The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-17 00:00:00

A WOMAN SHOT IN HER BED.

(From the Manchester Times.)

Between five and six o'clock on Sunday morning the
deceased was awakened by a noise in her bedroom,
and saw Fleming in his shirt and trowsers beside the
window, stooping down beside a bag which contained
some mono) belonging to her. She asked him what he
was doing there, and, without speaking, he approached
her, and immediately shot her with a pistol. She
called out, " Oh, Fleming, you've shot me." He still
~id not speak, but put his hand on her mouth, threw
her hack in bed, and tried to strangle her. She tried to
put his hand away, and called out " Hannah," that being
the name of his wife, who came, and said, "Oh, Catherine,
he must be guilty, or he would not have done this." The
poor woman then said, " Oh, Fleming, take me to the
Infirmary, you've shot me ;" and he replied, " I will if
you will not tell who it is, and say that it is a man with a
white coat." One of them then threw her cloak over her
head, and Fleming went with her to the Infirmary, she
walking there, and having only, besides her cloak, her
chemise and nightgown on, and one stocking. e be-
lieve that, when they arrived there, neither she nor
Fleming stated how the injury was received ; but when
he was gone she told one of the nurses that he had shot
her, but no information was sent to the police-office. On
Tuesday she sent for Ann Shore, a neighbour who washed
for her, related to her the circumstances under which
she had been shot, as given above, and requested that
Fleming might be taken into custody. This woman gave
information to the police, and Acting-Inspector Austin,
we believe, went to the house were Fleming lived at the
time the circumstance occurred, but he had removed,
and no one knew whither. On Thursday, however,
Inspector Lipsett, by employing a person to trace his
sister from the Infirmary, found him in lodgings in Fetter
lane, near Portland-street, and he and Superior Sergeant
Burton took him in•o custody. On Thursday night, when
they went to apprehend him, the people of the house
denied him, but they found him up stairs ; and when
isked if his name was Nicholas Fleming, he said his
Christian name was John. On Friday he was brought
up at the Borough Court, when Lipsett stated the cir-
cumstances above related ; and the prisoner, on being
asked what he had to urge in his defence, stated that
on Saturday night he went to bed with his wife, and
went to sleep as usual, and he recollected no more till
tae found himself by her (Denmanist's) bedside, and
that he had fired a pistol, upon which he said, " Oh !
Catherine," lifted her out of bed, and said, " Come to
the Infirmary." He did not recollect what he had done,
nor did he know anything about it till the report of the
pistol awoke him. She said at that time that she did
,ot think he was in his senses. He added that they
aad lived together like brother and sister, and never
lad a word in their lives. The prisoner was remanded
ill Monday, when he was again brought up, and fur-
;her remanded for a week.

An inquest has since been held, when, after a length-
ened inquiry, more than once adjourned, the Jury
brought a verdict of " Wilful Murder" aiainst the pri-
soner.