MURDER MYSTERIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1931, Page 11

MURDER MYSTERIES

DETECTIVE’S SON SHOT. Melbourne is again in the throes of two murder" inquiries that promise, as is not unusual in Victoria, to develop into unsolved mysteries. Of these, the more unusual and remarkable is the shooting of Richard Campbell, 34, son of the ex-Supei"in-tendent to Detectives, Melbourne. The extraordinary disclosure has been made that Campbell, who was shot down ruthlessly only a few yards from a taxi-cab rank near the St. Kilda railway station, was connected with the-Victorian underworld, and it is suggested that his killing was a recurrence of the gun warfare that reached its zenith when “Squizzy Taylor and “Snowy” Cutmore fought a pistol duel fatal to both. Campbell was shot from behind, both bullets going Tight through his body and out through his chest. He was dying when admitted to the Melbourne Hospital, but he refused to give the police any information, though he admitted knowing the men who had shot him. A young woman who called at the hospital to inquire about his condition, likewise refused to tell the police anything, though she, top, undoubtedly knew what was the reason for and the man who carried out the grim sentence. Campbell, who was known to the police as Richard Grant Levinsky, had been three times convicted. He was released from gaol only last month.

Though the police were in attendance right up to the time of his death in hospital, he nevertheless refused to speak. In the second case murder was not at first apparent. Matthias Handley (58) was found lying in a gutter at Fitzroy, and was taken to hospital under the belief that death was due to a blow on the head. It was only when ■ the post-mortem examination was being inade that the doctors found a bullet wound in the back of his( head.

Investigating this case detectives find that there had been - several attempts to decoy. Handley to a fictitious address at Fitzroy, one letter reading “Kindly come to this address to-night about 6.30 or 7 p.m. as I have something to explain personally. Yours truly, Mrs B. O’Neil.” The address was fictitious, but it is believed that he left his home to attend the summons. He had been twice married and was living apart from his wife. .-Police find that he had had considerable trouble with women regarding money matters, and they believe that his murder was the outcome of something of the sort. A young man called at his home to ascertain if he had received the decoy letter, and they left the place together. Within an hour he was murdered.