SENSATIONAL DUEL

Evening Star, Issue 20994, 7 January 1932, Page 6

SENSATIONAL DUEL

TWO MEN WITH GUNS QUARREL OVER A WOMAN Hundreds of people witnessed a fierce gun duel between two men at Darlinghurst, Sydney, where the street converges on King’s cross, recently. At least eight shots were fired before the police seized the men, one of whom — Frederick Roberts, aged 35 —died shortly after - being taken to hospital. Tho other man, James White, aged 28, has been formally charged with feloniously slaying Roberts. Tho duel was tho outcome of a quarrel concerning » young woman. She was present during the shooting, and one of tho bullets crashed through tho window of a shop, shattering the plateglass above her head. It was during a busy period that the affray occurred. Motorists, hurriedly bringing their vehicles to a standstill out of the bring line, and tho thousands of people who quickly collected, caused a traffic jam. According to the story told to the police by Reno Carsons, a man whom she did not know accosted her during the afternoon. The matter ended there until she informed White of what had occurred. It was about 6.30 at night that she and White were walking up the street, when she saw the stranger who had offended her. “ There he is,” she said to White, and White approached the man. On the edge of tho footpath, with the home-going crowds hurrying past and taking no notice, and the young woman standing a foot or two away, 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.’ CROWD SEEKS COVER.

With that the man known as Roberts stepped back off the pavement and drew a small automatic revolver and fired two shots in quick succession. Those two shots galvanised everybody into excited action. The crowds who had been passing, turned and ran, disappearing into near-by doorways and pressing against the shopkeepers and others who were endeavouring to peer outside. The young woman stepped back against the near-by 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, flattened himself against the waste-paper holder, and drew an old-typo revolver from one of his pockets. Then 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 tho fusilade of-bullets fired by his adversary all went wide, though one hit tho pavement within a foot of where White was crouching. Roberts continued io back across the street, but when he reached the tramlines ho turned and ran to tho opposite footpath. Then he turned again to face White. He was swaying from side to side and blood was running down the front of his fashionably-tailored suit. POLICE RUSH TO SCENE. This was tho position—Roberts standing mortally wounded and shouting oaths at White, and White, on tho opposite footpath, endeavouring to release his revolver, which had jammed after three shots had been fired—when Constable J. A. Smith seized White and Constable Coxhead seized Roberts. “Here’s my gun,” said White. “ I’ve got a license for it.” This statement was proved to be correct. “ Take my gun,” said Roberts to Constable Coxhead, using the same words. “He got me.” Roberts then began to swear. Indeed, when the police were rushing him in a car to a hospital he answered every question with an oath. A doctor' admitted him and examined his two wounds. One bullet had either touched his heart or had passed dangerously close, and _it was seen that the man was beyond aid. He died a few minutes later. White and Reno Carsons wore taken to the Darlinghurst Police Station, The young woman was almost in a state of collapse, and White was extremely excited. “What could I do?” ho repeatedly asked. “He fired at me, didn’t ’ ’’ Later White was formally chargea nth feloniously slaying.