Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-28
One Of the Oldest Temples Of
Justice in the Country
Made the Stage Of
A TRAGEDY IN LOW LIFE.
Max Clerget Shot by His Brother-in.
Law, Edward Divin.
TERRIBLE CAUSE OF THE CRIME.
The Murdered Man Assaulted the Hur-
derers Little Sister.
GREAT SENSATION IN THE COURTROOM

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATCH.1
NEW YORK, June N.-The Court Of Gen.
the United States. 1t was founded by
Queen Anne, and has dealt with the crim-
inals Of New York City ever since. In
that court, the staidest of old courts, was
enacted to-day a scene such as occasionally,
when, reported from the border lands of the
wild West or the Tennessee mountains,
makes New Workers vain of their superior
civilization. 1t was companion picture Of
the lynching at Port Jervis.
In the courtroom to-day Edward Divin, a
cripple, shot and killed Max Clerget, who
had just pleaded guilty of assaulting
Divin's 15-year-old sister. The shooting
was done in the presence of Judge Mar.
tine, many court officers and hundreds OF
spectators.
There was no premonition of the tragedy.
For nearly week Judge MARITIME has been
engaged in the trial of Annie Jones,
charged with arson, and the trial was not
concluded. The jurors were in the jury box
in the morning ready to hear the last OF It,
WelI-Guarded Court Room.
The pleas of all the prisoners indicted by
the grand jury are taken in Part l, between
II and 12 each morning. To prevent an
escape a double line of court officials e1-
tends from the bar to the door Of the
prisoners box. As the prisoners names are
called BY Clerk Hall, the officer in charge
of the door of the box opens it and the
prisoner steps out. He finds himself In
deep gangway, running between two rows
of benches for spectators. These benches, six
on each side, rise amphitheatrically.
The grand jury was busy on Friday, and
found many indictments against minor Of
tenders, so there was long string of
prisoners going to and from the bar for
nearly half an hour.
At 11:S5 o'clock Clerk Hall called: ''Max
Clerget to the bar" The bolt of the door
of the prisoners box was Withdrawn by the
officer guarding it, and slender boy
stepped out into the gangway and
went briskly up the aisle to the
bar. He had sallow complexion and dark
eyes. His upper lip was just shaded by
faint black mustache. He wore black
worsted cutaway coat and trousers and
flannel shirt. Around his throat was tied
white pique four-in- hand, with q mock dia-
mond pin in it. He held cheap white
straw hat in his right hand, and as he stood
at the bar he famed himself
The Prisoner at First Pleads Guilty.
Clerk Hall said: 'tMax Clerget, you stand
indicted by the grand jury Of this county
for assault You are charged with assault
ing Sarah Divin, aged 10, on the 18th of
june, at 543 East Fifteenth street. What
say you? Are you guilty or not guilty?"
'Guilty." replied Clerget, promptly. =,
plea, Lawyer Cherry, newcomer in the
criminal practice, stepped up close to Cler-
get and spoke to him in an undertone.
Then Clerget faced to the bar again, and
said to Mr. Hall: IT don't plead guilty.
mean that plead not guilty"
Judge MARITIME had seen the by-play be-
tween Lawyer Cherry and Clerget, and re-
fused to permit the plea to be withdrawn.
Court Officer Collyer, who was standing at
the bar, touched Clerget upon the arm and
waved his hand toward the prisoners box.
Clerget stepped lightly from the bar. As
he got within foot of the entrance of the
gangway Divin, who sat in the end seat on
the fourth bench, upon the right of the
gangway, stood up. As Clerget got abreast
Of him he leaned over the highway, and
pressing the muzzle of a pistol close against
Clerget's lett breast, fred.
Murdered in tho Prisoners Box.
A cloud of smoke arouse. Clerget
ont, "Oh, my Godp' He took two or three
steps; then he staggered, his head falling
upon his breast.
: Court Officer Mclaughlin, who stood at
the further end of the gangway, sprang for
ward and caught him as he was falling.
Court officer Knight stepped to McLaugh-
Inns side, and they carried Clerget to an
open window back of the spectotor's bench.
Every man In the courtroom was upon
his feet in an instant. The enclosure for
female witnesses was full Of women. They
screamed and ran to all parts of. the court
room. The men clambered over the benches
and chairs to get out of the room.
Judge MARITIME raped upon the ben ch |
with his gavel, calling out: "Order in the
courtrooml There must be order in the
courtroom. Let everyone be seated"
But the spectators did not heed the COM
mand and there were no court officers at
liberty to enforce it. The whole force of
court officers was engaged In struggle with
Divin for the possession of the pistol. After
firing the shot he Strengthened up for an
instant, and then be leaned over the wall of
the gangway, evidently meaning to fire
another snot at Clerget, but Court Officers
Collyer and Mclaughlin caught him.
A Struggle With Madman.
Mclaughlin grasped his right wrist from
behind and threw an arm around his neck,
forcing his head upward and backward. |
Collyer twisted Divin's right hand until |
the skin of the wrist was broken and blood !
flowed, but he could not get the pistol from |
him. The pistol was twirled around in |
every direction. Everyone near dreaded |
another shot Nearly all the other officers
In the room ran to the assistance of Collyer
and Mclaughlin. The slender man with
stood the assault with wonderful strength.
His eyes blazed, his face was flushed and
his teeth were set.
The struggle lasted nearly two minutes
Then Collyer wrenched the pistol out of
Divin's hand, and the other court officers
benches to the end of the prisoners box,
opposite to the end OF which Clerget lay
lying.
Within ten minutes Clerget was dead.
From where he stood, his wrists bound with
double handouts Divin could see Clerget
His eyes were fixed on Olerget's face. Divin
Officer Knight said to him,
'Why did you shoot that MANI"
Divin turned and faced Knight and said
With bitterness: "He ruined my sister-the
,nly sister that I loved"
Tho Tragedy One in Low Life.
The man who was shot was Max Clerget,
8 years old. The girl he had assaulted vas
lis sister-in-law, Sarah Divin, aged 10. The
nan who shot him dead was Edward Divin,
3arah's older brother and his own brother
n-law. Edward is paralytic and not in
lis right mind.
1t was a tragedy of low life. Max Cler-
,et's brother. who is barkeeper, married
'arsh's sister. They were keeping house at