TERRIBLE ORDEAL

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 75, 25 June 1928, Page 6

TERRIBLE ORDEAL

——- -o* 2 -' -— —— SCHOOLGIRL FATALLY SHOT. ALONE IN HOUSE. HOBART, June 5. The police state that further inquiry into the Woodbury tragedy, in whicli the victim was a school girl, Elvie Kathleen Brown, 13 years old, leaves little doubt that isiio was- shot with'ja pea-ride by Maxwell Leale, 7 years old' boy, at the house where Elvie' was staying. Maxwell is alleged to have told the police Elvie was sweeping up in t!\e porch. Maxwell, seeing a. pea-rifle’, which had boon left at Leale’,s house ,by a friend, picked if up and pulled tile trigger to see whether it would click. The barrel unfortunately was pointed at' Elvie Brown. The .shot entered her forehead, and shci fell to the floor.

.Maxwell and his young brother Stanley, aged 5, who was present, realising that they had done something- wrong, and becoming frightened, hurriedly put the rifle back into the corner 1 ' locked up the house laaid went to schoolFOUND AT 4 P.M. The girl was left lying- iu the porch, and she was still there at 4 p.m. When the schoolmistress asked where Elvie Brown* Was, one of the Leale boys replied thUt she was (staying at home because she bad a cold. the previous story told by the Leale boys, about Elvie Brown 'being knocked down by a motor car, the driver of which carried her to the house and left her there, was a pure invention.