SENSATIONAL DUEL

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1932, Page 6

SENSATIONAL DUEL

TWO MEN WITH CUNS. QUARREL OVER WOMAN

Hundreds of people witnessed a fierce duel between two men at Dar- j linglnirst, Sydney, where the street) converges on:King’s Cross, last weekAt least eight shots were fired before tile police seized the men, one of whom—Frederick Roberts, aged 3-1, 1 idied shortly alter being taken to hospital. The other man, James White, aged, 28, has been formally charged with feloniously slaying Roberts. 1 The duel was the outcome of a quarrel concerjning a young woman. She was present during the shooting and one of the- bullets crashed through ' the window of a shop, shattering the j plateglass above her head, it was dm - j ing a busy-period that the affray occurred. Motorists, hurriedly bringing their vehicles to a standstill out oi i the firing line, and the thousands oi ! peaple who quickly collected, caused a : traffic jam. ! According to the story told to the j police by Rene Carsons, a man whom j she did not know accosted her during the afternoon. The matter ended i there until she informed White of I what had occurred.

It was about 6-30 last night that she. and White were .walking up the street, when she saw the stranger -who had i offended her. :

“There lie is,” she said to-White, j and White approached the man.

On the edge of the footpath, with the home-going crowds hurrying past and taking no notice of the young woman the two men commenced to argue. Apparently they both became excited, for one was .heard to shout, “You mind your own; business. You’re only a cur anyhow.”

CROWDHSEEKS COVER. With that:the man known as Robberts stepped: back off tbe pavement and drew a small automatic revolver and fired tvvo shots in quick suecess-

. Those' two shot galvanised everybody into excited action. The crowds who had been passing turned and ran disappearing: into nearby doorways and pressing against the shopkeepers and others who were endeavouring to peer outside. The young woman, stepped back against the nearby shop windows and began to scream for help. White dodged behind a small kerbside post upon which an iron wastepaper container was hanging. He crouched down, flattening himself against the waste-paper holder and drew an old-type revolver from one of liis “pockets. The both men began to fire at each other, with Roberts backing slowly across the street. The first two bullets fired by White hit Roberts on the left side beneath his heart, but the fusilade of bullets fired by his adversary all went wide, though one hit the pavement within a foot of where White was crouching. Roberts continued *to back across the street, but when he reached the tramlines lie turned and ran to the opposite footpath. Then he turned again to face White. He was swaying from side to sitle and blood was running down the front of his fashionably tailored suit. POLICE RUSH TO SCENE. This was the position—Roberts standing mortally wounded and shouting oaths at White, and White, on the opposite footpath endeavouring to release his revolver, which had jammed aftqr three shots had been fired—when Constable J. A. Smith seized White and Constable Coxhead seized Roberts.

“Here’s my gun,” said White, “T’ve got a licence for it.’’ This statement proved to he correct.

“Take mv gun,” said Roberts to Constable C'oxhead, using the same words. “Me got me.” Roberts then “bemm to swear. Indeed, when the police were rushing him in a ear to a hospital lie answered every question with an oath. A doctor admitted him and examined his two wounds. One bullet had either touched bis heart or passed dangerously close, and it was seen that the man was beyond aid. He died a few minutes later. White and Reno Carsons were taken to the Dariinghurst Police Station. The young woman was almost in a state of collapse, and White . was extremely excited. “What could 1 do?” he repeatedly asked. “He fired at me, didn’t he?” Later White was formally charged with feloniously skiving.