New-York tribune., 1909-03-17
1T7RY EIONER4TES FORM
ER NEW Yorker.
Englishman FoILoscs Wife, Who
Had Fled to Merry Mills, At
fQcks Her, and Is Shot.

Merry Mills, near Cobham. Va. during which
the revolver was discharged and Ginard was
killed.
Afr Chaloner was fully exonerated of all
blarne hy coroner's jury which investigated
,be case this afternoon
C.;llard came 10 Virginia about two years ago
,-orn Australia. and was living within three
miles of Merry Mills His wife sought Chal-
oner's protection yesterday from her husband,
rba II Is alleged had beaten her and threat
eaed her life
Mrs Girard arrived at Merry Mills in ad-
vance of her husband. and, with her children.
v-as waiting IN the dining room TO tell her story
xben her husband entered. and, it is alleged. as
,,,,,tel her with a pair OF heavy tongs. At this
mint Chaloner and Erie C. Money, who was
With him. entered the room and interfered
A scufie between Chaioner and the English
nan ensued. and the former drew his pistol to
-as-ra3n the frenzied man. Gillard seized the
r,sroI it is said and tried to turn il on his wife
ba1oner grabbed it. and in the scuffle the pistol
7-se discharged. the bullet entering .1iila1d
temple
MAGISTRATE was at once summoned and made
acquainted with the facts. He held an inquest
fhis afternoon at which the widow told the
story Of her husbands alleged brutal treat
ment
She said she was positive that he- husband
discharged the pistol in effort TO Kill her ana
o+beIs testified to this fact. Her fourteen-year-
old son who was present at the tragedy, SAID
that his father had fully determined to kill his
mother and that he would have SUCCEEDED hau
II not been for Chaloner.
The tod,- was kept at Merry Mills all night
as IT was when death ensued. and the jury, con
fi9ting Of substantial farmers made searching
Investigation and came unanimously 70 the de-
csion that death due TO accident during an
effort 10 save the life Of Mrs. Gillard
At the time Of the inquest the room still
showed evidences Of the struggle The woman $
lat was in one corner Of the room and hairplns
were scattered about the floor The tongs' bent
from the blows were bloody and contained
clumps q hair. Mrs Gillard showed evidences
of brutal treatment. Her head was badly cut
in many places and her clothes were torn
Al the inquest to-day she told how her hus-
band had frequently naltreated her and that
whenever she tried To escape TO seek protection
he would overtake her and force her TO return.
Gsllard vas about forty-flve years old and
was Of powerful build. Chaloner had frequently
befriended him. as he was in poor circumstances
and only recently had offered TO give him
mule so that he could get around the country
better.
after the adjournment Of The inquest this
afternoon. Gillard's body placed in a coffin
and removed to his home, near Campbells,
where the funeral viii take place tomorrow
Thomas T Sherman, committee Of the estate. OF
John Armstrong Chaloner. said tonight that Rob
ert " Chauier and Mrs. John J. Chapman. brother
and sister Of Mr.. Chaloner. had started for Nir-
ginis as soon as they heard the shooting n lend
such aid as they could 70 their brother William
Astor Chanier and Lewis stuyvesant Chanler. two
other brothers. abroad the former in Europe
and the latter in Bermuda
Toa,r, Arms strong
made his escape from Bloominsdale Asylum in
KS he began q life as strangely romantic as that
OF any hero of melodrama- he apparently disap-
peared from the face OF the earth for nearly
year His friends gave him Up for dead Then
suddenly ne reappeered in Virginia and ever since
tie strange case of this exile from his native
state has been before the courts
in Virginia John Armstrong ChaIoner. man OF
wealth, and patron Of art and letters, enjoys the
hospitality OF the ellie countryside about his
splendid estate, Merry Mills. at Gotham The
mos exclusive clubs welcomed him as a member
In New York, where all his early life was spent
he is q fugitive from the law. Let him so much
as step fOot off the ferry on New York soil and
there opens before him that rambling red brick
pie al White Plains, which in his book -Four
Years Behind the Bars al Bloomingdaie he called
The Bastile OF the -Four Hundred"
When. in 1888, 4 sheriff's jury took testimony as
his sanity DR. Samuel p Lyon, Of Blooming dale
testified that Mr. Chaloner was an incurable para
noac. believing that every one was trying to poison
doctor. The witness said that Mr.. Chaloner a
times believed he Napoleon Bonaparte
On the other hand. his Southern friends point tC
Nr Chaloners escape as the act Of keen, cieai
mind His psychic ideas they hold a proof Of un-
usual intellect and point TO his poems and prose al
further demonstration OF his sanity.
Mr.. Chaloner has been continually fighting fol
the restoration Of MS rights in this state recogni
ton sanity and the control Of the rest OF his
estate which altogether is said 10 amount TO nor'
than 100000
Thomas T Sherman. who is the committee Of th'
person and property Of Mr. Chaloner in this state
was ordered Saturday by Justice Fitzgerald ir
the Supreme Court to pay Mr.. ChAIoner $4,000 a
year
Mr. Chaloner recently adopted his present name
by legal process. it being the ancient form
Of the present family name OF ChanIer- Regarding
this change his counsel a letter sent the press
recently made this request:
John Armstrong Cllaloner desires to notify the
press that on June lsos. in the Superior Court OF
sorth Carolina his now legal state OF residence, ne
ssd his name changed from Chanler to the ancient
.oETn Of the name Chaloner. for legal and personal
has been published. recent articles have ignored the
.IoIt q competent jurisdiction which II was but
tae ghim OF individual This condition is eX-
ner aad those who are his legal aiis and advisers
n pending legal proceedings and we ask YOU there
publish this statement. thai the true condition OF
sHairs be understood and represented, and act ac-
eordingly.
Mr. Cnaioner is forty-mine years old, the oldest
Of the eight children of the late Professor Chanler.
OF Columbia. He is a great-gra andson Of John Jacob
Astor and a cousin Of william Waldorf Astor and
john Jacob AEtor. Ex-Lieutenant Governor Lewis
siusTesant Chanler is a brother. Another brother
Is William Astor chaner He educated at
Rugby and Columbia. sfterwsrd studying law and
becoming member OF the firm Of Chanler. Max
Vel & Philip. at No. l20 Broadway.
hen h was tRenty-eight years old Mr.. Chsloner