New-York tribune., 1919-03-04
w oman Shoots
Four Times
AT W. ]. Burns
Fires Amid I'hrong in Grand
Ccusral al Detective,
Causing Panic in Crowds

A young attractive blonde, dressed ~
black. emptied four shots fron 81 re-
volvet q ". j Burns. The detnetivet 90
he NuA walking from the ctuWded Grand
Genital Stallion teHletdaY AFTERNOON.
The bullets 1ew Wild. esueine he thou
sands of waiting men End Nohen 10
aiampeda for cover.
Station detectives seized the woman,
who exclaimed
"ive shot ". j, burns nlenni 10
do It, lie wrongel my friend
AT the West Fifly-nrst Street siHiion
the woman gave her nnme as NiIea Ger
tr'lde Wormwoth, twonty-neVnn years
old, living at 7si Prospect Place, Brook
lYn. She said she was stenographor,
out Of employment. She was charged
with attempted folouioua assault and
possession OF a revolver. She wuu then
taken 10 Hcllevue for oheervaiion md
viii he atraigned this morning.
The W i. Burns Agcncy. which
hns solved mnuy mysteries, NnR set 10
work at once on the ease of ils hend
and founder Last night operatives
wore busy digging up the prisoner'a
past 10 discover whether the shooting
was the act Of an Unbalanced mind or
deliberate conspiracy to cnd the
life Of the detective,
Says lie Did Not Know Woman
When W. J. Burns was asked last
,r.l,t
give his version of the affair he re.
ferred the QueStioner 10 his son. Ray
mond. who. nc said "had charge OF
the case. W. J. Burns said he did
not know Miss Wormworth, and had
never seen her before.
According 10 Raymond Burns, tho
girl WAS employed by the American
Can Company until tNo years ago.
when she was discharged After tho
shooting she is said to have explained
hthat Burns had been responsible for
' her dismissal, and that she meant TO
shoot him to even up matters.
Raymond Burns denied that his
fathers agency had ever had anything
to do with the girl or with the late
William J. Dutton, a former official
Of the American Can Company. Miss
Wormworth, IN another rambling rc
cital, said that Dutton had gone to
the Burns agency with case and
had been badly treated.
eve have looked all through our rec
ords and have found no such case
said Raymond Burns. "Wc are now
trying to find out just what was the
motive for the shooting. The woman
said she had visited our Offices, knew
all about W. J. and his family and even
the train on which he usually came
into town.
Waiting a Week, She Said
"Shc said she had been waiting for
him at tho station for more than
week. remaining there all night on one
occasion. Yesterday when w. j. got
OIL the Scarborough train she followed
him until he reached the narrow pas
sageway az the eastern end of the sta
ton, leading TO tho Commodore Hotel
She said she didn't want TO miss him
W. j. heard noise behind him.
and he thought it was bomb He
turned around, throwing up his hand
and saw This woman, dressed in black
running IN, firing Il revolver. lie did
/ rot kno" she was shooting at him. but
thought she was aiming al two men in
front of him.
lie walked quickly dow, the stairs,
and came to the office. /, was only
when the police called up later that
he hrat knew of the attempt on his
life"
When Detective Hooker arrested the
sscman who was under he impression
that her shots Ind gone true. he tul
her she had failed.
II meant 10 kill him." she sobbpd.
"i'm sorfy didn't. The stats told
me what to do
Tho ntlsunpf told The police aha had
ufehahrd the revolver IN hew jerney
Two months ago, Ahe IA AMID 10 come
or good family. Whom inquiries wepa
made at The Brooklyn nddreAa laat
night u wsa said that all bf lha pplas
nner'h relatives we're uui, and nn In
formation WhH VouehAated
Hurna operatives were sent 10 tha
houno, hui up Ia late hour no re-
rtrt had boon received from them ~
the agency,
IN you can nave mnney
You nnn invest white you save
AJAX for particulars ~