THREE SHOT DEAD

Grey River Argus, 13 August 1935, Page 5

THREE SHOT DEAD

ENGLISH MURDERS Perpetrator Suicides (Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, August 11. Four people are dead as the result of an amazing shoot’u.-; drama near the village green of Shut t'o -d, Oxfordshire. A bus from Banbury drew up as the villagers dispersed after the annual fete. Wilfred Gibbs, twenty-nine, blacksmith, allegedly flred a gun at the occupants, and tinned the weapon upon himself and fell dead. His wife, Ellen, twenty-five; her sister, Ivy Goode, twenty-one. Joseph Messenger, forty and William Messenger, forty-six. were wounded and sent to the hospital. All died except William Messenger. The closeness of range accounted for the deadliness of Gibbs’ shooting. Mrs. Gibbs and the Messenger brothers, were in line of the first bullet, which crashed through, the wife’s chest, and passed through Joseph’s abdomen, and lodged in William’s knee. Mrs. Gibbs stood gasping: “My husband’s shot, me,” then collapsed as the husband fired again, but missed her, the bullet striking Miss Goode, piercing the side of the bus, then passing through a cottage window. Tt was dark when Gibbs ambushed himself in the cowshed, and fired a service rifle at the dimly lit omnibus. Later, a constable found Gibbs shot in the head. Gibbs had won prizes for clay pigeon shooting earlier in the day. The tragedy was due to domestic differences between the Gibbs couple. The Messenger brothers were not concerned, and were wounded by shots intended for Mrs. Gibbs, and possibly also her sister. The Gibbs had been married for three years, but seperated recently.