Shooting at an M.P.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 441, 15 April 1890, Page 3

Shooting at an M.P.

London, February 22. Major Isaacs, M.P., having on Sunday last delivered an address on “ Holiness" to the Y.M.C.A., re-appeared at Richmond Police Court yesterday to prosecute hie castoff mistress for attempting to shoot him. Mr Dutton appeared for the defend". The victim ot Oupid's powder-propelled dart, the gallant Major Isaacs, had no romance in his appearance. He looked more like a party to a bill transaction dispub. Hie heart was not visible, and the extent ot the damage done to that organ could not be estimated. And the injury to bis arm happened so long ago that there were no remaining signs of it. He seems to have suffered chiefly in the region of the hair, of which only • narrow fringe remains round the bottom of iris narrow head. The fair ■hooter did not look sentimental. She is one ot those thin lipped, cold featured fair women, whose most effective expression is one ot haughty disdain. She appeared at her best when she looked loftily at het baldheaded oven Bite was dressed In ths style a llsh vtittt Mi MW fc»w MU tthttu u

admire. She wore a long gorgeous figured coat, and above that was a dainty little ivytrimmed hat which sat jauntily enough upon her shapely fair head, but was altogether out of character with the mantle. She sat down close by Major Isaacs, as unconcerned as though the big table were only for 5 o’clock tea purposes.

Major Isaacs, M.P., said: I have been intimately acquainted with the defendant for some years. Some time back I made her a settlement on her child of £2OOO, £lOOO for her to go into business, and £5OO deposit on the house in which she resided. She took a house at 110, Church Road, Richmond. I received, on or about sth October, a letter from her. In consequence of that I went on Sth October to the house in question, and found her there. She admitted me into the house. I went with her into the dining room. So far as I know there was nobody else in the house. She locked the door and intimated to me that there was nobody else in the house. She locked the door as we entered. She produced a paper, which she said I would have to sign. I read the paper, and tore a piece of it off. What was left was a promise on my part, to do certain things, and this I signed. At the time I signed the paper she had a revolver in her hand, which she had previously taken out of the drawer. She said she would shoot me unless I signed the paper. I ultimately signed the paper, being induced to do so by fear. The defendant afterwards asked me to sign cheques to the amount mentioned on the paper. I replied that I had not my cheque book, whereupon she produced some halfsheets of notepaper with stamps on each. She said that would do quite as well, and that I must sign the cheques on these sheets of paper. I then saw it was necessary for me to taka action. I declined to sign, and then made for the defendant for the purpose of getting .the pistol out of her hand. I attempted to close with her, when she pointed the pistol at my head and fired. I threw up my arms as she fired, and received the bullet on the arm. But for the arm the bullet would have entered my head.' I then succeeded in getting the revolver from her hand. The defendant shrieked, and upon this I heard a violent kicking at the dining room door, and a demand to be admitted. The door was opened by the defendent, and a young gentleman entered. 1 had seen his likeness before, but did not know him personally. He asked what all this meant, and demanded who and what I was. 1 replied that he had better ask the lady. By this time I was getting faint from loss of blood and pain. The bullet is still in my arm. I asked for a little brandy, which the defendant was good enough to give me. I then left, and I was accompanied by the young man. I had some conversation with him and then returned to town. I was attended by my own doctor, who put me in a cab and took me home. Sir William M’Cormack was then sent for. I was placed in bed and could not get up for a week. I have lost the use of three ot my fingers since the bullet has been in my arm. On the 30th December I had a visit from the young man referred to.

Cross-examined—The witness said he was not aware it was an accident. He did not say • I’m if you shall have it,’ and then chase her round the table. He might have pushed the table against her when running. He might have barred her progress through the pushing of the table. He rushed towards her to take the pistol ont of her hands, not the paper. He was shot before the struggle. The shooting took place as he was going round the table to close with her. When he got to her he said, ‘ I’m shot.’ He did not then kiss her; she kissed him. Ho did not recollect her saying *' Oh, where have you been shot ?’ or ‘ Oh, what shall Ido ?' She might have expressed regret. She kissed him, and then put the pistol on the table. He did not recollect kissing the defendant. He had known her since she was fifteen years of age.

The defendant here asked the witness whether he seduced her by violence when she was eighteen ? The witness said that he knew nothing about her age. He was willing to admit that he had seduced her. He gave her a paper promising her £4OO a year during his life. The word • marriage ’ never occurred. Major Isaacs was recalled, and produced the document which was handed to him by the defendant at 110, Church road. The amount demanded was £20,000 and not £lO,OOO. He believed defendant had completed her 27th year. (Continued on fourth page.)

. Cross-examined—l asked her when I went into the room, * Where is Amy and baby ?' and she replied, * They are still in the country. Taere is no one in the house but you and me.’ She fired the pistol deliberately at me. Mr Dutton—On your oath as a gentleman, Mr Isaacs, will you undertake to say that the pistol did not go off accidentally ’ Witness—l can't say that it did not go off accidentally. Mr Dutton—After she had asked you to sign the paper did she not say when she took the pistol out, “If you don’t sign the paper I will shoot myself, and make the whole thing public T’ Witness—l think she said that. (Sensation.) Mr Dutton—You also stated that you did not care to have a document with your name attached in her possession ’ Witness—Not any document. 1 objected to a portion of the document being in her possession. y* Dutton—l believe there was a scuffle ? Witness—There certainly was a scuffle. William Matthias Nott, surgeon, said he attended Mr Isaacs on the evening of Bth October. He found he had a wound on the right forearm close to the wrist. The arm wae very much swollen. The Major told him what had happened. The wound had the appearance of a gunshot wound. Mr St. John Wontner—l now propose to leave the case where it is. Mr Dutton—And I don’t intend to say anything on behalf of the defendant on this occasion, as she must be committed for trial, and it is much better in her interests that anything on her behalf should be reserved. The usual magisterial caution having then been read over, Mr Dutton said—‘ Prisoner reserves her defence and calls no witnesses. ’ She was then committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court on 3rd March. The lady was taken oft to Holloway, looking . quite unconcerned. A large crowd awaited her. appearance outside and followed her to the station some hundred yards away. Major leases postponed his appearance outside the Court until the greater portion of the crowd had dispersed. In some quarters surprise has been expressed that the Magistrates refused to admit the prisoner to bail last week. It is believed that the Magistrates were mainly influenced in their decision by the alleged threats of the defendant. Mr St. John Wontner said that Miss Vincent had not only threatened Major Isaacs personally, but also Dr Coker, one of the trustees under the settlement by which defendant's child was to receive £2OOO and defendant £lOOO, in addition to £5OO toward the expenses of her house at Bichmond, Quite recently, it was stated, she told Dr Coker that she lived only for vengeance, and that she would wait for Major Isaacs in the street and plunge a knife into him up to the hilt. The following remark, able letter was also submitted to the Benoh “ You may rest perfectly assured after this a wenge so sura shall overtake him that escape shall be impossible. I dedicate my life to it It u so utterly absurd to think I am foiled in the least, because you place thia man here to *• The man referred to was a man who had been placed in the house to prevent defendant going to annoy Major Isaacs, It fchat Major Isaacs would have let the waole matter drop, and indeed had arranged a further settlement • but on her attending for the settlement, with Dr Coker and a ■ohcitor, she became extremely violent. Baid Bne would have nothing less than £15.000. •nd threatened to murder not only Major JjKli * the child and every one connected with the transaction.