FORTY-ONE SHOTS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 April 1921, Page 3

FORTY-ONE SHOTS

THE RIVERTON SENSATION. TR'AGIC struggle on railway STATION. Forty-one shots wer fired by the Russian, Koorman Tomnveff, when he ran amok on the railway station at Riverton (65 miles from Adelaide), on March 22, and killed Mr Percival Brookfield, M.L.A., besides wounding four other persons. An eye-witness of the sensational episode was Mounted Constable Woodhead, who described it as follows: “T was at the station when the train arrived. T saw the prisoner step off the train in company with two or three other men, And I took pari ieular notice of this group as I walked up towards them. As I was approaching them two shots were fired, and I saw one man fall. Another man was held up by bystanders and placed in a compartment. Another shot went between me and the train Then another hit the metal on the line. The man then ran up the platform and 1 ran towards him. He fired two or three shots at mo point blank. T was not armed in any way, and did not have my uniform on. I got behind tlile picket fence of the Clare platfom. T was powerless. The man had only to stop over the mid of it- and he had me. He lost sight of ! me, however, and ran back to the nfnt- | form and fired seven' shots in rapid succession. Tie followed me to the end of ! the platform and went hack again und | reloaded. I decided to take a sportsman’s risk and ran across the metal, , jumped a fence, and hid behind some | stinkwort in a paddock nearby Without arms I was absolutely lielpless. He had one shot at me while I was hiding hi ; the stinkwort, and it whizzed over my , body. Then his attention was diverted from me for a moment and he went to the end of the platform, and once more re-loaded Altogether he fired 41 shots. Somebody fired two shots at him with a rifle There was a New South Wales i policeman on the train, but T did not 1 know at the time. Mr Brookfield asked him for a revolver which he had. Mr Brookfield took the revolver and v an right out in the open, firing as he went. The Russian put three bullets into him, and I heard them strike. By this time, 1 had possession of a revolver and rifle. They were Drought across to me bv the postmaster. By this lime the crowd had got all round the- prisoner and they would have hung and quartered him had they got hold of him. The Russian’s revolver jammed, and that stopped him shooting. Three fellows on either side pounced upon him simultaneously with me. 1 said ‘knock his brains out.’ Somebody gave 1 in a crack on the head and down he went. Even with that blow it rook four of us all our time to secure h in and get the handcuffs on. V c got Mr Brookfield away, and he seemed fatally hurt'. The other people were taken into the railway station and attended to by a doctor.” The assistant stationmuster stated that the shooting occurred about five minutes after-the arrival of the tiain, which was an hour ami ten minutes late. It was a full train, and contained about 200 passengers. The alarm went up that a main had run amok. Two shuts were heard, and a man was seen hurrying up towards the other end of the platform. A young man, a passenger on the train, pieked up some stones, and threw them at the Russian, but did not bit him. The Russian turned his revolver on tin* young man, and filed at him ]>oint blank without any shots taking effort. He also had three shots at a voting woman, but missed her. By this time the platform had been cleared. Anyone who stepped out on to the platform was fired at. The stationmaster gave orders for the train to he taken out of the station, which was done. ’While the train was leaving, the Russian started shooting again and fired ten or eleven shots at the train. A *'indow which was being shut down Inone of the clerks was smashed by a nillet. The man again went up to the end of the platform which he had to nimself, firing shots in the direction of Hie stationmaster’s office. The late .Air Percival ,T. Brookfield was born in Liverpool (England) 41 years ago, and at the age of thirteen years went to sea. That life was *">t attractive to him, and two years later lie left the vessel on which he was employed in Melbourne. For the o-ist twenty three years he had been engaged as a mining prospector and underground miner in Victoria, Queensland and N‘‘" South Wales. The last six and a naff' years were spent at Broken- Hill. When the 1916 referendum campaign was being fought Air Brookfield strongly opposed conscription for service abroad, and when fined £5 with the, alternative of a month's imprisonment for mincing certain statements, wont to gaol rntlwr than pay the fine. On coming out of gaol early in June he had no intention of seeking a seat in Parliamet, but consented to contest the hy-oloctioii »i Sturt, with the result that he was returned on February sth., 1917, as member for the district. Because of the part lie placed in the breakaway rent the official Labour Conference in 1919 Air Brookfield was expelled from Australian Labour Party, which refused to endorse liis nomination. Then followed the breakaway in local La-bout circles, and tbe independent Labi.ti Party came into being. This party rai Air Brookfield at tbe State elections oi March 20th.,' 1920. He was returnee as one of the three representatives foi Sturt. During the session of the m*v Parliament Mr Brookfield gave laiih consistent support to the Storey Gov vernment, hut frequently adopted Ur attitude of the candid critic on Ui floor of the House. It was general!; . understood that be would have been rc - instated as a member of the official I a i boor Party at the annual conference Notwithstanding his extreme views, A 1 Brookfield enjoyed great personal pop* y larity among members of the House.