The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-06
MEAK|N RECEIVES
DANGEROUS S HOT
Promoter Tells Confused Story
OF Wound at Boarding
House.
CLAIMS B0ER WAR RECORD
Exhibited Worried Condition,
and May Have Attempted
Suicide.

Captain George Frederick Meakin.
thirty-four years old. who claims to
nave been an aide on Lord kitchener's
stan ard to have fought though the
Boer War. was dangerously shot a;
i:2O o'clock yesterday afternoon in the
! home Of NJ. j. LAWYER. lo6 IL East CLAY
| street. and is now lying in the CITY
Hospital in serious condition. The
! bullet passed through the body, Just
! below the heart. and was picked out
Just below the flesh On his back lie
| is expected to recover. if complications
| do not set in
hNactl:' how or by whom he was sho.
captain Meakin Will not tell. and De-
| tcctiNe Sergeants Wiley and KeIlnm,
! who rave been conducting thorough
| Investigation. have not yet been able
| TO settle To their own satisfaction who-
ther Meakin shot himself accidentally.
or with suicidal intent, or whether he
was shot by some one else The only
, persons in the house when the shoot
! ing took place were Meakin and Mrs.
l'awler and her two children. the old
est of whom. James Edward is thir-
teen years OH
Police Mortified.
! 1t was Mrs. LAWYER VINO called the
city ambulance. and Ut, Tartar and
/ '"uiituI LEdhe lC:I'lcdlatSlN notified
| the police when they were unable to
learn how the shootns; occurred. Bicy-
| Gle Policeman Latham was despoi:ned
| 10 the house from ,hc Second station
ana Sergeant Wiley WAS sent from 40 :
| lice headquarters. They closely inter
roGated Mrs. Lawler who was on the
verge of hysteria She told then, thai
| she had been in the kitchen prcparin :,
! dinner, and that she was yoinE uo the
stairway TO the second iloor when she
! heard the sound OF a shot Thinkin.,
mat 1t was only distant hrcarHcl<er.
| she paid no heed to the noise until she
reached the top of the stairway. when
she saw Captain Meakin leaning
against the door of small hall bed :
room She noticed him slipping along
the wall to the floor, an6 shrieked out.
| What's the mattrrr'
I'm shot" he replied, and sank to
the floor. His clo,hins hai been set
air bE the powder charge. ana she ex
/ tinguished tho flames with her na~e
hands
80, what am | To do?" she walled in
frantic terror. and the stricken man
whispered Promise me YOU won't bury
/ me in the potter's field. Place me in
Your section in Hollywood"
Had Seen Hollywood Grave.
| Mrs. Lawler explained that he had
/ once accompanied her to the grave of
her father. buried in Hollywood who
Year ago shot and killed himself in
Washington. Recovering herself Mrs.
Lawler sent her son. James. TO sum
mon the ambulance and remained with
the apparently dying man.
/ When DR.. Tarter arrived he tried 10
draw from the man how he had been
; shot
we were just fooling.' he said.
Later he declared that he had been ac-
cldentally shot. On his bed in the City
/ Hospital he reiterated to DR. Tarter
ana to Captain William Wesson. close
! friend. that he had not shot himself.
ana the last mention he made of IT was
ihat the shooting was accidental No
more could be obtained from him. and
/ on account of his weakened condition
they did not press him further
/ Spea kins to newspaper men last
night Mrs Lawlcr said that she had
! been told that her story was in con
niei with that told by Meakin
Gives Details.
| But what said is true. no matter
"nat he SAYS. she declared. emphati-
caliy She was extremely nervous. and
her answers to questions were eiled
with the minutest and most unimpor-
thht details, showing In what nov
I Nous state Of excitement she was la
boring She said that she had suffered
from nervousness ever since the tragic
death of her father and was under the
constant care OF a physician.
she said that her son. James. was I'm
N!eaklns room Just previous to the ac-
cident, and that Mcakin was plavfuIlv
showing him how he used 10 shoe, tha
hoers. But the boy went out. remark
inE That something might happen He
went into the bathroom adjoining and
then heard the shot He rushed hack
ana saw Meakin leaning up arair,t
me wall. The hoy thought at hrst ina,
.he man was playing. but soon realized
his condition
mere were two conflicting stories a.
10 '"c pistol Mrs Lnwler said IL had
taken out OF her room from un-
oFfheath the bureau. Meakin said he
| got ii out of the dresser in his 900,
thoush admitting that It was Mrs
I-'"iers pistol. It contained only one
! cartridge. and Is revolver of thirty
( two calibre
( Claimed Wnr Record.
MrS La"ier knows only little of
Meakins personal history He ma
told her that he served through The
hoer war and was injured by fan
I from his horse. He was pensiorod O.,
lump sum by the Englisb go -
ment' and then came to America ne
spoke little Of the war and rarel,. ~
MS family, and seemed not to know
whether his father was living or dead
ne landed in New York. where no mad
money In the brokerage business. ana
! then went TO Philadelphia. He inhnr.
teu some money. he had said. from -
uhSie manufacturer of chinawarc
nut had lost II all He had honr a.
Richmond year or more. and ma b.
""arninS with the LAWYERS the last o..
months There he made himsclf =,
nome and was considered ono ~ ~
family Mrs. Lawler said lasr r,s.h.
that he had appeared distraught la,ai,.
ana was evidently lnboring under son,n
trouble she said that ne was engaged
70 some extent in tho real estate bus.
| lncSS nd also a r.i