Lancaster Standard and County Advertiser. — 1905-01-06 (Lancaster, Lancashire, England)

THE DENDRON SENSATION.  FCRIVINA VICAR ACQCITTBD.  Arthur James Humphris (49), Clerk in Holy Orders, and Vicar of Dendron, in Furness, pleaded not guilty to an indictment -lin-ging him with attempting to commit suivide by shooting himself with a pistol. Mr. Wingate-Saul prosecuted, and Mr. Sharpe was for the defence. Mr. Wingate-Saul said that that was a very sad ease. The majority of these charges of attempted suicide were sad, but when they had a nom in the position of the defendant, who was as clergyman in the Church of England. it was exceptionally so. The attempt took place on December 4th. The defendant was the Vicar of Deadrom and lived at the vicarage with his wife, and they had also a servant. It seemed that on this day defendant and his wife had arranged to gm to Barrow, but at 10 o'clock in the morning he complained of pains in the head, and went to bed. Nothing happened until tam o'clock in the afternoon, wham defondant's wife went upstairs to get ready to go to Harrow. As she pawed her husband's remit she told him that some tea was ready for hint, and he replied that he would be. down in at few minutes. His wife came downstairs, and three minutes later she and the servant heard a thud on the bedroom floor. On returning upstairs Mrs. liumphr!ti found her husband sitting on the side of the bed, and on the floor was a small pistol with which he had evidently shot himself, for he was bleeding from a small wound on his right side which had evidently been caused by a bullet. Defendant was taken to the North Lonsdale Hospital, bait though She wound was probed to a depth of four inches no bullet could be found. Subsequently, on being questioned by Dr. Fell as to how he came by the wound, defendant said, "I did it." When defendant was being exturnined by Dr. Edmunds, he said thud when he fired the shot he was bolding the pistol in his left hand. The pistol when picked up contained an empty cartridge, and when defendant's pockets were examined five similar though loaded cartridges were found in them.  Elisabeth Jack, the defendant's servant, Dr. FAlmiinds, house surgeon at. the hospital, and two police officers gave evidence in support of the prosecution. Mr. Sharpe examined the witnes-es at some length, and elicited the information that defendant had suffered from epileptic fit.; for years past. The medical witnesses agreed that a hen they saw the defendant his condition was such an to lead to the supposition that he was just recovering from a fit of this nature. and they admitted that when a person wan recovering from an epileptic attack 100 often committed all kinds of meaningless automatic acts. Dr. Fell even went SO far no to state that the pistol wan not a deadly weapon unless skilfully used. in amwer to lfr.Wingate-Satil he stated that there were no vital parts near to where the wound was. The wound itself was at the aide between the eighth and ninth ribs..  Richard Park. churchwarden at Dendron, ; was the first witness for the defence, anti he Fa itl that some years ago he stayed up one night with the defendant during an attack  of epilepsy. On that occasion he had four fits in about three hours. He had not known him to have a fit since then.  Humphris, wife of the defendant, said that during their married life her husband had suffered from epileptic fits. The attacks usually occurred about once a year, but tiincv he was in America four years ago she had not known him to have a fit. On the day of the accident she thought that the symptoms he displayed pointed to another attack, and that was why the advised him to go to bed. Dr. Allen, Barrow, who had witinded defendant in a proft%sional capacity, said that he attended him for epilepsy in March and May, Da.B. After an attack defendant did not know what. he was doing, and lie believed it was whilst he was in a condition of this kind that this accident occurred.  Mr. Sharpe, addressing the jury, said that he did not deny for one moment that the wound wan earned by the discharge of a pistol, and was probably caused by defendant's own hand. He asked the jury to say, as the evidence clearly showed, that on this particular morning an accident happened to thin unfortunate gentleman for which he was not responsible. The jury without leaving the court returned a verdict of " Not guilty," the foreman adding that defendant at the tune was not responsible for his actions.