DENTIST FIRED AT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1644, 10 January 1913, Page 5

DENTIST FIRED AT.

AUCKLAND SENSATION. A WOMAN'S STRANGE: < i! conduct; O, . is CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED MURDER« ir , , ■ 'B ' ■ . t'- (By Telegraph—Prosj AssociatloiiO it . Auckland,. January'D., a. A 'sensational incident- occurrtid in Id gmeeton's Buildings this morning when o youug woman named Kathleen fomuicrvilla discharged a revolver at W. J. Colir well, a well-knojm Auckland dentist,,and r- just missed by the narrowest of margins. Tlio incident occurred' iii: Mr. CoWll'i! 111 room and a statement of oircnmntances ; which led up to the shooting haa lieeu ' Id made' by Mr. Colwell. , - a .' . id It appears that 'somo timo.ogo Oolwcll , [o and the young woman were on friendly terms. It is stated that she bocame' Dißd--; > a { ly infatuated with him,, and that fcp ■ , a some considerable timo past sho had been 1 ; bs making overtures to him- which he Jiid rs rejected. She, was continually ringing up . 1° at; his ropine and asking liim to make tin appointment with her. >, '■ a- 1 This morning the climax was mi'hed(" s . 1 ly Mr. Colwell oocupics a suite of wma ln at Smoetoh's Buildings in Queen, htreefc whore he carried on liia business as 4 dca< S lt tist.' About 10 a.m. Miss Sommervillo ap- : f, peared on the premises and then wtnt ris aVay'again.' : She returned about aq hour • i« later and wished to mako an appoiatment with ( Mr. 3Che latter'?..oursft tnct j j her on tlio landing and noticed that sho ; a, was carrying a small - brown-paper parcel ■ c- under her arm. However, little notico 'r was taken of this, .-, ' ■ ; ■ . ' The visitor went into Mr.' Colwell'a of' c . fice where he was seated, and Mr. (jnlwcU a- states'sho locked the door apd (undo is 'a"' proposal to"hitii Vhlch ho-■declined to:"' 'o listen to. phe then becamo very nngry .', w and . threatened to kill him if he did not - accodd to ker requests. ; i, . t: 'Mr. Colwell at'first told her not to b» ' p- foolish, but'to go away quietly or else ie lie would be compelled to call tho police m 10 and havo h?r removed, - i &>■■■; ' ' ' 1? 'ITHIS WILL END IT." . _ ' ; ' VI ;. 1 -f ' A an.-- .- ■y ■ Then tho -visitor did a most ' " action. Sho produced a parcel, unwrap- ' |. 8 ped it, arid took out ; a revolver und soma 3 : cartridges. • ' le ' "You still say no. Then this willond ' ■ p- it,", she:said, andl ptescnted the rov.ihcr ■ S at Hr. iColwell who "was sitting only>eon».v- , n two or three, foot'frtin"her. pho thrflateni; i} , ! ,y ed to shoot:himand,Jhen herself xfho ltl ;*• ir 'did hot, her,.proposals. ■ 1- Mr. Colwell, afterwards stated to ( ft', ; ' , ''Herald'! representative that ,he had:'not'. v , the slightest idea then that tiie weipoaW f m : was joadedi • Y < \ i ; <•- ;e , As she still threatened him, Mr," Colif well deoided to end tlio l matter onco and" 4'. for pll,by falling ;in. the.pOljco,' and-got- i [ g up from his chair'to go fd tho next room n and telephone for a detective, d . . ■ '■■■ d GRAZED HIS TEMPLE." ' ® Tho room is; not a very largo -one,- and— . the woman stood in tho middle of. the floor'a f«w feet from the door. When n Mr. Colwell : reached'the door ho found i-. 'it. wiw locked, and. as he was unl6ckiiig,'ll »•- J it ;she fired. The : bullet him, Mr. ColweU states; by about r of an inch, j list grazing his right temple, d and passing, clean through tho next door, r a where it dropped on a loungo and then : ■ ' rolled on to tho floor! ,-. ■■■:■• J. , Fortunately no one was in the dressing- ; . e room :at the -time,* though rMr.'.Colwell's >/. : i nurso was in tho habit qf lying on the n lounge tor a little time about that hour each day.. " i,": -; -' 1 -; V ' On hearing the 6hot, the nurse and Mr, , ' 0 Tucker, Jlr. Colwell's assistant, rushed' 0 to the door, which tros litill locked, and' ":- V attempted to enter. : Mr.,Tuckcr secured . ' - 1 an fixe, mid tried to bretik in the door. :• I : Miss Sommervillo is'alleged to have'.^ I shouted: ; "Couie on, Tucker, and - I'llJ kill you, too." r By tho time the door waa opened she: •, - - t had escaped by another.door leading to tho y main passage, and Bhe ran up the stairs - . • with a'smoking'weapon, in. her hand." 1 .: , r 1 POLICE ARRIVE. ' The police •,weroSimmcdiatoly,.notifiod| and Detective Hollis and Constable Smith . were quickly,on the scone: They found .the young- worn an standing on tho top w ' landing ,in an cxcited" stato. , ; - .' , f, , She asked: "Is it me you're looking *'• L for?" but didn't,w|int to go with tlwm. i> : A search was made, and a rovolvor was , c J , found wrapped in brown' paper in: a box J : on .top; of.a eistern at riio back-ilf thq , landing. , . ~ ■' ' • Miss Sommervillo was taken to • th» • > ; polioe station and charged with attompti! 1 od murder. ":'; :' ®. . ■ Miss Sommervillo is a rather good-look- 1 \ [ ing woman, about .28 years of ago. Sh« ■ is a mechanical dentist by.profession, and. i it is understood .was thinking of going 1 into business for herself. She was about 1 i . four years ago employed by Mr, Colwell, > • i and subsequently served an apprentice- . • ship of about three years with Mr. Tay-.: , ' ldr„ of iJewton. ■ Sho resided with'hos ' ■ mother in tho Great North Eoad.' / r ■ . Colwell is ■ a ryoung man, single, • anj i resides.with his parents in " . ! AT THE COURT. During tho nftornoon KaTJileen ,Som« mervillo appeared before Mr. E. C. Cut- ; ten S.M., charged with having attempted to' murder W. J.' Colwell.' -Chief-Det«c-« ,; ,' ' tiro M'Mahon applied for a remand, and. ' asked that tho lio 1 substantial, as the question' was l whether-6ho would -. repeat tho act. • . - ' , Mr. Hackett, Eolicitor, said that, on bw ■. half of Mr. Coiwell, ho had occasion to :, writo to her, warning her,that she would * : havo to bo bound over to. keep tho peaccy if sho did not desist in, her ■ conduct ; wards Mr, Colwell, V '' ' . .The remanded the accused till this morning, and 1 suggested that sho . ■ should' bo'dotiinod'for tlio niglit in the | . Salvation Arniy or somo other homo. •[> '- ; It was ultiijiately. ogroed, on tho sug- : gestion'of Chi.of-Dotective M'Malion that : fiho should not bo,removed to tho gaol, but should'spend, tlio night at tho polic? v , station.' -, ■-•--.7 ,^