The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1893-09-23 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

TRIPLE TRAGEDY THROUGH  JEALOUSY.  CHORUS GIRL AND COMPANION SHOT DEAD.  THE MURDERER BLOWS OUT HIS BRAINS.  A tragedy, which resulted in the violent death I of three persons, took place in the early hours of Thursday morning in Regent-square, Gray's Inn road, London. The neighbourhood is a quiet one, though near the busy thoroughfares round Ring's Cross. The inhabitants were greatly startled shortly before one o'clock by four reports as of revolver shots following closely on each other. Police-constable Loris was on his beat in the square at the time, and proceeded in the direction from which the sounds came. The first two shots were followed by a woman's scream, and then by two more shots. Lone hastened to the other end of the square, and saw three forms stretched on the pavement within a few paces of each other, while blood stains were all round. The constable whistled for assistance, and in a few minutes was able, with a few men who came up, to pot the injured people, all of whom were unconscious, though breathing, into calm., and had them conveyed to the Royal Free Hospital close at hand. Before this was done the woman was identified as a Mies Daisy IVIon tagsre, engaged in the c borne at the Empire Theatre, and residing at 18, Regentsquare; one man as Mr Leo Percy, an electrician, thirty years of age, of Swinton-street, Gray's innroad; and the second man as Mr Samuel Garcier, jeweller, of Bernon Chambers, Bloomsbury, and a son of Mr Philip Garcier, florist, Covent Garden. Miss Montague and Gaircer were dead on reaching the hospital, and Percy died about an hour after admission. The motive of the crime appears to have been jealousy. It would appear that Percy, who also resided in Regent-square, had been on terms of friendship with Miss Montague for about five years past. Lately a coolness occurred between them, probably caused by her friendship for Garcier. 7fhe latter met Miss Montague and a lady friend on Wednesday night, and accompanied them home. The lady friend, who shared Miss Montague's rooms, went indoors to light the gas, and then Percy, who had shadowed the party from the theatre, appeared. What followed is merely conjectural, but from the position of the bodies when found it is probable that, waiting until they reached a secluded part of the square, he fired two shots at the man' then one at Miss Montague, and with the fourth blew out his own brains. The revolver was still grasped in his hand when found, and was loaded in two chambers. Garcier's brains were blown away by the two bullets. Miss Montague was wounded in the lower part of the back, and bled to death internally. She was evidently in flight when shot. That the discarded lover meditated some tragic step is proved by a letter which he on Wednesday wrote to his brother. In this letter Leo stated he had determined that none but he should have ' Miss Montague, adding that he would have died long ago but for his father. Mr West, landlord of the house in which Miss Montague lived, stated in an interview on Thursday that he had known Percy for years. His parents were very well off, and the father strongly objected to his marrying an actress, Percy -being excessively jealous. He more than once ceased keeping company with Miss Montague, and latterly she had become acquainted with Garcier. lclr West, continuing, said, "I suppose Gamier forced his company on her. She was a good, honest girl, and a regular communicant at St. Peter's, the Church of England place of worship at the corner of the square. She was very well brought up, and was a good pianist, and would have made any gentleman a good wife, because she was thoroughly domesticated. I can't realise it all, I was so fond I of her."