The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-04-19
COWARDLY
SHOOTING
James TObin Deliberately Fires
Two Shots at Wife's Head.

Two S1OLS dL WlleS ) 1cd0s
Takes her to Physician and then
to All Souls HOspitaI-CIaims 1t
was an Accident-Mrs. Tobin Still
Alive.
What the local police authorities say
was premeditated attempt at murder
occurred last Sunday afternoon in Mac
culloch avenue, when James Tobin
shot and probably fatally wounded his
wife, Bridget Tobin, and then calmly
called cab and took her to physician
and then to All Souls Hospital.
The couple had been living apart for
three years, during which time the hus-
band has twice been placed under arrest
charged with assaulting his wife. Mrs.
Tobin was employed by DR.. James
Douglas as q domestic, while Tobin
worked at the State Insane Hospital at
Morris Plaina. Two weeks ago he left
there and went to Philadelphia to accept
position in the City Hospital at that
place.
About 4.30 o'clock Sunday afternoon
he called at the Douglas home and asked
his wife to take walk. 1t was supposed
that things were shaping themselves
toward another reconciliation and Mrs.
Tobin assented. AS they passed into
Macculloch avenue, Tobin, according
to the wife's story, toldSat the hospital,
called her attention to the home of Pros
ecutor Alfred E. Mills, and remarked:
'.Ain't that pretty place" She turned
her head to look at the house and the
next moment Tobin pulled a revolver
from his pocket and shot her in the neck
the bullet breaking her jaw. She fell
to the ground and bending over her
PROSTATE form Tobin fired again, the
bullet entering the other side of her neck
Tobin was not excited by the shooting,
He Immediately summoned a passing
cab and directed the driver to take him
to the Office of DIR. Harry O'Reilly. The
order was obeyed and, after dressing the
wounds temporarily, the physician Or
dered the woman's removal to All Souls
Hospital. Again Tobin carried his wife
to the cab and had her driven furiously
to the hospital.
In the meantime, witnesses of the
tragedy had telephoned to police head
quarters and Officers Meslar and Gala
han hastened to the scene, finally cap
turing the man as he was sitting at the
bedside of his wife in the institution.
He offered no resistance when arrested
and was at once arraigned before Police
Justice Cliff and subsequently commit
ted to the county Jail without bail to the
await the result of his wife's injuries.
Tobin made no denial of the act, but
says that the shooting was accidental.
He says he was shifting the revolver from
one pocket to another when it was dis
charged. When he shot his wife the first
time he claims. he was SO startled that
he did not complete the action of plac-
ing the revolver in his pocket, and as he
stopped over, the weapon still in his
hand exploded the second time.
On the other hand the police say the
shooting was most deliberate. They as
sert that his reference to Mr.. Mills house
was simply to cause his wife to turn
her head. They have several witnesses
whose names they will not divulge, who
saw the shooting and who are prepared
to testify that the shots were deliberately
aimed. They also say that they have a
witness from whom Tobin borrowed five
38-calibre cartridges Sunday morning.
Several other witnesses whose attention
was attracted by the first shot say Tobin
took careful aim at the back of his wife's
neck before firing the second shot. The
theory of the police is that the second
shot was intended to enter back of the
ear and SO penetrate the brain, but the
aim, although almost point blank, was
poor.
At the hospital, efforts have been
made to extract the bullets, but they
have been fruitless as the probes in each
instance failed to reach the bullets and
were in dangerous proximity to vital
spots. The woman has shown signs OF
internal bleeding and attempts to stor
the flow of blood have failed.
Mrs. Tobin is still in critical condi
ion Owing to her weakened state nc
effort will be made to operate upon her
and until she becomes stronger, if sucl
thing be possible, the physicians will
make no further attempt to locate the
bullets and remove them.