SHOOTING MYSTERY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1829, 9 August 1906, Page 3

SHOOTING MYSTERY.

STRANGE STORY OF ERRATIC YOUTH.

A Hub excisemens was occasioned ia Newton on Saturday night (reports tho Auckland Star) by the report that a young man named Jerome Furlong, who resides wit-h his mother in Somerset Place, NewtowD, had been shot while a few yards from hia own gate. Srrgoant Lowry, in charge of the Newton Police 8

. ation, waa communicated with, and upon proceeding to investigate, found Furlong nt home wish liis neck bandaged.

The removal of the handkerchief disclosed a round abrasion about the size of a Fhilliog, and ja?t skin-deep, under the chin, whilo the neck and cellar were protty liberally powder-marked, making

it clear that a very few inchos must havo separated the muzzle of the weapon and the target. Tho viotim, who is about 23 years of age, and of somewhat erratic temperament, at first related a rather remarkable tale about seeing a sudden flisb and bearing a loud report us he was' walking towards his 'mother’s gate,’ followed im mediately by a stingiog sensation in the neck. When questioned by Sergeant Lowry, ho hinted dcykly at an attempt upon hie life, and raid ho was satisfied that ho had boen watched for eorno considerable time by persons who had a grievance against h : tu. Ii was just light enou gk for him to distinguish the figure of a man on the other side of tho road at the lime oi tho shot, but too daik to onuble him to clrsofibo rum, Ho ran into his mother’d house, and said, 11 Mother, I've been shot i"

A neighbor who was in the road at tho time, Mrs Gumming’, somewhat dhcro dited this stcry by saying that no other man was in the street, the light from a full raoon making it alines; as clear us day at tho turn, A snueh in tho houso disclo-cd no weapon save au old muzzle--1 lading gun, so tho pol.ee wore at fi.st o list 1 e at lose Oil Sunday freeh inquiries were instituted. and D.t:ctivo Mdlvcnoy fjunl an empty revolver shell io Furlong's bed room, which io turn led to the discovery

of a five chambered revolver under tho matt'oss of tho brd. Aft-r a little ci-cirn-locuiio Furlong then aduoit'od tba! it

was ho himself who discharged the weapon. Is appears that ho was engaged iu some amateur theatricd entertainment during ito work, and borrowed a revolver oud soma blank oanridges from a friend for the occasion. Ho was on the way to return tbo woapon on Sa'urduy oveniug, and wh Is walking a'oog ho explained that he was trying tho spring by pullirg tho trigger, when all nt or.es a charge wont oil and ' I fell ta-k d- /ed against the fence, and my false teeth fell.out, "■ he sold. He d d not want his pooplo to kcow that hu had any firearms iu his possesion, as they had objected to it previously, so ha made up tho account about bring shot by a man. At firs: bo 'els ’he revolver where he droppot it wh: n the ch i' go went off, but after wards ho returned for i! and hid it behind a tree iu the yard, which accounted for tho fruitless seat oh the previous evening. Furlong, who has of 1 >to hoen in tbo employ ol the Guy Council, appears to be of a rather exei'able disposition, and subject to hiiVuoinations, which led him to somewhat peculiar frocks at times. Having ho-n associated with a theatrical olgb, bo apparently had become charged with ideuii l! a s ns itional ohsvsoter, and the opportunity cf having a sensation on his own account when the gun want ofi was too tempting to resist. Tbs wound, which was attended ti by Drj. Davies and Murphy, is of a very trivial n imro, the smart of the powder probably being tho meat serious hurt about it,