BROKEN HILL TRAGEDY

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 February 1938, Page 3

BROKEN HILL TRAGEDY

“FIRED AT ME FOUR TIMES.”

BROKEN HILL, February 3

At the inquest to-day into the death of Albert Jenkins, 39, of Stawell, Vic- ‘ toria, Mrs Druscilla Nockolds, at whom Jenkins fired before he committed suicide, told her story of the tragedy. “He held me against the wall with one hand,” she said, “and with the other drew a revolver alnd fired at me, hitting me four times.” Jenkins was found deaci in a rear room of the premises of John HPieken and Sons, land and estate agents, in Oxide Street, on January 6, with two bullet wounds in his heart, after Mrs Nockolds had rushed from tho shop, her face covered with blood. Mrs Nockolds said that, in partnership with Mrs Cox, she carried on a mixed business in Oxide Street, known as the Mikado Cafe. She first met Jenkins about four months ago. “He used to come in and talk to me at night, when I was looking after the shop,” she said. “I came to regard him as a friend. Jenkins asked me to keep company with him, but 1 said I did not feel that way towards him, and that the best thing to do was to keep away from the shop. About a week later he said I would not live to see the new year in. I did not take

him seriously“On January 6. over the telephone, Jenkins asked me if I would see him and say good-bye, as he was going to Balranald that night. I said no. I wished him luck. Then I saw Jenkins outside the shop. I walked out and met him. He asked me if I had changed my mind. From his attitude I thought he was going to cause a disturbance. We walked along 1 a few steps and were in front of Pieken s, shop. Jenkins started to push me into Picken’s, and rather than cause a disturbance I just walked quietly into the shop with him. I intended to walk through into the yard and go to our shop. When we got into the back room I tried to walk out and Jenkins pushed me from the door to the wall. He caught hold of me and: said he was going to kill me. I did not have time to call out for help or do anything-” The Coroner returned a verdict ot suicide-