Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 6 July 1908, page 8


A SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

YOUTH KILLS HIS MATE. LARKING WITH A GUN.

MELBOURNE, Sunday.

A remarkable shooting case, which resulted in the death of Charles Gosling, a groom, 21 years of age, occurred at Black Rock yester-day. The only witness of the tragedy was Thomas Goldie, aged 18 years, who fired the fatal shot. Goldie made tho following state-ment:-"Gosling waa my mate, and we usod to go out shooting every Saturday afternoon. This afternoon I went up to go out shooting as usual. Gosling was reading in his bed-room, off the stable. After we had been talk-ing for some time his employer, Mr. Gibbs, called him outside.

"While Gosling was away I put a cartridge in his gun, a single-barreled breech-loader. When he returned we started larking, and as he was going out through the door I said: 'You silly coot, here goes.' I lifted up the gun and pressed the trigger. Gosling fell, and I ran and told Mr. Gibbs. Gosling was only three feet away when I fired. We were the best of mates, and I did not intend to kill him. It was purely accidental."

It was decided to-day to prefer a charge of murder against Goldie, and a constable pro-ceeded to his residence and apprehended him.