The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-16
.DEMENTED GIRL DRAWS PISTOL IN BUSY STREET Demands Money Under Pain of Death as Farmer Man In- i,
 tercepts Her. SAYS SHE WOULD
 KILL TO GET FUNDS Presses Pistol Against Bosom of Her Intended
 Victim.

1 VlCb1lllS A most sensational hold-tlp within
 sight Of many pedestrians and in the
 heart of the business section occurred l a few minutes after Il o'clock this
 forenoon when Miss Ethel Francis. Iiv- ing at 1543 seaview avenue, and a stenographer at the U. M. c. works, I was ordered at the point of 8, large she had on her person to Mary Mo
 Cormack, a well known Westport resi- dent temporarily crazed by hunger. Three times was the bewildered girl ordered to give the insane woman
 money. Just as the desperate won- an said She was the point of pull ling the trigger. a reporter for tke
 Farmer forced the gun away from it's
 aim and although unable to disarm
 her alone was assisted by Officer Al.
 GouIden whose attention was attract ed by cries of the onlookers-
 1 Taken to police headquarters Miss l Francis was unaware of the close
 proximity to death which officers and emergency surgeons who examined
 the crazed woman testified she had so was examined and. pronounced prob ably demented, and taken to LakevieW home for close observation and fur i ther examination.
 l MISS FRANCIS STORY l It was about six minutes past II o'clock when Miss Francis, walking south on Main street in pursuit of
 been sent, reached the entrance to Meigs & Co.'S store at Fairfield ave- nue and Main street. To the police l she later said. T had reached the corner when this woman dressed In a, white and red knit cap and faded green dress stepped from the line of people waiting for cars. She step
 De up close to me and said. want noneys
 T said. T have none.s She rep1sds st Yes you have, for you are dressed in furs and am notS
 tI did not notice that she held a gun in her hand until then, when it was pressed close to my breast and she repeated: Others have money and ftIrs and automobiles and I am Starv- ing I want your money.
 There were many people standing about the corner but none seemed to
 notice that was in danger. do
 not believe that I realized what was
 happening it was so sudden. As soon as the woman was taken by the police I hurried away for did. not want to be involved in the notoriety and fI am sorry" said Miss Francis, to
 Lieut.. Suckley and Capt. Began. that shall have to appear against her
 
 tected."
 REPORTER TO RESCUE According to the story told the po-, lice by the Farmer reporter, he was returning from assignment when
 he passed the corner of Main street and Fairfield avenue. His attention was attracted by the g1istening bar rel of the fully loaded .32 cal re- volver which was pressed close to Miss
 Francis outer coat. He first believed
 from the determined expression in the eyes Of the Mccormick girl that she was arguing over some 1over's quar-. rel. When he heard tn ewords, "I want money combined with the sight of the revolver at the crowded corner he realized that the situation was des- perate. Stepping as close between the two women as their positions towards the gutter and away from the direction of those nearest and said: What is the matter?'' The
 McCormick girl said: 'T want money. She has it and I have not "'But you are not going to use that said in a slow, expressionless mono tone.
 Forcing the girl to the edge of the curbstone the reporter called to Traf- fc Policeman Al GouIden, who was
 busily engaged in isentangling line
 of tro1Ieys and wagons which were at tempting to pass east and west at the
 easterly section of Reads corner. Off, cer Goulden turned and at once real
 izing the significance of the affair rushed to the spot and grasping the
 gun wrenched it from her hand while the reporter held her reluctant and tensely held arm.
 IS wMTPORT GIRL At police headquarters where she
 was taken by Patrolnnan Fred Feeley
 and Sergt. Thomas Flood, the McCor- mick girl said that she lived in West
 port at the home of her father, Rich- ard, on Imperial avenue. She said she was a cousin of the well known Westport politician, John Mccormick,
 and that she had once been in the Westport sanitarium for some weeks. This she said about two years ago. She said, when asked. that she had paid $250 for the gun early this morning at Smiths sporting goods l store. Asked if she did not first mean to commit suicide she said: "No wanted money and I would have killed the girl to get it. I meant to
 kill her though I never saw her in
 my life before. Others ride about in their luxurious motor-cars and have not eaten hardly anything in two weeks
 To Drs. Curley and Finnegan of the l emergency staff who examined her as to her sanity she said: is'I told my
 mother this morning that I wanted money. She tried to deter me from
 what I have done, but evaded her 1 to the town clerks office and asked
 for money. They refused to give it Ito me. I went then to the postmaster l fS<.zrf ,aH D1C