A BANKER SHOT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15563, 21 March 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

A BANKER SHOT.

ECCENTRIC INVESTOR. A disappointed speculator, who seems to have a dislike in general for bankers, selected one, M. Henry Lartrigue, head of an important financial* institution, and fired four shots at him in Paris recently, and wounded him very severely. Needless to say, M. Henry Lartigue did not know the man who fired on him, and had scarcely heard of his name. The aggressor, whose name is Chevalier Curt, is a strange character, whose life is surrounded with a certain amount of mystery. Ho lived in •a, small room all alone, like a 'hermit, furnished it, and took entire care of it himself. He seemed to have no particular occupation for the last six or seven years, and took his meals outside. The <nly thing that those who came into touch with him knew was that he now and then spoke like a man who seemed to be subject to the mania of persecution. He remarked a few times to Ins concierge that he was sure that some persons were anxious to take his life, and that the water in his kitchen had been poisoned. But he added, with a satisfied smile, that he was much smarter than his enemies, and he did not drink the water. How he came to know the banker, M. Lartigue, is not explained. At any rate, after his arrest he declared that he had lost a sum of £16,000 in bad investments on the banker's advice. It was for this imaginary wrong that he resolved to shoot him. M. Henry Lartigue left his house with his wife in the afternoon for a walk in tie sunshine. A rather tall man, who had been walking with a lady, suddenly left her and came to speak to him angrily. M. Lartigue, not knowing the man, told him to let him alone and go his way. The man became violent, and, taking a revolver out of his pocket, fired four shots at the banker. M. Lartigue was hit by three of the bullets, and one of them wounded him in the chest. He staggered and fell at the side of his wife. A crowd gathered and threatened to lynch the man who had fired the shots, but several policemen intervened and arrested him. He was taken to the police station, and gave an inco herent account of the reasons why he had shot the banker. M. Lartigue, who was in a swoon, was taken in a cab to the hospital,' accompanied by his wife, and the wound in the' chest was declared to be ! very grave. Although very severely wounded, it is hoped that Ids life will be saved. At the banker's offices it was declared that the name of the aggressor was hardly known. He toad merely called a few times, but. as far as was known, the bank had carried out no important transactions for him.