CALLOUS CRIMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 59, 10 March 1936, Page 5

CALLOUS CRIMES.

■ N.S.W. SHOOTINGS. CONFESSIONS ALLEGED. STARTLING DISCLOSURES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March 3. Tll "The Confessions of a Gunman," that remarkable record stranger than j any fiction, which has immortalised Danny Ah earn, a typical American murderer, paid to kill, bares his soul for the edification of mankind. The book sent a thrill of horror through America and Britain, but it is doubtful if it discloses any more appalling depths of criminality than Australia's recent judicial records can supply. Within the past week two inquiries have been opened into two particularly cold-blooded murders in this State, and ; in each case the accused, young men, j j indeed little more than boys, have! allegedly confessed their guilt with a 1 frank cynicism that might have done ! justice to the most experienced habitue ! of the underworld of Chicago or New j York. I Early 011 the morning of February 14, , Constable James, of Aberdeen, in the | northern district, nearly '200 miles from : . Sydney, while 011 duty 011 the New ! : England Highway, came upon a carl which had evidently collided with a tree, j j A young man was walking up and down I near the car, and in reply to a question 'he told the policeman that he had been ; driving it and had fallen asleep and so i the smash had occurred. Constable James happened to notice the butt of a revolver j emerging from the man's pocket, so he ! seized it, covered the man and compelled I him to come to the station. There the young man stated that he was Lionel ' Roberts, aged 17, and when asked to 1 account for the loaded revolver, lie is alleged to have told the officer quite si coolly that he had killed a man the I previijus day near Limbri,

The name of the victim was given as Robert King, well known in the Tamworth district as son of the owner of Mooroobce station. The car, saicl Roberts, belonged to King, and he had intended to drive it up to Queensland, but he had taken a wrong turn and was driving south when lie crashed into the tree. The car was searched, and in addition to a quantity of food and clothing there was found two loaded rifles and a number of bullets. Scene of the Murder. Next day Roberts was taken to Mooroobce, where the dead body of young King—he was 28 years old —had already been found, the chest and head pierced with live bullet wounds. Roberts, who manifested remarkable self control, is reported to have explained at length where ho stood and where the murdered man fell, and he made a statement which purported to describe his horrible crime in full detail. He~had been employed by Mrs. King, who got him through the Labour Bureau at Parramatta. He had been on the station less than a week when, accordinrr to his own account, lie "got lonely and felt like clearing out." He happened ! to find a revolver in a cupboard, and [ this suggested to him that he might arm | himself, take the car and drive away. I Next day, after dinner, he was still I thinking about running away, when King went out to look after his horse. Roberts took up a rifle and began loading it when ho came in again. Roberts, so he says, was afraid that King would be angry with him for touching the gun. so he raised it and aimed at King. Then, according to the statement. King rushed at Roberts;, who fired three before the rifle was wrenched from his hands, j King ran into the next room, and though '• severely wounded, tried to telephone for help, and Roberts, now in desperate I fear, picked up the revolver and tired j again, wounding King a second time. King then ran out toward the stable and fell 011 his hands and knees. Roberts then fired three more shots, al! of which struck King in the chest Roberts waited to see the effect of the fusillade, then took the car and drove J away. Before he left, however, he cul 1 the telephone wires, and as a final pre j caution, went back again to the stabh "to isee how .King was getting on.' : Asked to give some reason for hi? action, Roberts said that it was "jus' pigfieadedness," adding that he did 110 know what he was doing at the time

The coroner, in committing Roberts J for trial oil the charge of murder, j remarked that he seemed to have been "a cold-blooded killer," and apparently quite unable to' realise the value of human life; apd the coroner appears almost to have exhausted the possibilities of comment 011 this extraordinary crime. . Garage Shooting Case. Another tragic illustration of the insecure tenure on which some men ( retain their hold 011 life here was sup-j plied last week at tlio inquest on Nor- J man Stead, who was sliot in his garage in Darlinghurst Road, as described by me in a previous letter. As I mentioned, ,several people saw two young men running away from the garage just after tlie fatal shot was lired, and the police were soon 011 their track. At the inquest Aubrey Potter, aged 22, and James Massed, aged 21, appeared in custody and they were subsequently committed for trial 011 the charge of murder. The principal witness produced "by the : police was a mechanic named Oliver, I who worked in the same shop as Potter jat Campsie. He testified that Potter | had told him that he (Potter) had aj I mate who "did jobs" and was "a good j ! shot"; and a little later warned him to j watch the papers as "a job was coming, jo n.» . -I ii Potter, it seems, was training for a I race, and they wanted to go to ParraI nfatta together to run, but had 110 ! money. Massey said that he would try to get some money from the service garage on Darlinghurst Road, and they walked in that direction. Massey showed I a revolver to Potter, and took it with I him into the garage, but tliey both j solemnly declared that there was 110 j intention to injure Stead, but only to ! scare him into giving up his money. 1 When they got to the garage, Potter, as j Massey admits, stayed outside and took !no further part in the proceedings. Massey went inside, with his cap in his hand covering his revolver, and called ; 011 Stead to hand over his money. Stead, | who was well known as a spirited an.l • 1 courageous young fellow, sprang at , Massey, and according to the statement ; ■ given to the police, there was a struggle, • the gun went off accidentally, and Stead ;] fell mortally wounded. 'i Massev and Potter then ran on, ilr > 1! seen by "several bystanders, and Massey : ! said that later he gave the : j Potter, telling him to throw it into .1 George River, which was duly done.