The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-17
GastOn Calmette Shot by Mime. Henriette CaillauX
 in Formers Office
ATTACK ON HUSBAND
 PROVOKES KILLING
Wife of French Minister of Finance Held on Charge of Homicide Reported Minister Will
 Resign Office

| Paris, March 16-Gaston CaImcttc, cd itor of the Figaro. shot today by Mmc. Hcnrictte CaiIlnux, wife of Joseph Call Iaux, the French minister Of finance. died tonight.
 Madame Caiilaux went to the office of | the Figaro to carry out an act of ven geance against NJ. Calmette, who had been waging a campaign characterized | by great bitterness against the min I ister of finance. She fired at least three times NJ Calmette being wounded in the chest. in the side and the abdo- men.
 | While the editor was being trans. ported to the hospital he said re- peatedly;
 q have done my duty. l have done my duty.
 1 Having committed the deed, Madame Caillaux submitted to arrest and while employees in the Figaro offices were taking the pistol from her hands she said
 l "Sinee there Is no justice in this country 1 take upon myself an act of justice. Take me where you will" l Madame Caillaux immediately was re. moved to police station. where she un- derwent S preliminary examination, the substance of which was communicated 1 to the press at her desire. q am sorry,' she said for what l was obliged to do. l had no intention of killing NJ. Calmette, and I would be happy to know that he will recover. l desired only to teach him a lesson"
 Prepared to Leave Office
 At the moment of the attack of NJ Calmette was preparing to leave bis office in the company of Paul Bourget. | the author. He excused himself to re- lceive Madame Caillaux.
 In her statement to the police Madame Caillaux explained that the campaign against her husband had be- come lntolerable and she determined to stop it. She consulted an eminent law yer, who advised her that legal pro- lceedings would be futile-that they were often worse in the case of an inno- cent than in the case Of the guilty She decided then to take the law int, her hands. She bought revolver, drov, to the Figaro office and sent in hei card
 M Calniette was most polite and asked what he could do for her.
 It is needless for me to pretend that I am making a friendly call I an ,swered." said Madame CaillauX. "Theu losing ar control of myself, at the thought of the humiliations inflicted on my husband by this man l drew my revolver rom my huff and fired all the cartridges. NJ. Calmette was surprised at the first report and tried to take shelter behind n desk"
 | Madame CaillauX was charged for mally with attempted homicide and re- moved to St Lazare prison Later the charge was changed to homicide.
 It was officially announced tonight that NJ. CaillauX had rendered his resignation from the ministry of finance, hut that Premier Doumergue withheld his decision until tomorrow.
 Was Third Wife
 | Madame Caillaux is the minister l third wife. She Is 39 years old and he maiden name was Henriette Rainou- ard. She was the wife of Leo Claretie brother of the late Jules Claretle. from whom sho was divorced.
 | The personal campaign of Gaston Calmette against Joseph Cailaux began on January F, and since then the attacks against the finance minister have beer a daily feature of the paper. The fact that the campaign was inaugurated on the eve of the opening of the last session oi the present Chamber of Commerce ere ated intense interest in the charges Among these NI Calmette asserted thai M. Caillaux offered to pay $l, 100000 to M Schneider the legal representative oi Marcel Prieu, who had entered clam against the government. on condition that 80 per cent of that amount should bf turned over to the radical partys cam. naign fund for the coming elections.
 Marcel Prieu was French merchan of Brazil Thirteen of his ships were seized by the Brazilian government il 1SS0 on the charge that the customs reg ulations had been evaded. Eventual, Brazil paid to the French governmen an indemnity of s3,000000. Prieu's clain to this was repeatedly rejected, but hI heirs in 1899 formed a syndicate to prose cute the claim.
 NJ Calmette also charged that M Gail
 aux had tapped" the Comtoir Nationa D'Escompte and other banks to lh amount of $S0.0 .0o0.
 Charge He Exerted Pressure
 Among other accusations it was charge, that the minister had exerted pressur on the judges to postpone the trial O Henri Rochette, who was arrested il Paris in 1908 on the charge of swindlini l (Continued on Page Eieven) YY0TY