PATHETIC ACCIDENT

Grey River Argus, 28 August 1937, Page 4

PATHETIC ACCIDENT

ON N.S.W. FARM, SYDNEY, August 27. While her father was away attending his mother’s funeral in the New- ■ castle district, a young woman accidentally shot her mother dead with his revolver at their station home at Winton, nine miles from 'ramworth. Deceased was Mrs. Frances Isobel Pankhurst, 57. She was a native oi Tamworth. Her husband is a wellknown grazier. The daughter, iviiss Isobel Grace Pankhurst, 27, is so prostrated with grief that she was under medical attention late last night. . “You’d have to be a good shot with this,” police were told Miss Pankhurst remarked to her mother while handling a small .32 calibre revolver. It exploded as sne said this. The sole bullet in the tiny firearm ploughed through Mrs. Pankhurst’s heart. Grief-stricken by his own mother’s death, Mr. Pankhurst, on his return back from her funeral, was met by Rev. McKibbin as he stepped on to Tamworth Railway Station from a train at 6.30 last night. ALMOST COLLAPSED. He was then unaware of the added tragedy, which was gently broken to him by the ecclesiastic. The grazier almost collapsed when told his wife was also dead, and was escorted to his home by Mr. McKibbin. Shortly before the tragedy, Mrs. Pankhurst, her daughter, two sons, Walter Douglas Pankhurst, 20, and Herbert Gordon Pankhurst, 16, and two shearers employed on the Pankhurst station had sat down to lunch. When the meal was finished, the two shearers went back to their work. Walter Pankhurst travelled to Tamworth, and his young brother started work within 100 yards of their home. Mother and daughter went into Mr. Pankhurst’s bedroom to clean it. Mrs. Pankhurst knelt in front of a wardrobe, tidying a drawer, in the bottom of which she found a small square box. Opening it she discovered the revolver, which she jokingly handed to her daughter, saying: “Look at this!”

The daughter then remarked how difficult it would be to shoot anything with the revolver. Simultaneously it exploded. Tragically enough, the only cartridge in it was in a chamber in line with the barrel. Mrs. Pankhurst gasped and collapsed full-length on the .floor, with blood pouring from a small wound over her heart. Miss Pankhurst screamed and called a neighbour, Mrs. Dobson, to assist her mother, while she notified Dr. Douglas, who found that Mrs. Pankhurst was dead when he arrived. Detectives Ryan and i-ollock made inquiries. They helped to pacify the heart-broken daughter. The revolver was given to Mr. Pankhurst several years ago. He had placed it in the box from which Mrs Pankhurst had removed it. Mr Pankhurst is a councillor in the Peel . Shire Council.