The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1894-02-07 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

SENSATIONAL SHOOTING.  NEAR APPROACH TO A TRAGEDY.  NOVEL ATTEMPT TO PREVLNT A WEDDING.  An incident of the highest sensational character occurred in Price-street on Monday afternoon, and almost proved fatal, to its originator. It appears from what has since transpired that • wedding WM about to take place at the Brunswick Wesleyan ChapeL The bridegroom was the son of Mr. James, a well-known tradesman whose busineea establishment is in Churchroad, Higher Tranmere, the bride was the daughter of Mr- Miller, manager for Messrs. Welsby and Deakin, wine and spirit merchants, Chester - street. Miss Miller has a brother named Frederick, whose age is about twenty, and for some time past the mental condition of this youth has been a source of anxiety to his family. He was invited to engage in the; approaching festivities, and on Saturday night bought some little articles of personal adornment for the occasion. On Sunday, however, he took another turn, and after breakfasting with his family, retired to his own bedroom and remained there the rest of the day. On the morning of the wedding, he was heard muttering vague threats of what he would do, and to these Mr. Miller attached so much importance that he communicated with the police. Detectiveofficer Potts, therefore, went to Chester-street and watched the bridal party off, but saw no signs of young Miller. Had he 'had the least idea the lad possessed firearms the watch for him would have been much stricter, but at this time no one seems to have been acquainted with this important factor. All went well, therefore, until the bridal party reached the chapel, when they heard a shot fired, followed shortly afterwards by a second. The startled bride seeing her brother fall prone upon the pavement herself almost fell fainting in her father's arms. Mr. Miller soothed her, and endeavoured to inspire her with a portion of his equanimity, and he so far succeeded as to enable her to enter the chapel and go through the interesting ceremony. Busy rumour soon magnified the melancholy event. It was said that young Miller had first fired at his sister and then turned the weapon against himself on seeing he had missed his aim. This story, however, from inquiries made by the polies, is proved manifestly untrue. In the first place, the weapon which the lad possessed was a five-chambered revolver, an imitation of Colts' famous Bulldog pattern, short in the barrel but large in the bore, and throwing, comparatively with its size, a very heavy bullet. After the lad had shot himself he was conveyed to Dr. Mason's surgery in Pricestreet which Was almost opposite. The police promptly took charge of the revolver. They found that only two chambers had been discharged; the other three were still loaded, so that if the lad had intended to injure the wedding procession he had still three shots at his disposal before he turned the last one upon himself. The theory is that he simply fired the revolvor once in order to see if the barrel WM working properly before attamping to commit suicide and in proof of this it is alleged that the first shot was fired into the hoarding at the top of Pricestreet, where the bullet was found to have lodged. Meantime Dr. Mason having done all that he could, the wounded youth was conveyed to the Borough hospital in a cab and there detained as an in-patient. An examination revealed the fact that before firing he had opened his vest placing the muzzle close to his singlet. His wound is a very severe one, and is located immediately below the left breast, and, in fact, just below the heart. A consultation was held on Monday afternoon, and an attempt has been made to probe the wound and recover the ball. The attempt was not successful, and at present it is believed that the ball is located in the left lung. Under the circumstances, however young Miller is progressing as favourably as can be expected, and it must be some satisfaction to his relatives to think that, in spite of the cloud which this unhappy event cast over the event, the wedding still took place. From an interview which our representative had with the lad's father yesterday afternoon, he learnt that the family had not the slightest idea that the lad intended to oommitso raahan act. From whencehe procured a loaded revolver is to them a mystery. He had no cause of complaint either against his sister or against the bridegroom. It is said young Miller was a runner with Messrs. Higgins and Smith undertakers and carriage proprietors, and that it was because his sister would not give him an order for them to supply the wedding carriages that he took this way to make an unpleasant scene. This story is wholly inflAte. His kistory may be very briefly told. Scene years ago he was employed in the Borough Treasurer's department, but took a dislike to settled office work and left. Then WI father obtained him a situation at a Liverpool firm, but he did not stay there very long. He had a great fondness for home and dogs, and it was this which caused him to seek the acquaintance of Messrs. Higgins and Smith's employees, but he was not regularly engaged in ,their service. His disposition has always been an unsettled one, and especially has this been the case of late. It is probable that he was suffering from a fit of mental aberration at the time he shot himself.