TRAGEDY AFTER A FEAST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 30 January 1907, Page 4

TRAGEDY AFTER A FEAST.

GIRL SHOOK A BRUTAL FATIIFK CROWDS CHEKi: HER. New York. November 30 AlUou-h in -In custody of the law on a charge of murder, a fifteen-year "■'l. Haxen haired -id. Elhel Smith is l he p.mlar idol of tiie Rhode Island town of Thornton. Vesterday was Thanksgiving 1., M i. Mil. when something of n u , spiril ( , f < hnstmas pervades family gatleuin-s. turkeys and p'um puddings are eal'cii iiii'l knidly impulses appeal, especiallv >" children. I,'thel Smith had in the ! ! i,". l '""I^'i llSv "' < , .", 0 !' wl a ■" , or wo, »-in and tlnee little children in „ stale of misery which touched li.:. T heart. Her husband Briggs. ;l ,!,,,„,.„„ „,,,,„. ".•11, had deserted her that (lav a ' Ihev bad been dnvs without food or 'iH. The babies were c ryi„g f or , 00( |. which the despairing mother was vn . able to give them.

the little gi r | ~,„ hollll , ~,„, ]|ski , c , her ]«rents' permission to brio.- |u. r proteges -o share j„ their Tlninksgiving dinner. The parents readily consented, and the girl's discard: d wardrobe replaced the children's r,i"s tee poor woman was provided with a decent (ires by Mrs Smith and when (he party sat down to dinner the -r.oiv of the kindlv action added to the pleasure, of the least.

In ;hc afternoon jj r Smith and has wile went to cal on some friends leaving their dauglKcr with a servant to entertain her proteges. Ilriggs, drunk and furious at linding'his wife gone, arrived at the Smith house and, demanding that she should return lie threatened to kill her and the eliildreii. In terror of his brutalitv and for the children's sake, tile wife 'locked Hie door, and Ethel ordered him to leave. Drawing a knife, and shouting mad threats. Jirigg, burst open the door, 'the wife, clutching her children, was cowering in a corner; the servant, ran screaming from the room. But calmly confronting .him stood Ethel, grasping with unshaking hand her father's heavy revolver. Unheeding her renewed ipiiet command to leave, Briggs rushed across the threshold. Ethel tired. The madman still einue on. She fired again and again, live shots in all. The last bullet went through linggs' heart, and he dropped in a poo! of his own blood. Ethel, .strangely calm, and su'il, sianding over the man. snot the still remaining bullet. The man rose, again, but Briggs was dead when the neighbors rushed in. When the father, who is a special constable, returned, after kissing his daughter, whom he greeted as ""-i]y. little heroine," his duty was to arrest her and and notify tiie authorities of whn. had occurred. Ethel was n»t taken to prison. The thief of police nominally arreted her, but declared' that the formalities of the law were sullicienily met if he took her to his house and committed her to the custody of the. i'is own chi'rtjj.'n, who were her playmates. A procession of cheering townspeople escorted her (hither, leading citizens competing for the honor of furnishing bail, which the chief or police declined, saying he was not willing to be deprived of the honor of entertaining her. [.lower sand presents of all kinds were sent to her nominal prison. This morning the giri was released on her father's bail.