The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-11-27 00:00:00

SINGULAR SHOOTING CASE IN A
LONDON HOTEL.

At Bow-street Police-court, on Saturday, Mr.
Ashton Arthur Edward Toljames Burrows, aged 33,
iescribed as a journalist, and giving an address in
North-crescent, Bedford-square, was charged before
Nir. Vaughan with attempting to murder Mr. Alfred
Arthur Butcher, a commission agent, of 31, Senior-
otreet, Harrow-road, by shooting at him with a revol-
ver. Mr. lloveton-Smyth defended.
Prosecutor said: I was in the Golden Cross public-
house, Duncannon-street, on Friday night, between
nine and half-past. The prisoner was there, and
!ailed for a drink. He was the worse for drink, and
the manager refused to serve.him. He pulled a small
revolver cartridge from his pocket, and placed it on
the counter. I picked it up, and said, "I think that
is a revolver cartridge." I was standing close
to him. He said; "That would be enough to hill
you." He put his hand in his right-hand pocket
%nd pulled out a revolver (produced). He fired
it at me.

Mr. Vaughan: Did he present it ?—I saw the bright
portion of the revolver, and heard it go off, I drew
back directly I saw the revolver, and heard the bullet
smash a bottle on the shelf. The shelf was at the
back of me.

Did he say anything P—No, sir. I rushed out for
a constable, and came back and seized prisoner by
the throat, while the constable seized his hand and
took the revolver from him. He did not say why he
had done it.

Did he give any explanation ?—No; he never
spoke.
Was the pistol on a level, oblique, or perpendi-
cular?—He took it out of his pocket and presented
it at me. I only had time to draw back, or he might
have hit me.

From the position you were standing in, or the
position of the bottle that was struck, do you believe
that if you had not drawn back you would have been
hit ?—.l bolieTe so.

By Mr. Smyth: I had no quarrel with prisoner.
He was very much the worse for liquor. I did not
hear him say that he did not know the pistol was
loaded. The bottle was on a shelf about one inch
above my height. I was standing drinking at the
bar. The bottle was about two yards to my left.
Did you see him actually raise the pistol ?—Yes;
he held it out straight.
When you saw the pistol did you turn your head?
—No, I drew on one side at once. Directly I did so
the pistol went off. I never saw the prisoner before,
and there was nothing to induce me to believe there
was any ill-feeling.
Joseph Wise, barman at the Golden Cross, said: On
Friday night, about a quarter past nine prisoner came
in, and asked to be served with drink. He was re-
fused. He produced the cartridge, a% described by
the last witness, and a gentleman standing by said,
"It is too large for a Colt's revolver." He said, "It
is large enough to settle you," and deliberately drew
a revolver, pointed it at last witness, and fired. The
bullet struck a bottle.

By the Magistrate: I am certain the defendant
pointed the revolver at the prosecutor's head.
Mr. George Hooker, manager at the Golden Cross
public-house, confirmed the last witness's evidence as
to the refusal to serve prisoner. Witness added : I
heard the report of a pistol, and directly afterwards
saw the prisoner in the custody of a constable. I
afterwards found a flattened bullet on the floor.

• Police-constable Swaley, 462 E, said: I heard the
report of firearms, and saw the people rushing out of
the Golden Cross public-house. I heard someone
say, "There is a man in the house who attempted to
shoot another." I rushed in and saw prisoner. I
seized him. He had his hand in his pocket at 0:13
time. Butcher, the prosecutor, held his hand while I
took the revolver from his pocket. Prosecutor then
told me prisoner had attempted to shoot him. I told
prisoner I should take him into custody. He said
nothing. He was taken to the station and charged,
and the revolver was handed to the inspector on duty.
Prisoner was drunk.

By Mr. Smyth: He seemed very excited. He after-
wards told me that he had got the pistol out of pawn
the day before.
Inspector Haynes, the officer on duty at Bow-street
Police-station when prisoner was charged, said : The
prisoner was drunk at the time. I read the charge
over to him, and he said, "I can assure you I did not
fire." The revolver was handed to me by the con-
stable. It was a six-chambered revolver. It contained
five loaded cartridges and one discharged one. I
went to the public-house, and received the bullet from
the last witness. The prisoner had been charged on a
previous occasion with presenting an unloaded revolver
at a constable.

Prisoner was committed for trial, but Mr. Vaughan
refused bail, observing that he looked upon prisoner
as a very dangerous man.