Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-13
Clubman Shot During Strug-
gle for Pistol, Declares Wife.
POLICE CREDIT HER STORY
Mrs. Clapp, Whose Husband Says
She Shot Him, Out on Bail.
CLAIMS HE HAD ABUSED HER
Wounded Man Expected to Recover.
Wife Was a Former Phila-
delphia Manicurist.

PHILADELPHIA, December 13-AL
though he is still in a serious condition,
hospital physicians say that Herbert Ma
son Clapp, the clubman and grandson OF
Mason, the shoe backing king Will
probably recover from the bullet wound
he received in his apartments early yes
terday morning.
Mrs. Marie Clapp. his wife, who was
taken into custody by the police yester-
day on the str length OF statement made
by the wounded husband that she shot
him, was released on s., 500 bail late last
night. Mrs. Clapp spent the night at her
fathers house in West Philadelphia and
today returned to her apartments, where
the shooting occurred She maintains
that the shooting was accidental and tina:
1t occurred while she and her husband
were struggling for the possession Of q
revolver during a quarrel.
Tells of Struggle.
According TO the police. Mrs. Clapp told
them pitifu story of the abuse she had
long endured from her husband, even as
serting that at Atlantic City last summer
he had fired revolver at her. a bullet
grazing her forehead and inflicting a
wound the scar of which she still car
ries. She said the shooting early yester-
day morning was the climax to her hus-
bands habitual i'll treatment of her. The
police declared that they had found evil
dence to sustain the wife's charge that
her husband was addicted to the use OF
morphia and alcoholic drink and, while
under the influence of either, often acted
like mailman. The wounded man him
self admitted, the police averred. that an
hour before he was shot he had taken
twelve grains of morphia.
The Clapps had been occupying apart
ments on the second floor OF the Girard
avenue house since September. Quarrels
between them were not infrequent. the
police say, after they took up thir resi-
dence at the house. which is occupied by
Miss Kate Nj. Chandler, who conducts .
conservatory of music there.
Miss Chandler has apartments on the
third floor. She was awakened shortly
before o'clock yesterday morning by q
womans cries. Fastening downstairs.
she found Mrs Clapp attired In dress
ing gown. standing in the hallway on the
second floor, crying hysterically. Henry
Stevens, a Negro, servant. employed by
Miss Chandler, also aroused by the cries,
hastened from his room on the second
floor back and Joined his mistress.
Bullet Through Neck.
He is shot-my husband is shot," Mrs.
her into her apartments, which consisted
of two rooms and q bath. In the front
room, or, that facing Girard avenue. Miss
Chandler and the negro found Clapp ly-
ing on the floor between a bed and win
dow, with blood streaming from a wound
in his neck. .32-caliber revolver was
lying the bed Two bullets had been
discharged from il, one of which, after
passing through Clapp's neck, had struck
a mirror and shattered if The other
leaden missile had imbedded itself in the
ceiling.
Mrs. Clapp bent over her husband and
thrust a pillow under his head She was
weeping. according to Miss Chandler. and
begged them to telephone for DR. Kirby.
From the outset tne' police experienced
difficulty in getting at the facts in the
case. They at first prOfessed TO regard
the shooting either accidental or ali
attempt at suicide But after Magistrate
Morris reached ClappS bedside and began
to get a statement from him the police
suddenly altered their tactics
Clapp's Statement.
Il married her in Texas was the first
remark made by Clapp TO Magistrate
Norris The man was still suffering from
the effects of the morphine he had taken
and from loss of blood
she left me last winter. l took her
He mumbled something about law suit
in which his wife had become involved,
and then. as he turned his head and saw
his wife standing beside him and between
two special policemen, he half arose from
the bed iupon which he lying. The
special policemen had arrested the wom-
an a short time before.
What are You doing here?" asked
Clapp. excitedly, according to the police
You said you would get me and you got
me-
Mrs Clapp remained calm despite the
grave nature of her husbands accusation
and merely replied, 1T is not true-it is
not true
she is not telling the TRUTH persisted
the wounded man She stood fifteen
feet away from me and said. I'll kill
you 1 was coming from the bathroom
to the bedroom to slap her mouth for
something she had said to me"
DO you realize what you are saying
what you are talking about?" asked
Magistrate Norris at this juncture.
Il surely realize what .ss am m say saving ns:,
woman / ever saw handle shooter and
she is not afraid of any man..
The attending physicians decided at this
point that it would be inadvisable to
question the man any further.
Mrs. Clapp's Version.
According to Mrs. Clapp's version OF
the shooting, she returned to the Girard
avenue house from an automobile ride
late Saturday night
She found her husband in their apart
ments preparing to retire for the night
All of the lights in their room were
burning brightly, and he appeared to be
acting strangely. She saw that he had
been using morphia again and was in an
ugly mood.
..Where have you been?" he asked her.
Taking an automobile ride she re-
piled. II stopped at the Hotel Majestic
to get some newspapers"
She said her husband took umbrage to
her having gone riding, and then began
to complain that there was some one out
side Of the door of their apartments Then
he began to complain that some one was
making q noise in the street.
Il will close the window and then you
will not hear the noise.'' she tod him.
He replied that he did not want the win.
dow closed. and suddenly he stepped to
a cage in which a pet canary belonging
to her was hopping about upon its perch.
He opened door of the cage and took the
little bird out. Perfectly tame, the bird
at first rested upon the mans forehnger
Then ii fluttered about the room, ana
Mrs Clapp, fearing lest ii fly through
an open window. raised her hand to close
the raised sash.