island

A CIVIL engineer employed by the British Phosphate Commission on Ocean Island, Mr. W. Allen, and his wife, were brutally murdered in their bungalow on the night of Thursday, April 28. No motive for the crime has been ascertained.

The man believed to be the murderer immediately took refuge in an almost in accessible part of the island—which is lightly wooded, but has an extremely broken surface. He was reported to be heavily armed.

Mr. Allen’s body was found beside his bed. The murderer apparently leaped on his back, and attacked him with great ferocity. Then, apparently, he attacked Mrs. Allen. Her body was found, horribly injured, on the floor of the lounge-room— a telephone was still in her hand. She evidently had tried to summon help when her husband was attacked.

There are no police on the island, and the male members of the white community of 80 immediately formed armed patrols.

Details were radioed to Administration headquarters, in Suva; and the High Commission, in turn, appealed to Australia for help. The freighter “Edenbark” was sailing up the Australian coast, bound for Nauru. She stopped off Brisbane on April 30, and three Queensland detectives joined her there, to be landed at Ocean Island about May 6 —representing a slight de viation from the course to Nauru.

Meanwhile, the Ocean Island community remained on guard.

Mrs, and Mrs. W. Allen were old resi dents of Ocean Island—Mr. Allen had been in the BPC service there for about

25 years. Mrs. Allen also, before she married, was in the BPC service at Ocean Island. Both were held in high regard—she was described by other Ocean Island women as “sweet and lovable.”

Mr. J. Garnett, aged 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Garnett of Suva, was found dead at Nadi airport on April 27, as the result of a gunshot wound. He was em ployed by Pan American Airways.