SHOOTING IN TRAMCAR.
A SYDNEY TRAGEDY. HUSBAND’S TERRIBLE DEED. WIFE KILLED, SISTER INJURED. On March 4th last a sensational shooting affray took place in a tramcar in Sydney, when Walter Cullen fatally shot his wife and wounded Mrs Emily Dorman, her sister. He then turned his revolver upon himself and received two bullet wounds in the breast, from which he was not expected to recover. Furthor particulars which came to hand by a- recent mail show that the tram, which was bound for Lilyiield, was carrying a full complement of passengers at the time of the tragedy, and naturally great consternation prevailed among those on board. The shooting was done without any warning. Police officers were on the scene almost as soon as the reports from the revolver rang out. A lady passenger told them that Mrs Cullen and Mrs Dorman were scaled in the tram, when it stopped at Abercrombie Street, A man, Walter Cullen, boarded the car at that point, and sat on the same side of the compartment as the two women. Shortly afterwards a woman passenger alighted, and the man moved across and sat opposite his wife and her sistef. Without warning, the passenger’s story goes, and without saying a word, the man drew a revolver from his pocket, and tired. The one bullet which struck Mrs Cullen proved fatal. Two bullets struck her sister. A fourth shot hit nobody. The man with the revolver then jumped out of the tram, and, turning the weapon upon himself, tired two shots into his own breast. The revolver fell to the ground with one live cartridge in it. The sharp crack of the revolver shots was followed by the screams of women. Those seated close to the compartment in which the tragedy was taking place were panicstricken. It was all so sudden and unexpected. Before the other passengers had realised fully what had happened the man had shot himself. There were many women passengers in the car at the lime, and, a> soon as Cullen fell many of them were on the verge of hysterics. Some were even lying down on the footpath, screaming with terror. Women pedestrians passing by realised the situation, and seemed to become infected with the same spirit of fear. One minute they were crying and screaming, and the next laughing. Other women arriving later (‘aimed those affected with hysterics.
As soon ns Ihe police arrived Hie two women victims were taken out of the tram. Mrs Cullen was already dying. Mrs Dorman was sufficiently conscious to speak. She said, “My sister’s husband has shot Iter and I.” The three injured people were taken to Prince Alfred Hospital. Mrs Cullen died almost as soon as she reached there. Mrs Cullen was the mother of two children. Mrs Dorman also has two children. The former had been living apart from her husband tor some time, and had been residing with her sister in Annandalc. The police state that Mrs Cullen had initiated proceedings against her husband for maintenance, and that the Court case was to have come off very shortly.
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2108, 27 March 1920, Page 1
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515SHOOTING IN TRAMCAR. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2108, 27 March 1920, Page 1
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