AN AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13488, 15 May 1907, Page 8

AN AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDY.

WOMAN. WITH A REVOLVER. . A SENSATIONAL RECITAL. Elizabeth . Barclay, on . remand, was charged at the Police Court, Wollongong, New South Wales, the other day, before Lieutenant-Colonel Chisholm, with shooting Elizabeth Kennedy, at Corrimal, on April 6, with intent to; murder. Mr. A. A. Lysaght appeared for accused. . Elizabeth Kennedy stated that she resided with her husband at Corrimal. She knew accused for about three weeks prior to the ' shooting. She had known accused's husband for 18 months, and he had boarded at her place since January 27 last. On the night of April 5 Mrs'. Osborne and her little boy occupied the same, room as witness. Before retiring witness noticed accused lying on her own oed. She said she had a bilious headache, and witness asked . her if she would have a cup of tea, which she declined; . Witness was .on very friendly, terms with accused. .Next morning accused , came into the bedroom, and suggest-. Ed that; she : should take the little boy and r the two girls,staying,at,the. house to pick blackberries on the mountain. , Witness replied that she..was... quite agreeable', and dropped off to sleep. ' The next .thing wit-; ness knew was that she was awakened by a- report .and. a burning : sensation in .her .leg. > She. sat up in bed, and saw accused I standing at the. foot of the bed. , Accused ! fired'again",-;: the' bullet striking witness in the chest. Accused '.was" holding an umbrella, 'and' was ; firing'under the shade of: it. Witness tried to get out of bed, arid a third report rang out, but she was not hit. Witness jumped but :bf f bed, and rushed towards accused. She fired again, and shot' witness in the breast;'-""There was a straggle in ; the; bedroom, accused firing, again, the bullet striking witness on the" chest.; A' struggle then took- place - in- the - front room. Here, another shot: was fired. Witness put '.'right hand up, and the bullet went through it, arid- struck her "on the top of the head. Witness fought with her assailant, and ultimately succeeded in obtaining •■ possession of ': the weapon. She pointed the revolver at accused in self-de-fence, and then called; Mrs. Osborne,;who ■ came to her assistance, and took the -revolver. - When accused saw witness disarmed, \ shevcaught'' her by the hair and \ tried to drag her into- the kitchen. J Accused had a table knife in her hand, and when witness saw it she pulled away • from her. '•■ Witness then staggered up to the front door. She gave accused no provocation whatever, and treated her with every . consideration.* She bad ho idea whatever why accused attempted to take her life. , •To Mr. Lysaght: She; was a spiritualistic medium, and accused's husband was one of her : sitters.; v ;By "sitters" she meant;: a : person who attended her -weekly development class. Accused's husband accustomed 'to attend witness' classes in Syd-: ney for. about 18 months, but up till ; this time accused had never attended; any.i; of witness' ; sittings. : Witness' husband arranged to come fco; Corrimal, : ; and they initiated . a series of sittings, which were held every Friday night, from "February 9 last up. till the Friday night before witness was shot. ..Barclay had attended -three of a the sittings,., and ;so had his wife. Witness had in; these sittings: a developing class for, beginners, and, as far as witness knew, accused was-a beginner. 'The Friday night■ before .the shooting '.. affray was' the' first time accused' was in the class. This class consisted-of ;a number* of : persons sitting in a room- in the dark. y After,, witness : described ,< things .she .saw she would have uo knowledge of what she had' seen,or said. ;: Witness; did not remember what she may have said toHc'cused ■ that nighty : 'She 're- ; membered on the night before the shooting affray one. -°& the • sitters, „ a mm, said he -lmd|,seen*:a^fcy,.iir^uifis|r.■fl-^a.'?a■•b^utiru•^ :, ; " blue. light. ,"Witness did not think' he start- ; ed to cry, but he made a sort of murmuring noise. It was an inspirational prayer that .witness recited previous to opening ,the, sitting.. Witness could see in the dark, and distinguish accused from her husband. Witness held a seance on the , Friday night'" in question, but accused V was, in her own room. No one was!" ma sm"etised" on- Friday night. ..Witness simply held a development clasp. Oh the moraine of the shooting witness noticed; accused's face when struggling. It. was , repulsive. Accused ' was grinning at. witness in. a most peculiar I manner;'. At -the'sitting''. witness put her I hands on' each of the sitters; 'It was usual .for: husbands --.to' sit with their wives. It" was, a ; small room, and v the sitters' would i link : their hands together for a few minutes. 1 Ihe address .witness; Would give would be I spiritual—from above. ... She had heard i knocks, -but did not know, how; they came. I It was a common thing to hear knocks at: I a, development class. < ~D I\ T. W. Lee,', in .his evidence, stated i that Mrs. Kennedy was still weak from the j injuries sue had received, and if ordinary )■ care were taken she would .recover. The I bullets that entered her chest were still i there. .When he: examined accused at-the lockup she was suffering at the lime from depression,: and complained of a headache.: In other respects, she seemed \ quite well. Accused was at the time of life when women were most susceptible to mental derangements.; He quite believed, after hearing the evidence of Mrs. Kennedy, that the things described might have had -effect on accused s mind towards mental derangement. '' ° Accused, in reply to the usual question, said she had nothing to say. ' She was then committed for trial •at : next Wollongong Quarter Sessions, on July 30 •- * ,