HUSBAND-SHOOTING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3434, 27 January 1912, Page 10

HUSBAND-SHOOTING.

BECOMING POPULAR IN AMERICA

In tlie United States one of the most popular amusements of married women is the shooting of their husbands. It is a sport that is entirely safe, so long as the shot proves fatal, and no one is harmed except the unfortunate husband. To be sure, the wife occasionally has to go through the humiliating formality of a trial by jury, but her acquittal is certain to follow the story she recites of ill-treatment; sometimes she is liberated without even being bothered with a trial. Let no one say the age of chivalry is past. Within the last two weeks _ the newspapers have recorded the freeing of three hus-band-slayers. The most sensational instance is reported from Denver, Colorado. Mrs Gertrude Gibson Patterson went for a walk one evening with her husband, Charles A. Patterson, in the suburbs, and drawing a pistol killed him. She was tried for murder. Her story on the witness-stand was rather unusual. She admitted having left her husband for another man, with whom she went to. Europe, and .who gave her large sums of money. However, she said also that her husband had forced her to make the trip with this other man in order that she might “bleed” him. The subsequent quarrel with the husband, which led up to his shooting, seemed to be mainly in regard to which of them was entitled to the money that was the outcome of the European trip. A roar of cheers went up outside the courtroom when the verdict of not guilty was announced; and inside, when Mrs Patterson stepped forward to thank the jurors, she was almost overwhelmed with congratulations from the crowd that had gained admittance. In San Francisco Mrs Mary Sudall, who shot her husband when, two weeks after she had obtained a divorce for cruelty, he came to her and demanded possession of some jewellery, was acquitted upon her trial for murder. Her story was that her husband often beat her, and that she shot in self-defence. Mrs Anna G. Langley, who is young and beautiful, was not even required to stand trial for the shooting of her liu*sband, James Langley, in San. I ranpisco. She had attempted to induce Langley to return home and stop drinking. His reply was to taunt her with disgraceful acts, and she drew a revolver and killed him. When the case come up for trial the prosecuting officer stated that he was convinced there was no possibility of a conviction, and asked for a dismissal. The judge granted it, saying a trial would only be a waste of time and money. In this case the grand jury had refused to indict.