REJECTED LOVER’S CRIME

Evening Star, Issue 18145, 8 December 1922, Page 3

REJECTED LOVER’S CRIME

DRAMA O'F JEALOUSY. GrIRX' SHOT ON EYE OF WEDDING. As- she sat unsuspectingly with her fiance at. a- crowded sports meeting, an Aldershot, girl 'was the victim of a, switt and terrible drama of infatuation and jealousv. She was shot, dead from the near by a young bank clerk, who immediately afterwards turned 'the revolver upon himself. The fact that the murdered girl was to have been married within a few days lend# poignancy te-the tragedy. The story of the girl’s rejection of the bank deck's advances was told tit the inquest, when a remarkable letter which the unwanted suitor had written to the girl was disclosed. The central figures an the di-ama (says the ‘Sunday Chronicle’ wore Ada Field (twenty-nine), -tire eldest daughter of Mr Jacob Field. farmer, of North Lane Farm, Aldershot, and William George Warren (twenty-three), a- bank (clerk, of Bath. At the inquest a verdict of “ Murder and suicide, while of unsound mind” was returned against Warren. Ms# Field attended the fire brigade sports at Aldershot, and was accompanied by her fiance, Mr F. Eeiroor (twentyfour), a member of a well-known Aidershot family, who-was sitting beside her in -the enclosure at- the time of the tragedy, and was an eye-witness of the iwholo affair. There was a crowd of over 10,OCO people 'witnessing the sports when the tragedy Occurred. Warren was employed as a.clerk at the Bath branch of the London Joint Oily and Midland Bank, and was formerly a member of the staff at tho Aldershot branch, where Ada Field was also employed. sudden tragedy.

It seems that tho tragedy .occurred with dramatic suddenness. A. cavalry band 'was playing lively rnuesio and a, -race was in progress at 1 the-time. Warren, who was visiting-Aldershot on a holiday, was with a friend just behind the girl and her fiance, when he suddenly leaned over two rows of empty seats and placed a r-evolv-cr at tho ba-ck of tho girl r» neck, and shot her dead. He then placed the revolver to Ins own head, and tell immediately afterytho girl. Mr H. Aingcr. Liberal candidate for Aldershot-, ran to her, and she sa-id : “All ri"ht, Mr Aingcr, look after mm first- " *Slio was carried to an, ambulance. hut died before it readme! the -hospital. , . , ,ri Warren was taken to hospital, and died la Thc’ suddenness of the -tragedy caused amanic in the crowded enclosure, and imamy (women dashed for the exits m dread of further shots being fired. Ihe cai ho came contagious, a.nd a regular stamped® began. FEED IN TO LOVER'S ARMS,

At, the inquest', Frederick Lee- 01 Bkhopstoke. iclcntilkd the hotly oi Mif* Field aa that, of his sister-in-law. W itness said he 'was sitting’ irlosc to n a the sports, when ho heard a. idiot. ,<■ '> looking round I saw Miss Field fall into iMr Burner's anus,” proceeded Air i.ec “Did she say anything.' asked tlic 'coroner. “She said ‘Oh!’ atid at onto became unconscious,” replied witness. lie then beard another bang, and saw a man nn his hands and knees at, the bark of ;Mr Reimer. Tho man appeared to he jn a Hying condition. His head was mear the seat, on which Alias Field and Air Reimer had been silling. I*°. said that, Warren called at Miss Field's house, but she refused to see him, saving that, he had been a brute to her while they were both at 'the hank at Aldershot.' The couple had never oecn °Twter which Miss Field received from Warren on July 10, and which was found torn to pieces at her home, was read by the coroner.’ It ran asi follows: You do not seem very keen on marrying the fellow vou are engaged to. Of course, I may have got it wrong, but a,nwvay, I thought 1 would write and tell vou that if vou should car© to give up the fellow ail'd, waif, for mo f should love to have you, and would not keep vou wanting longer thani could help. f know [ treated you pretty rottenly, and 'cannot. «sc«se myself, but I was frightfully jealous, so perhaps you will not think too bad of me. I have not much hope of your answer, if you care t.o answer it. at nil, bui- if b ; \ bb° faintest chanre you should desire to wait for me 1 am sure. we. should get on very .well together. Anyway, I wish you the best, of happiness. REVOLVER FROM THE BANK. Herbert Henry Birch, who accompanied Warmii on the sports ground, said ho ga/w Warren istjftn d behind IN I i&s Jtield unci hold a revolver close to the 'ha,ck of her neck. He thought Warren was joking ■until he heard the report of firearms, and saw Af.ies Field fall towards fliei fiance. George Afoflat, a, ba.uk clerk at the. Fs.rnborough (Hampshire) hramch of the London Joint. Oily and Midland Bank, eaid he recognised the revolver used by Warren as Hie property of the bank. It had been taken from his cash drawer with some ammunition. WJie.n he went to his cash drawer ho discovered it was unlocked a.nd .that th© revoi\er and am* munition had disappeared. Mr George Warren, a. schoolmaster, of Gravesend, said Warren was his son, Ho had never had a minute's anxiety about him in his life. His ,tson had suffered from overstrain of the heart since he left school. Mrs Sarah Field (Fuller, with whom Warren lodged at Aldershot, for a, year, ■said he had always behaved like a gentleman while, he was at her house. ,