The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-09 00:00:00

SHOOTING ACCIDENT AT A LONDON

HOTEL.

In London, on Saturday, at the Mansion-house,
Thomas Kelly, 21, residing at 17, Everton-valley,
Liverpool ,-was brought before the Lord Mayor on a
charge of injuring John Michael Routledge, of 15,
Parkingson-stmet, Felling, near Gateshead, by shoot-
ing him with a revolver at the Salisbury Hotel, City.

. -
I Henry Mecraw, the night porter at the Salisbury
Hotel, said the accused and Routledge arrived there a
few days a,go, and occupied a double-bedded room in
the basement. They returned to the hotel a little after
midnight on Thursday in last week. He saw them in
the billiard room before they went into their bed room,
and took off their boats for them. He next hoard a
report about twenty minutes past one, He took no
notice, thinking it was a visitor throwing his beots out-
side. The accused, however, in a few minutes came up
from the room, and asked some one to send some brandy
down to his friend, which was done by the witness
himself. Routledge was then in bed. He made a
statement to the witness, and showed him a wound on
his right side. A door was sent for. In an hour
the prisoner, who had gone out, returned with a
doctor. Hp seemed very sorry at what had happened.
The injured man said Welly was playing with a pistol
on the bed, and it went off accidentally and shot him.
Mr. Lewis, the manager of the Salisbury liotel, de-
posed that the two men arrived there on the previous
Monday and occupied the same room all the week. In
consequence of what the porter told him, he went down
and saw Routledge in bed on Friday morning. He
saw the wound from which there was no bleedieg, and
sent for a doctor. He saw the accueed come back with
a doetor. Ile seemed extremely sorry for the occur-
rence which, he said, was a pure accident.
Dr. Smith, surgeon of Christ's Hospital, stated that
he was called soon after two on Friday m?rning, and
went to the Salisbury Hotel, with his aesistant, Mr.
Taylor. He found Roucledge in bed. On examining
him be saw that a bullet had entered the right side of
the abdomen. Seeing the gravity of the case, he sent
at once to Brook-street for Mr. Savory, the senior con-
sulting surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. On hix
arrival they gave chloroform, and ezr,inined the wound
as far es it was justiiiable to do so, but they could
not detect where the bullet had penetrated, and were
obliged to leave it in. At mu-day on Friday Aout-
ledge became worse, and by the evening eyintoms had
developed which induced the witness to advise that
his depositions should be taken, The witness was
present when the Lord Mayor attended, and took
them. He had seen Routledge twice since then.
He was in a critical condition, as the Indlet bad
entered the abdomen, and the position oi it was un-
known, but the case was by no means hopeless. The
bullet had gone through a pillow case and a pillow, and
some of the feathers had been carried through. Rout-
ledge, in the presenoe of the accused, repeated over and
over again that it was an entire accident. The defendant
told the witness that he had lately bought a Qolt's
revolver, It had four chambers loaded, and one un-
loaded. He thought he was going to pull the trigger
cqnnected with the unloaded chamber. He pointed it

at the corner of the room, thinking his friend was
under the bed, but he did not intend the pistol to go
off. The Lord Mayor remanded the defendant, who
had put no questions to the witnesses, and who
appeared much concerned, but admitted him to bail.

On Monday Thomas Kelly again appeared before
the Lord Mayor for further examination.
Mr. Lewis, the manager of the hotel, handed in a
certificate from Dr. Alder Smith, of Christ's Hospital,
dated that morning, in which he said that Routledge
was progressing favourably; that the surgeons
operated on Sunday and extracted the bullet, which
was deeply lodged on the right side of the abdomen,
having come across from the left; that Rgutledge was
still in a dangerous and critical state; but that they
then had hope of his ultimate recovery.
The Lord Mayor, addressing the prisoner, said that
having had an opportunity of hearing the statement
made by his friend, Mr. Routledge, and all the other
facts of the case, he could only come to the conclusion
that the affair was nothing more than a sad accident.
He believed that he was playing with the revolver,
and using it as a new toy, and that it had exploded
accidentally. He had, therefore, no other course to
pursue than to discharge him.
Mr. Kelly then left the court. -