The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-02-07
o,poNovAN RossA SHOT.
His Assailant young Woman.
ial Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.

O'Donavan Rosa to meet her in Chambers
street, near Broadway, at o'clock this after
noon. She had previously metRossa, and he
fastened to respond to her message, which
was delivered to him in his Office, No. II
Chambers street, by a District Telegraph boy.
While the young woman waited for the
noted apostle of dynamite she paced slowly
up and down the sidewalk nearly opposite
the courthouse She was observed by sew
eral persons particularly on account of her
frank, ingenious face and modest demeanor.
Rosa walked from his Office to the place of
rendezvous without any suspicion of impend-
ing danger, at least so say some OF his friends
who were in the Office when he left it. He
carried two or three folded newspapers in his
hands.
The greeting between the young woman
and Rosa is described by those who witness
ed it as being cordial. The couple remained
standing on the sidewalk, about 200 feet from
Broadway, for two or three minutes, and con-
versed in low tones. Then they stepped into
the corridor leading from Chambers street
into the Stewart building. After while
they reappeared, and Rosa turned his face
toward Broadway and started to walk away.
The woman took few steps with him, then
stopped, raised her right arm and there was a
fash and loud report. Rosa turned quick
ly and beheld her within six feet of him, with
a smoking revolver in her hand. A second
report followed almost Immediately, and the
assailed man instinctively raised his hands, as
if to shield his head. A man who ran out of
of one of the adjacent offices heard Rosa
calculate "Great God, has it come to thisl''
The young woman stood perfectly still and
fred three more shots at Rosa. The bullets
ratified on the stone and glass of the Stewart
building. Several persons, it is alleged, wit
messed the shooting, but they were so dazed
by its suddenness that no interference was
offered until Rosa was observed to sink to
the ground. A man who said that he was
Peter Y. Everett, of Atlantic Highlands, N.
T.. went up to the wounded man and asked
him if he was badly hurt.
ROssa's head had dropped upon his breast,
and for few seconds he seemed quite over
come. The voices of the men and boys who
gathered about him reused him, and in a
steady voice he replied that he did not think
he was dangerously wounded Mr.. Everett
put his arm around Rosa and helped him to
his feet.
Few if any persons in the crowd recognized
the Irish agitator at the time, and the hurry
ing throngs passing up Broadway, not more
than five yards away, gave no heed to the IN
cident. Rosa started to walk to his Office,
but changed his mind and walked to the
Everett and another man.
Meanwhile the young woman who had
sought to slay the dynamiter was walking
calmly toward Centre street. She chung to
her revolver, which was partly concealed by
the folds her dress. Neither her face nor
her manner betrayed the slightest excite
ment or emotion. She cast one glance at
the PROSTATE form of her intended victim be-
fore she started to walk away.
Had she been anxious to escape, she might
possibly have gotten away from the scene
without detection, as in the brief excitement
of the moment she seemed to have been for
gotten. 1t was the irrepressible small boy
that called attention to her by shouting:
'sThere she is !" ''There is the woman who
shot him.
City Marshal James McCauley followed
and arrested her He led her quietly to the
police station in the City Hall. My name is
Yseult Dudley" said the young woman, in
clear, firm voice, as she stood before Sergt.
Gaynor at the desk in the station.
'Your ageY'
tsTwenty-four.
Married or singleY
81 am a widow.
ssWhat have you done ~
81 have shot o. Donovan Rosa. | am an
English woman, and / shot him because he
was O'Donovan Rosa. You know the rest
of the reasons.
She declared that she was born in England,
and had been in this country only about four
months. Her profession, she said, was that
of hospital nurse. Her recent place of res
idence was given as No. so Clinton Place,
this city, and when asked if she would like to
send message there, she said: ''Oh, no;
they don't know anything about me; l have
no friends in New York"
When Rosa was laid on bed in the Cham
bers-street hospital he looked pale and fright
ened. and was very anxious to know whether
his wound was fatal, and if not fatal how Sc
rious the injury was. When asked whether
he felt much pain he said no, but his fear did
not abate. The physicians pronounced the
wound a somewhat serious but not fatal one,
When Rosa learned that he was not going to
die his Joy knew no bounds, and he remarked
to friend that he hoped the would-be muir
deress was satisfied.
Tn the discussion of the shooting ON the
street corners and in the numerous down
town resorts the fact was recalled that Rosa
had been the recipient of many threatening
letters since the shooting of Capt. Phelan, on
January 9. These letters, however, produced
no effect upon Rosa so far as could beJudged
from outward appearances. :,
Even the following letter which he received
last Tuesday. postmarked Pittsburg Pa, 1t
ia alleged, did not cause him to take any ex
ira precautions to protect himself: "O'Don-
oyan Rossa-Fiend: and four of my COM
panions have vowed to rid the earth of your
ioathsome presence. Three of my friends
have been tracking your footsteps tor the
last twenty eight hours, and shall arrive IN
New York Monday, and | pledge you my
word as an Englishman that wherever and
whenever 1 meet you, either in public or
private, will send bullet through your
cowardly heart
s'If YOU had the courage of a man | would
meet YOU pistol to pistol, but | know you to
be a cowardly assassin, and | and my friends
and England shall no longer suffer at the
hands of a viper who is afraid to strike like
man. and who, by Gods help, shall be shot
as a yenomous reptile Retribution for our
murdered oountrymen, NEMESIS
Although this letter appears to have been
written by man it will be observed that 1t
threatened Rosa with death on the very day
upon which he was shot down. Among the
first reports relating to the shooting was one
to the effect that Rosa had been shot by
man in woman's garb.
Some days ago Rosa got a letter from
southampton warning him that fifteen men
had left that place sworn to come to America
for the express purpose of killing him. The
writer admitted that he was one of the Is,
but, as humanitarian, he desired to give the
victim fair warning The letter was regarded
simply as the etfasion of crank.
RossA's WOUND.
Rosa was placed on cot in the same ward
with Capt. Phelan, who was stabbed by Rich
ard Short in O'Donovan's office over three
weeks ago. O'Donovan was within eight beds
of Phelan. An examination of the wound by
DR.. Kirby showed that the bullet had pene
trated the back about half inch above the
left shoulder blade. The ball ranged upward
and inward toward the spinal column, but did
not touch the vertebrate. The bullet is evil
IDENTIFY lodged in the muscles of the back, and
beyond slight shock Rosa has suffered little.
1t was at one time feared that the missile had
penetrated lung, but as the wounded man
has expectorated no blood, this was after
ward pronounced impossible.
Had his spinal column been injured there
would have been signs of paralysis, but none
has appeared. The doctors probed unsnc-
cessfuily for the bullet. They concluded that
no large blood vessel had been injured, and
as O'Donovan is a leshy, muscular man, of
robust constitution, there was no danger to
be apprehended.
AN ANTE-MoRTEM STATEMENT.
At about 6 O. clock he said he thought his
condition was serious enough to warrant his
making an ante mortem statement, and Cor
oner Kennedy was sent for. When the Off
cial arrived 0'Donovan made the following
statement