The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-03-24
CAR"
BRINGS DRIVER
NEAR TO DEATH
Stranger Shoots at
John Weber, Jr. in
Meriden
Later Puts Bullet into Thigh
of Leonard WeStfOTt Who.
VIII Recover

Again the jinx car in which Jennie
CavaIieri was carried to her death
doomed up in near tragedy late yes
terday afternoon when near Meriden,
John Weber, Jr., son of the manager
of the Blue Ribbon taxi service, mar
rowly escaped death as an angry and
evidently desperate passenger order
ing him to proceed into a, stretch of
road which was almost impossible,
drew a revolver from his pocket and
deliberately fired at the young man
According to the story related to the
police of Cheshire, a, neighboring town
of Meriden, and also to Supt. Birn1ng-
ham. a telephone call had been receiv-
ed by Weber shortly before noon yes
terday, from the East Side. A man
wanted a car for the day and the
price being arranged, John Weber. Jr-.
was sent to drive the party towards
New Haven HIS fare was picked up
at the corner Of Boston avenue and
Pembroke street. He was heavy set.
about 80 years old, and dressed in dark
clothes with a dark cap to match. He
had no collar on.
To young Weber he said that he
wanted to go towards Milford ITO get
a man" and that they might eover as
much as fifty miles before they re-
turned He said to drive towards
Milford and he would indicate the
road Milford was passed and diTec-
tions given to drive to New Haven.
Passing New Haven, the man tnd1-
Gated road after road which he SEEM
ed to know intimately. Coming to-
wards Cheshire, Weber was requested
to turn off into the Broad Swamp road
leading towards Merfd'en. As this
road wu5 too bad to negotiate Weber
refused to eLttempt to push the car
further ON that highway and suggest
Sd another route He was IN the act
Of turning the car Ground when his
passenger pulled a revolver from MS
pocket and IN the argument which
followed fired one shot. Young Weber
cleared the side Of the car and ran
down the road, pursued by his fare.
AS the pIrSuer and pursued ap-
p~oacheG Amos DaiRtod1. farmer, who
was driving home, the man with the
gun jumped over g. fence and ran to-
Z~ards the woods Weber continued
until he came to Cheshire where he re-
ported the occurrence to the author1-
ties md q careful search of the coun-
tryside was made in Webers car.
No trace OF the mysterious passenger
1vas found
Later however a man answering the
description given by the chauffeur met
u Leonard Westfort. q years old, upon
the outskirts of MerIden, and shot him
An the right thigh. Whether for the
r,44rpose of robbery or through some
other motive has not been ascertained
1,y the Meriden police, as Westfort is
an the Meriden hospital much unnerved
by the occurrence. He said that the
stranger merely requested him to hold
,,r his hands and shot him as he did
50.
One theory advanced is that a plot
to shoot som cone was Matched here,
in a similar manner as that said to
have been conceived In the Cavalier
3 erfsir. and that similarly the Blue
Ribbon car was thought of and a pos
sible attempt made to get rid OF the
chauffeur before the commission of the
Toreuedftated crime. Several elements
OF the mystery are under investigation
here by the detectives attached 10
headquarters.