Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-09-07 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

FAILURE.  At the Marylebone Police-court, Leonard Bowes Bandford, 34, clerk, has been brought up for further examination on the charge of shooting Sarah Elizabeth Bandford, his wife,and Elizabeth Deveson, his mother-in law, with intent to murder them; also with attempting to conanitsuicide.— On entering the dock the prisoner looked very pale and nervous, and he asked leave of the magistrate to be seated as he felt faint.—Mrs. Bandford gave evidence bearing out statements already made.—Detectiv:,,,-inspector Banister produced a long written statement which was found in the prisoner's room after his arrest. It was addressed to the editor of a local newspaper, and commenced by affirming that his marriage had been a failure. Be stated that he married a "splendid woman," after a courtship of 20 months, on August 20th, 1887. She was an only child, and was his own age. Knowing that she was a divorced woman, and that her previous husband was dead, as it was a delicate matter he never alluded to it. All he knew was that her first husband was cruel, and that she had to leave him. Mr. Daveson, his father-in-law, gave his daughter away, or rather " lent " her. The marriage was purely a love affair. Time mother was unwilling to part with her daughter, and so, against the advice of friends, he agreed to occupy two rooms in her parents' house. He was to be treated as a son, but he had been treated like a child. He concluded, "I always looked on marriage as a very solemn thing. My wire, having been through the fire, evidently, to say the least, thought lightly of it." Being called upon to plead in regard to the attempt on his wife's and his own life, the accused said he was not guilty, and reserved his defence.—Mr. Cooke committed him to take his trial with reference to those charges, and remanded him in the case of Mrs. Deveson.  STEALING A MAIDEN'S TRESSES A new edition of the "Rape of the Lock" has, says the Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, just been enacted in the neighbourhood of that most unromantic of spots, an "omnibus-bureau." An evening or two ago a couple of policemen in plain clothes, who were prowling about in the vicinity of the Trocadero, espied a well-dressed and gentlemanly Individual, who seemed from his manner to be up to no good. They kept an eye on him, and noticed that he flitted about in a very suspicious way among the people who were standing in a group waiting to take their places in the different " 'busses." A good-looking girl, with abundant tresses braided into a neat and longish pigtail, who was with her father and mother, appeared to attract the particular attention of this mysterious personage. All at once he brushed against her, and the two policeman ran up and asked her if her pocket had been picked. The maiden, surprised at the question, replied in the negative ; but, putting her hand tc her head, she exclaimed that she had lost her hair. " Who steals my purse steals trash "wrote the immortal bard, and s 1, perhaps, the girl might have remarked, but the theft of her tresses was a very different matter, and she and her parents were speedily in the depths of despondency. Meanwhile the policemen had rushed after and had arrested the thief, who was caught red-handed with the pigtail in his possession. Conducted to the nearest station, he gave his name and address, but appeared much confused whe-.. questioned as to the motive which had led him to deprive the innocent maiden of the " glory "of the fair sex. This led the police to search his rooms, and some splendid specimens of hair of all shades and hues were found therein. It is suspected that the man may be a monomaniac, and he is to be examined by the doctors with a view to ascertaining his cerebral condition. In the meantime the fair damsel and her relatives are in a state of mind bordering on distraction.