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MELBOURNE MURDER.

; COLD-BLOODED CRIME. j i I I ENGINEER SHOT DEAD. I I SENSATION AT ST. KILDA. A neat tile-roofed brick villa surrounded i by lawns in Tennyson Street. St. Kilda. I Melbourne, was the scene on the afternoon of November 2 of one of the most | ; cold-blooded murders that hap occurred j 'in Melbourne for many years, the victim j , being Mr. David Davidson, aped 60 'years, engineer, of Latrobe Street. Mel- ; bourne, a much-respected citizen of St. I 1 Kilda. j Cup day often provides a harvest for I housebreakers owing to the large number lof " solitaries " — a name in common usage ! among thieves to denote houses from I which all the inmates are temporarily ! absent. About 1.10 p.m. Mr. Henry Frampton, of Newry Street, Windsor, a 1 gardener, was proceeding along Tennyson 1 Street, St. Kilda, and on passing No. 1— j the scene of the tragedy— he noticed two men lurking about the premises in a . j manner which excited his suspicion. He ' I thereupon went to Mr. White's house, a , ; few doors away, and suggested that the 1 \ men should be questioned. To this Mr. i j White agreed, and. enlisting the aseist- ' ance of Mr. Davidson and the latter son. Mr. D. C. Davidson, the four men went to No, 1. which is occupied by Mr. Douglas, of the Douglas Bath Heater I Company, Bourke Street. Mr. Douglas . : and all the members of his household i ' were absent. Messrs. Frampton and > : White remained at the front of the house, - ' whilst Mr. Davidson, senior, intercepted ' ! the intruders at the rear. Mr. Davidson, 1 junior, on the advice of his father, hav- ! ing gone away to communicate with the i police. ' : When Mr. Davidson questioned them >, as to their business there the suspects ' i stoutly denied that they were there for [ any unlawful purpose, and declared that . they had called "to see Mr. Dodds." 1 Mr. Davidson demanded that he should • | be told the reason for their having forced ' i open the side gate, which opens on to ', Tennyson Street. They denied having 1 ! forced the gate, and Mr. Davidson J accepted their invitation "to come and ' ' see for himself." Mr. Davidson and the ' two suspects were then joined by Messrs. ' Frampton and White, and an argument ' i ensued between them regarding the fore " ; ing of the gate. 5 ! The five men were now standing in a ' i narrow pathway at the side of the house, -' Mr. Davidson being alongside a corru--1 gated iron fence. Suddenly, and without 5 warning of anv kind, one of the suspects > took a small automatic revolver from his hip pocket and pointed it at Mr. Davidson, with the command : " Look out! Get back out of this." As he 31 tittered the words he fired, and the 3 bullet entered Mr. Davidson's heart. 9'; Instantly he fell forward. gasping: ei " Oh, mv God''* Mr. Frampton and gi Mr White immediately rushed to his „ i assistance, and as they did so the ' two men dashed through the gate B and. mounting two bicycles which they e ; had left on thp footpath, rode off. Mm. j Davidson, on hearing the revolver shot. s i r-.shed out on to the roadway, and seeing p the two men on bicycles endeavoured to j ston them, but without success, for one o p..inted a revolver at her and thus they 3 effected their escape. They were la/t e seen turning into Milton Street. Medical .. ' aid fur Mr Davidson was summoned, but .. jop arrival Dr. Lawrie pronounced life to t ' -be extinct. ,i I The men who rode awav on bicyrles e ! were both about 25 vears of age. .. ' '

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19201109.2.60

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17623, 9 November 1920, Page 5

Word Count
612

MELBOURNE MURDER. New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17623, 9 November 1920, Page 5

MELBOURNE MURDER. New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17623, 9 November 1920, Page 5