SHOT DEAD IN HOME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 25 November 1943, Page 3

SHOT DEAD IN HOME

OWNER OF LARGE STATION NEW SOUTH WALES TRAGEDY Sydney, Nov. 20. A well-known station owner, Mr Gordon Archibald, aged 50, was shot dead in the kitchen of his homestead at Manimbah Station, 15 miles from Scone, late on Thursday afternoon. His son, Kenneth, aged 20, was shot in the leg. Mr Archibald, whose 20,000-acre station is one of the showplaces in the district, was shot twice, once with a .22 calibre rifle and once with a .303. A youth has been arrested and charged and he will appear before a Children’s Court. Police say that in a utility truck driven by the youth, they found a tommy-gun, two rifles ,and many rounds of ammunition. They believe that the tommy-gun was a relic of the war and had been in Mr Archibald’s possession. The police have been told that Mr Archibald surprised a youth armed with a pea-rifle and a .303 rifle, who was ransacking the homestead. Mr Archibald was shot at pointblank range with the pea-rifle and with the .303 rifle. Kenneth Archibald, who assisted his father in the management of the station, heard the shots and ran to the homestead The youth, the police have been informed, picked up one of the . rifles. A shot was fired and the bullet wounded Kenneth Archibald in the leg. The youth is then reported to have driven off. Kenneth dragged himself into the homestead and found his father lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. Although suffering great pain he was able to telephone Scone police. When a sergeant and a constable arrived they found that Mr Archibald had been fatally wounded. They traced tyre tracks from the station to the main road, where they saw a truck being driven at a furious speed. They pursued the truck for five or six miles before they overtook it. and arrested the driver. Mr Archibald, who originally came from Queensland, was one of the most highly respected citizens in the district.