The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-10
hIary Stafford Narrowly Escapes Murder When Eccentric Boarder, Re senting Her Receiving Gall From Young Man, Shoots Her.
Surrenders at Police Head quarters Hour Later He Is Held By City Court, Probably For Examina- tion Into Sanity.


 Miss Mary Stafford, account ant at the Singer Mfg. Go, and a member of the choir of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church, narrowly escaped mur- der at her home, Al Fairviewi avenue, while breakfasting with her aunt, Mrs. Eliza Flint, when she was shot through the neck by Patrick Byrnes, a re- tired landscape gardener. |
 Miss stafrordss assaaant. who is be- lieved mentally unbalanced, covering himself with his pistol, made his es- cape from neighbors who hocked into the house following the shooting An hour later. at 8:35, he surrendered at police Headquarters
 See this pistol?'' he asked Captain John Regan, at the police starIon-. ssSTeu, I've just killed woman with t1aat''
 nWhat for demanded Began.
 ..I don't know. replied Byrnes.wno 1apsed Into silence. and thereafter re- fused to talk He surrendered the readily to be locked in "a eel While surgeons were attending hdfAs 5tanofd at her home BYrnes was arr ralgned in the city court before Judge g. A. Bartlett. and rrnandedS2 hours without ball, on the charge of assault with intent to Kill He will likely be examined by alienists
 Byrnes has been regarded as ec- centric for several years. but he was. not considered dangerous Since Sum day his attitude towards Miss Staff ford had been unuA-uaE Ordinarily he was regarded as one of the family for he had been a boarder in the Stafford home for many years When his own wife died he lived in Trum- buIls where he was a landscape gar Star Farm Mrs Stafford, with her family, moved to the TrumbulI home to become his housekeeper.
 When Byrnes left his employment at the Moves farm, he renoved to Brfdgeport with the Staffords Mrs. ago. and sinces then the Household has comprised Mrs. Flint, Miss Staff ford and Byrn<s-
 Sunday evening Miss Stafford re turned home escorted by a young man. Byrnes remonstrated, after his depar- ture but his words were regarded merely as part of the eccentricfties that of late have characterized his con- duct towards the other members of the household. He is said to have threatened the young man if he saw them uo- gether-
 This morning Miss Stafford was seated at breakfast with her aunt when Byrhes entered the dining room. He stood back of Miss Stafford for some minutes, then sud denly. without warning, slipped out the pistol and hred.It was apparent that he. aimed at her head. She fell, with a scream, and the cries of her aunt, and the report of the pisto1 brought F'rankSA- Russell and his Son. Frank C. Russell, from the apartment upstairs
 Byrnes covered the elder Russell with his pistol, threatening to shoot If he was mofested, then backed out Of the house and ran out of sight, through the fields. to the west of St. vtncent's hospital
 Telephone messages to police head quarters brought the ambulance corps. detectives and policemen quickly to the scene. Ambulance Surgeon F. B. Weldon found that Miss Stafford had Sustained only a flesh wound, and he BHft her in care of her family physf- elan, Dr. y W Wright. The police took up the search for Byrnes, but they had not succeeded in picking up his trail before he volunteered to give himself up at Headquarters.
 Miss Stafford is prominent in the church work of St Patrick's parish, and Is widely known TOT her aD1l1ty Is a singer She is about B years of age News of the murderous attack shocked the North End
 Byrnes is regarded as an expert Iandscape gardener. He has been em- paoyed at various times on many ex- -fensive estates. The late Co11is P. Huntington, the Burden family of Troy; and other rich families have employed him. His last work was the laying out of beautiful gardens at the Moves farm. in Trunbun Byrnes is zaid to have Considerable means. He is SS-