The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-03
Lucky BALDWIN STILL LUCKY.
4 Woman Fires a BuIlet at Him in
Court. But He Escapes Death.


san Francisco. Cal. July 2.-E. J..
Uucky) Baldwin. tho millionaire horse
man. had a wonderful escape from ass
assination to-day at the hands OF Miss
Emma Ashley, the sister o Miss Lillian
Ashley. whose suit~for $1,000 for alleged
betrayal has been In progress before
Judge Stack for several weeks and Is
now drawing to a close.
Miss Ashley. the plaintiff. who was on
the witness stand shortly after the court
opened this morning, and il was while
she was being examined that a sister
drew a revolver from a hand bag which
she carried and fired shot at Mr.. Bald
win, the bullet grazing his head. There
was. Tn the way the shooting followed
the proceedings on the stand. something
so Ike pre-arranged sequence that ID
is charged by the defense that IL was the
result Of a conspiracy; that the Ashleys
had learned of what the defense had in
store for them and that II had been
agreed that ON the introduction Of the
evidence the shooting of Baldwin was
to Immediately follow. This opinion Is
shared by others than those connected
with the defense.
The Incident which preclpitated the at
tempted aSsaSSinatlO was the intr0duc-
tion of a photograph of Miss Lillian Ash
ley. This photograph, she strongly repu-
dated, but eventually admitted II might
possibly be a "snap-shot' photograph. The
picture looked very much like her, the hair
being eurled. 1t was introduced by the
defense for the purpose of coutradicting
her statement that she at no time IN her
life had curled her hair. In conclusion
she said: Il know II can't be me, for |
know l never wore dress like that
and as the last answer quoted left her
dips, Emma Ashley fired.
Baldwin's attorneys say they think that
when Miss Ashley saw the photograph
she knew her case was gone. and that
its Introduction led her to give a signal
before agreed upon to her sister to fire
the shot. At any rate, what seemed "a
be signal from lillian was given and
Immediately her sAster, who occupied
a seat behind Baldwin, fired pointbank
at his head The bullet plowed through
his hair and buried itself IN the wall OF
the court room near the bench.
Mr.. Unruh, Mr.. Baldwin's manager, was
the first to take In the situation lie
Jumped at the woman, struck her a viO-
lent blow on the wrist and wrested the
pistol from her grasp. Then a most ex-
rushed TO the assistance of the sister OF
his client, putting his hand In his pistol
pocket as he moved. He reached Mr.
Unruh Just as the latter brought the nls-
tol down after having torn II from the
woman Whether purposely or not he
covered Mr.. Crittenden with Il. The at
| torney was not at all slow In showing his
gun and for "A few seconds AZ looked as
il further shooting would follow. Attor.
neys Lloyd and Highton and the court
officials jumped between the excited men
and separated them. Clerk McElroy took
the pistols and the danger was over.
AS soon as Mr.. Unruh dropped heI
| wrist, the wOuld-be murderess darted to.
| ward the other side Of the room, followed
| by Mr. Baldwin, who feared she had an
/ other pistol In her bag. He caught hii
/ assailant and held her until the balllm tool
| her In charge and ecorted her to the citl
| prison where she was booked on charge
/ of assault to murder.
Il tried to do a Christian act" shi
| said. Il tried to kin vile seducer.
tried to kin The man who had seducet
and degraded my sister and dragged hel
| good name in the dust. / thought tn,
| vile wretch had cumbured the earth too
long and / tried to kill him. but II wai
| not Gods wish, 80 l suppose It is al
right"
Soon afternoon a complaint by Mr.
Unrnh charging Miss Ashley with as,
saut to commit murder was sworn to n
the police court and bail was fixed al
$4,000. Ruber H. Lloyd of Mr.. Baldwin'i
counsel said this morning that Mr.. Bald
win had warning three days ago that ar
attempt was TO be made upon his life, but
that the story was not believed