The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-12-13
SHOT THROUGH MOUTH
Philadelphia clubman Says His Wife
Did Il


Philadelphia, Dec. 13.-Herbert Ma
son Clapp, wealthy clubman of this
city, is in the hospital with a bullet
in his head and likely to die and his
beautiful young wife is locked up
charged with having shot him. Ao-
cording to the police the couple quar-
relied in their rooms at $3.50 o'clock
this morning and Mrs. Clapp jumped
out of bed, secured a "A callber pis-
toll and shot twice at her husband.
One bullet went wild, smashing a
mirror, but the other crashed through
the mans mouth, emerging near the
left ear.
At first the family and his friends
tried to conceal the fact, claiming
that Clapp had been drinking and suf-
fering from nervousness had acciden-
tally inflicted the wound. Capp is
SO and his wife 20. Clapp has had
career which has frequently brought
him before the public. He is a grand
son of Mason, the shoeblack king"
and inherited much money from that
oO0ANRs EOuA JNfAAo dtO uio Wllt wv
orced him in New York, securing
yearly alimony of $4,000 and the GUS
tody of the child. Shortly after the
divorce Clapp married Marie Haskell
Leakell of this city. In August 1908,
they went to Texas where Mrs. Clapp
left her husband because of his treat
ment of her She went to New York
and Capp followed her there, caus-
ing her arrest. The case was dis
missed, however and they were tenn
porarily reconciled Last December
Mrs. Clapp brought suit against her
husband for absolute divorce charg
ing cruel and barbarous treatment
Later they were again reconciled.
When the physicians at st. JOS
ephs hospital saw that the wounded
mans condition was serious they no
tilted the police and Mrs Clapp was
taken to the institution by two pol
icemen. AS she appeared before
Clapp, he cried: Take her away,
take her away She said she would
get me and she did" said Clapp with
six shooter" he added She is
not afraid of gun, man or devil.
Her name is Marie Haskell Leakell
and was formerly a manicurist in a
hotel" Clapp then made statement
to the police which has not yet been
made public 1t is alleged that Clapp
struck his wife and that the shooting
followed.
The hearing which was to have
been given Mrs. Clapp yesterday af-
Tu until tho
extent of her husbands injuries are
known. Mrs Clapp denies that she
did the shooting and says she cannot
understand why her husband should
/ say she shot him.
/ After being cross examined Mrs.
Capp said that the shots were fired
while she was trying to wrest the re-
1 volver from her husband. The police
report that Mrs. Clapp said that her
husband awoke her for the purpose OF
quarrelng with her. She said he
drew q revolver from a holster which
he kept under his pillow, and threat
ened to kill her. She tried to get the
pistol from him, she said, and in the
1 tussle ii was exploded. She said she
was so excited that she did not know
I how many shots were fired and did
not know who pulled the trigger but
believed that her husband did. Mrs
/ c app said she and hen husband quar-
relied last night over whether the
bedroom window should be opened oil
closed
Mrs. Clapp was released on S250C
bail Her. husband is still in seri
Que condition.