Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-10-24

ing affairs that ever occurred ill this i city was the one of last evening when ] Frank Phelps, the widely known anna l teur actor sent a bullet into the face
 of Miss Rose A. Connarty and then
 put the pistol to his temple and sent another bullet crashing through his
 brain The shooting of Miss Connarty
 was an accident, as the bullet was in tended for Miss Marie Bebus, teacher
 in the Driggs school, for whom Phelps
 had been lying in wait on Field street where the affair happened. Phelps
 died at the Waterbury hospital at l o'clock, while the condition of Miss i Connarty is much improved, the bullet ! being located early this morning. Ill the opinion of acting medical eXamin- CT Dr E. w. GOodenough, Phelps was
 suffering from temporary insanity.
 The attempted murder and suicide
 is the continuation of a rOmauce be-
 tween Miss Bebus and MT Phelps. AL
 though Phelps was d married man, d
 friendship sprung up between him and
 Miss Bebus, but of late it had been
 shattered by the appearance on the
 scene of Harry Stockbridge, clerk in
 the store of J. B. Mullings X Son.
 For some time he and Miss Bebus
 have been keeping company, and 1t IS
 said that Phelps became so jealous
 that he threatened at times to not
 only kill Miss Bebus, but to also put
 'her gray haired friend out of the
 way. The shooting of last night
 caused a sensation and it was the
 topic of the town to-day.
 It was about II :45 last evening that
 Phelps did the shooting which he
 thought would end the life of the wo-
 man whom he said had proved false
 to him, and which would also send his own soul into eternity. Phelps, who has been in town the past three weeks
 in the employ of the Waterbury Mfg Co, having come from New York where he had been for more than the past year, was aware that Miss BebuS
 was likely to meet MT StOckbridge after the stores were closed. So it is thought that he planned to be on Field street where he knew he would meet Miss Bebus and Mir StOckbridge when the couple would come home to- gether. He was there. He hid behind a tree in front of the house at No 35 and when he thought he saw the couple coming he got ready for action. He fired his gun directly in the face of the woman. He then turned the weapon, which was of 2S caliber, to his own head, and as stated, bullet went whiZzing through his brain. He fell in his tracks.
 But Miss Bebus had not been shot the girl who fell q victim to Phelps revolver was Miss Rose Connarty. who with a friend, Thomas Ryan, had been returning to her home at 4 CarrolltOn place, from visit at her cousins. Mrs Patrick Mul- ligan of 2jS Baldwin street. Phelps. in his excitement had not taken a careful look and he undoubtedly died not knowing that the bullet in tended for Miss Bebus had embedded itself in the face of a girl, who was a stranger to him. Miss Bebus and her friend had narrow escape for they were just inside the house when they heard the bullets from Phelps gun.
 After being shot Miss Connarty ran up to the door of No 51 Field street and she was carried to the home of Mrs Benjamin Fairclough. There it was found that the wound although painful was not likely to prove fatal. The bullet had gone her upper lip. shattering her teeth and gum and embedding itself in the right jaw.
 Meanwhile the excitement was so intense that little attention was for the time being paid to Phelps who lay partly on the walk with his brains oozing from his head The police having been notified De- | tectives kennaugh and Colesanto were soon on the scene and were followed by Officer John Cavanaugh. l Dr. David was also on the spot quick y and Acting Medical Examiner | came later. It was evi- 1 lent from the wound in Phelps head | hat he had little chance to live. He ! lid not utter a word after the bullet . entered his head, and he looked as though he were dead when help reached him. There was not even ! powder mark oa the temple where he bullet had entered. me gun vas of such a large size that the bull ct went clean through Phelps head md went through a window in the residence of Mrs Mary Walsh at 35 Field street and landed in the bed loom of John Cook. Phelps was placed in Lunny's ambulance and ] ;arried to the Waterbury hospital where he died at 1:3O. not returning O consciousness for a moment. Thus ended life which a few years igO looked so full of promise.
 The friends of Phelps have of late feared that he would do something desperate although last night early n the evening he appeared calm and -atiOnaL But it was undoubtedly he 1ull before the storm. He was n HOdsOn's cafe but did not drink. He had a couple of cigars when his friends asked him to join them but appeared 10 be letting the beverage llOne. He was in MuTphy's cafe on !. Bank street abOHt 9:3O and although le took drink there did not indulge o any extent It is said that about o'clock he entered Jacobs pawn ]. hop to purchase a revolver but did ]. lot do 90. going out before he was yaited upon
 It was a feE years ago that Phelps while engaged in theatrical .I EOrk met Miss Bebus and as said li ,eEOTe . warm friendship daveIOped if
 PheIrs had often been seen in the !,
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