OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10132, 15 May 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

OFFENCES.

On Saturday, May 9, about ten p.m., an exciting episode took place in O'Connellsfcreeb. ' It appears that' a' young .'"an, Harry Vincent Martin, an engraver, who has an upstairs room in High-street, where he resides, in prortii?es adjacent to those of McCullough and Co., printers, has been of late developing sundry eccentricities, which were! not paid much attention to, as he had been formerly, it is stated, in r the Asylum for a short time. At the above hour, Mr. Charles Johnson, head storeman and caretaker at Messrs. Brown and Campbell's stores, went out to make a purchase in Shorttand-Btreeb, and Mrs, Johnson and the two daughters went out to the street gate to wait for him ; while thero thoy heard a noiso proceeding from Martin's back room, which overlooks a vacant allotment at rear and commands a clear view oi O'Connellstreet and of Mr. Johnson's residence. They crossed the street, looked over the fenco, saw Martin's room window was half open, and that he was walking up and down talking to himsolf and gesticulating. Mrs. Johnson made some remark as to his strange conduct, when one of the . daughters, Maude, seeing the flash of a pistol shot, called out, " Hun, he's going to shoot." , They turned to run, when Edith Williams, a stepdaughter of Mr. Johnson, in turning called out she was hit, limped across tho stroet to her father's house and fainted. She stated thab she had been shot in the calf of the leg, a second pistol shot being fired in close succession. Mr. Johnson came in a moment or two and ran to the police station to acquaint them, as also to ring up for medical assistance, Dr. Lindsay and Dr. Lewis being telephoned for. It was fortunate that the bullet struck the fencing first, as it was thereby deflectod, and partly spent in force, but it went into the flesh part of the calf of Miss Williams' leg at one side, and passed out at the other. The young lady is progressing favourably under the care of Dr. Lindsay. Martin was arrested, and made a statement to the effect that Ids revolver was clogged, and chat in trying to clean the two chain-' bers the pistol went off accidentally. On the 11th May he was brought up at the Police Court, and remanded to the 18th instant, with the understanding that if Miss Williams recovered sufficiently before then, the case would be called on sooner. Bail was refused.

A sum of £189 was stolen from tho safe at the Wellington Hospital. Thesafeoontained £250, balance being in gold and silver, but the thievus evidently overlooked the latter. The money had beon lodged in the safe to pay wages at the end of the month, and when the steward went to get it on Way 1 lie found £189 in notes missing, There ie no clue to the thief.

The Eltham Railway Station was broken open early on the 7th of May and looted. The thieves entered by forcing the door. Tho safe was then blown open by some explosive, and £100 in cosh stolen.