THE BISHOP AFFAIR.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 34, 30 August 1887, Page 2

THE BISHOP AFFAIR.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

THE MURDERESS INTERVIEWED. The following are farther particulars with reference to the shooting of Bishop, received by the mail on Saturday last:— The first occasion that the woman made herself publicly conspicuous was on January 1, 1881. She was then living at 4 Eddy Place, with at least the nominal occupation of dresscutter. She had a quarrel with a man named G. Haight, an acquaintance who attempted to enter her rooms. She shot him, but bis injury was not severe. Judge Murphy sent her to San Quentin for one year as punishment for this act. When she came out she took to ■nind curing, and soon became a shining light of the new idea. Mr Bishop already had a wife in New Zealand, but as he explained, he needed one temporarily, at least, in this city and country. So he paid “Old Crisis” 10 dollars, and was introduced to “Dr ” Mary Von. Her fees to “ Old Crisis ” were 10 dollars 50 cents, as follows; Counsel fees, 50 cents ; representative fee, 5 dollars; introduction fee, 5 dollars. Bishop, of New Zealand, met the “ Dr,” kissed, hugged, according to sworn statements as a regulation lover, and promised to divorce his New Zealand wife instanter.

The Police Court was crowded on July 2 by persons anxious to catch a glimpse of Mrs Mary Von, the selfpossessed woman, who, by means of a pistol shot, debarred Charles Wesley Bishop, her former admirer, from making a voyage to New Zealand, and consigned him to a bed of anguish in the City Receiving Hospital. Mary displayed the same spirit of nonchalance that has characterised her actions and utterances since her arrest, and looked a perfect embodiment of defiance and unconcern as she stood in the dock. On hearing that her case was adjourned until the Bth inst. and that the amount of bail was fixed at 2500 dollars she simply smiled her acknowledgments to Judge Hornblower and disappeared down the narrow stairway which led to her “ dungeon cell.” During a conversation with a Chronicle reporter Mrs Von said :— “ There is no occasion for me to go over the old ground about the suit in Justice Burke’s Court,” said Mrs Von ; “ this has already been written up in your paper, and in a remarkably fair manner, too; but I always intended to appeal to the Supreme Court from the decision rendered against me, and the ‘ little archbishop ’ that is my pet name for him, knew this, and has kept himself carefully concealed for two weeks post, so that I have been unable to serve a notice of an appeal on him. That man McLaughlin, who appeared as plaintiff in the action against me, has been endeavouring to secure the ‘ archbishop ’ a passage to Australia in a sailing vessel so as to throw me of the scent, but I heard of the little move, so I went to the shi iping office and found that there would be no sailing vessel going before the steamer Alameda went. I knew then that my ‘ little archbishop ’ could not steal a march on me, and I felt within myself that he might possibly have to stay in this city until I got a judgment against him.” This last was said in a significant tone, and the strong-minded woman smiled grimly. She continued : “ Oh, I tell you, I have played the detective to some purpose during the past two weeks.” “But what was the use of killing Bishop? You did not want to bring suit against a dead man, did you P” “ I didn’t intend to kill him,” was the reply. “ He had a close call, though," remarked the reporter. “ Well, that was his own fault. As soon as I saw him, of course I followed him on board the steamer. I only intended to let him have it in the arm. When I got close enough to him I said: Is this the way you intend to settle ?’ and as I spoke I took what I considered a good aim at his arm, but he swerved and tried tc rush past me, and received the bullet, I believe somewhere in the ribs, Then the officers came. They were very polite as they told me 1 must go with them to the police station. I said to them : ‘ Yes, but you must bring him along too.’ They seemed surprised at my wanting the ‘ little archbishop’ brought along, but they will understand my motives better before the thing is through. My only reason for the act was to keep him here until the appeal case was decided, and,” added Madame Von, archly, “don’t you think I did keep him ?”

“Is Bishop the millionaire he is represented to be?” “Well, his property in New Zealand brings him in 3000 dollars a year, and while in this country he was to receive it in two half-yearly instalments. The next remittance of 1500 dollars was to arrive here in September, but I suppose, in view of his trip out home, he wrote and prevented his agent from forwarding it. Poor ‘little archbishop,’ ” said the portly dame, while she laughed merrily, “ he will perhaps want that 1500 dollars sent here after all.” “ What part of New Zealand does your friend Bishop belong to ?” “Well, the bulk of his propertv is in Auckland, and his wife lives there. Her father is called “ Old Greenway.” He is an enormously rich, but miserly man, and is 80 years of age. Bishop’s agent in Auckland is a pawnbroker named James Rae. 1 tell you, I learned a lot about his connections while*l was playing the amateur detective. I have hunted up quite a number of New Zealand people in this city, and through them I found out that he treated his wife and family shamefully.” “What could have caused him to act in that manner ?” “Because his aged father-in-law, at whose death Bishop expected to become much richer, took a notion into his head and married a gushing maid in her teens. This riled the ‘ little archbishop,’ and he came out in his true colours. He left his family in a bad way, and came here with the intention of procuring a divorce from his wife. 'The laws, however, on the division of property, proved a ‘ set back ’to him.” “ How much money (Continued on Fovimi Pace.)