--A Man Shot by his
Paramour in a Fit of Jealousy.--
Mrs. Isabella Ould, charged with shooting
R. H. Meade, on the 23d of September last, was arraigned before the
Mayor yesterday.
The occurrence, it will be remembered, took place on Franklin street, nearly opposite Metropolitan Hall, where the parties kept a bar-room in partnership, and lived apparently on the most intimate terms up to the day of the shooting.
The following testimony, elicited on the investigation, will give the reader a comprehensive view of the entire case.
R. H. Meade, being sworn, testified that he became acquainted with
Mrs. Ould in the spring of 1863 at the house of
Mrs. Matthews, in
Sidney.
Mrs. Ould and her husband were there keeping house in a building owned by
Mr. A. J. Ford.
Mr. Marmaduke Johnson, counsel for the defence, here asked that
Mrs. Matthews be subpœned.
Mrs. Ould had brought her in from the country on the previous evening, and left her at
Mr. Williams's, near the old Fair Grounds.
R. H. Meade resumed.--Shortly afterwards I went to
Mrs. Matthews's to board.
We (the prisoner and myself) became more acquainted and more familiar with one another, and used to go about a great deal together.
Left
Mrs. Matthews's house and went to the
Howard House.
Used to visit backwards and forwards afterwards at
Mr.Matthews and
Mrs. Matthews's and Mr. and
Mrs. Ould's. Was spoken to in reference to
Mrs. Ould by
Mr. Matthews; he said that our intimacy was getting too strong; also by
Mrs. Matthews.
Spoke to
Mrs. Ould in reference to the matter, and she said that her husband had treated her badly, and she never intended to return to him again.
Mr. Ould left for the
North, I think, in the fall of 1863.
Advised her to go back to
Mr. Ould; that he seemed to be a good man and a kind husband.
She most positively declined to go. She was then boarding at
Mrs. Matthews's.
Mr. Matthews also went to the
North, with the understanding that his wife and
Mrs. Ould were to follow.
Mrs. Matthews went; but
Mrs. Ould procured board at
Mrs. Minter's, on Third, between Clay and Leigh streets, and I still continued to visit her there.
She was there about two months. She then bought out a house, key, and furniture, on Foushee street, and went there to live.
About two weeks afterwards I went to board with her. After I had boarded there a while, some of my relations spoke to me in reference to the lady and myself, and advised me to move my place of abode.
I did so; went to her and told her, about the 26th or 28th of April, 1864, that I was about to leave.
Procured board in
Manchester, and moved on the 3d of May, 1864. Did not come on this side except for work for some ten days. She sent for me to come and see her on particular business.
Went up to see her, and the business was in relation to selling out to go away.
She sold her furniture and things just as they stood.
She went to
Mrs. Sales and stopped a while.
I saw her there once or twice.
She advertised for a situation to go to the country in the summer of 1864; she failed to get the place, and procured board at
Mrs. Miller's, on Franklin street, and went to live afterwards in the family of
Mr. Bowman.
Think she lived there two months. Saw her twice in the meantime.
She left
Mr. Bowman's and came to a room over
Mr. Barrett's tin store, on Franklin street. She sent for me, and I went to see her, and she said that
Mr. Fisher had a little store down there which he would let her have if she could get some one to stand for her, and asked me to go up and see
Fisher.
I did so, and
Mr. Fisher let her have the room.
She opened a little business there, and I used to visit her. She proposed to me to come back and board with her again.
I declined doing so, and she wanted to know the reason.
I told her that I was addressing a young lady, and expected to be married at the close of the war or in the fall.
I continued to visit her. This was in the winter of 1864.
On the Monday morning of the
fall of Richmond I went to
Lynchburg, and remained there some two weeks, when I came back to
Manchester, where I was boarding.
Arrived there on a Monday, and called on
Mrs. Ould the next day. She asked me what I was going to do, and I told her I didn't know until I heard from my home, in
Alexandria.
She then proposed to me to take the place she occupied and open a restaurant.
Told her I had no means, and could not tell what I was going to do until I heard from home.
I think about the 8th or 10th of May, 1865, I went home.
Got home on Monday.
Mr. Gregory informed her of the name of the lady to whom I was to be married.
On Wednesday,
Mrs. Ould arrived in
Alexandria.
Asked her what her business was, and she said she had been at
Baltimore to procure some clothing and medicines for
Mrs. Miller, and thought she would come down and see
Alexandria, and said at the same time that she had learned who I was to marry, and asked if that was the lady.
I told her it was. Gave her some portraits and a letter to bring to
Richmond for me. She returned to
Richmond, reaching here on Saturday night. I followed a week or ten days afterwards; went to
Manchester, and came over to
Richmond in a day or two.
She proposed to me to take the room up stairs over the place she was then occupying for the purpose of opening a drinking-house.
I agreed to do so, and she spoke to
Mr. Barrett.
He consented, and I opened the house.
It passed on in this way for some time, and one day when I asked when she thought she would go away.
She replied that she was going as soon as she could make her arrangements, and that she wanted to have some talk with me. A day or two afterwards she told me a gentleman had made a proposition to her to go to
England with him. I asked her what he meant; she said he was a sergeant in company "I," Third Pennsylvania regiment, which expected soon to be mustered out. She said he proposed to marry and take her to
England.
Asked how she knew he was not a married man. She made inquiry among the members of the company, and some said he was and others that he was not married.
She then told me that
Sergeant Blackburn had proposed to her to take a hack ride, when he would satisfy her all about it. The hack came, and she went with him. She came back and told me she was satisfied, and would have nothing more to do with him. She then told me that
Mr. Joseph McCoy had made proposals of marriage to her, and that they had been corresponding.
One of his letters she read to me, and asked me what I thought of it. She said she had found out that
McCoy was a single man, a good mechanic, with a good reputation.
A day or so afterwards she got a letter from
McCoy asking her to visit him at the city jail, where he was confined.
She went to the commandant of the jail, got a pass, and went to see him. She came back and said she was going to write a letter to
McCoy, and asked me to assist her, and I did so. Things went on in this way until
McCoy was released, after which he visited the place regularly.
I went home again about the 1st of September for a niece of mine to wait on the young lady whom I was to marry.
Returned to
Richmond and found
Mr. McCoy at the restaurant as usual.
On the day that I was shot, the 22d of September, I went to Chesterfield Courthouse; returned between 6 and 7 o'clock in the evening, and found the place shut up. Thought probable that
Mrs. Ould was out attending to some business, and went to
Mrs. Redding's and inquired for her.
Mrs. R. said she had not seen her. Went back to the place and went up stairs, and continued up to her chamber and went in. There was a small single bedstead in the room, with a counterpane, blankets and pillow on it. On this bedstead I found
Mrs. Ould and
Mr. McCoy together.
She was leaning over him, and both were apparently asleep.
Seeing their position, I tried to retreat without being observed.
Got out and started down stairs.
Got down a few steps, and met a young lady, named
Alice Gill, and a young girl with her.
Miss Gill asked me where
Mrs. Ould was, and I told her she would find her in her chamber.
Got to the pavement in front of the house and started up the street.
Mrs. Ould followed, and insisted on my going back; that she would explain all. Went back with her, and she asked me why I left so abruptly; did I not know that this man was going away with her?
I remarked that I thought a chamber was a very unfit place to receive a gentleman whom she expected to marry, and that the bar-room and hall were large enough for them to sit in and converse.
She asked me to forgive her, and I told her that she or myself must leave that night.
She said she would leave next morning, but had no money to go with.
I offered her money, and gave her some eighty or ninety dollars. She then asked me if I would be her friend no longer, and I told her that when we parted we parted as friends, and should we ever meet we would meet as friends.
Told her I was going back to
Manchester, and started.
To prevent me from going, she caught hold of me, and said she would follow me wherever I went; that I must come back and overlook what had happened, and let the arrangement stand as it was. Went back to the bar-room and went behind the bar. Was there for an hour and a half or two hours, when I put on my coat and started down stairs.
She followed me, insisting on my return.
I continued on down the street, and got in front of the stable near the corner of Fourteenth, and she asked me again if I was not going to forgive her and be her friend, or was going to leave her without giving her any satisfaction.
I told her I would part with her as a friend; then bade her good-bye and gave her my good wishes.--On turning to leave her, with my back towards her, she fired.
I turned round to see where the firing proceeded from, and saw her with the pistol leveled at my breast.
I snatched at the pistol, and then found out that I was wounded.
She then snapped the pistol at me again.
I reached to get a brick; got one and threw it at her. Reached to get another, and my wound became so painful that I fell.
She approached, and I said, ‘"For
Christ's sake, don't shoot me any more; you have killed me now."’ She tried to shoot me while I was down, and as I raised I seized a brick; tried to get away from her, and she still followed, trying to shoot me. I again fell, and was arrested by some person whom I do not know.
Asked him to carry me to a physician, and he did so. In the meantime she was arrested, and at her own request was carried to the
Doctor's shop, where I was, and asked my forgiveness.
Told her I would forgive her for all, and asked her why she had shot me. That is all I can recollect.
Cross-examined by the
Mayor.--After I was carried to the
Doctor's shop, I was told by the policeman that
Mrs. Ould was brought there at her own request.
I then asked her why she shot me.
Cross-examined by
Mr. Johnson.--There was no improper intimacy between us while boarding at
Mrs. Matthews.
After she went to live on Foushee street, I lived with her in the capacity of husband.
[The witness proceeded to give details of their intercourse at
Mrs. Minter's, which would not be proper for publication.] Never made a proposal of marriage to her, knowing she had a husband living.
Formed her acquaintance at
Mrs. Matthews's before she went there to board.
Never made a proposal of marriage to her there, or acknowledged to any one that I had done so. Continued to visit her after she went upon Foushee street, and gave her all I made and my rations, considering that this was the
Confederate law. Saw her twice at
Mrs. Sales's and twice at
Mrs. Miller's. Could not positively recollect whether I had intimate intercourse with her there or not. Saw her twice at
Mrs. Minter's, and saw her in the dining-room.
One evening she met me on Main street, and I took a walk with her. The remainder of the testimony of
Meade proved that he was the paramour of
Mrs. Ould, and that there had never been a proposition of marriage.
She had mentioned the subject to screen her own guilt, but he had never originated the subject.
Never sent a message by
Henry Banks, a colored man, to
Mrs. Ould, during her imprisonment, except about a watch; never sent her a proposition to leave town.
Do not recollect whether or not she was ever in a state of pregnancy at any time during our intimacy.
Remember when she fell down upon the sleet, but do not think that she was in that condition then, or when she shot me. The house on Franklin street was rented in her name.
I contributed some forty dollars to set up the house.
Was employed in the Confederate Arsenal until near the close of the war, and had not been married since.
When witness went to
Alexandria,
Mrs. Ould gave him $150 and $46 in specie.
Promised to bring my niece, a young lady of sixteen, to see
Mrs. Ould on my way from
Alexandria to
Manchester.
Did not do this.
Did not take a bible in September, 1863, and make an oath to be faithful to each other.
After I was shot she gave me some eighty or ninety dollars, which I had previously given her. This money was taken from the drawer in the bar.
Mr. Johnson here presented a receipt for one month's rent of the house, given in the name of
Mrs. Ould.
Meade stated that she paid the rent, but that he furnished the money, which came out of the business.
She pawned a watch and raised fifty dollars on it, and afterwards borrowed a hundred dollars from
Mrs. Lewis to pay for the license.
Mrs. Ould made me a present of the suit of clothing I have on, and also some under-clothing.
After some further testimony on the part of
Meade, the counsel for the defence introduced a number of receipts, made out in the name of
Mrs. Ould, for house rent and other expenses, and sundry letters from
Meade to
Mrs. Ould, expressing the tenderest sentiments of affection for her; he loved her better than anything on this earth, (said the letter,) and would do so as long as he lived; that he would be home soon and would not go to
Manchester "no more."
Edward J. Tyler testified that some time in September he was employed as a private watchman on Franklin street; heard the report of a pistol, and a man who was opposite
Mrs. Ould said: ‘"Arrest that woman."’ Called policeman
Jones and had her arrested.
Then a call was made for the arrest of the man, and he was arrested; he said he was badly wounded, and was carried to
Dr. White's office.
Mrs. Ould had a pistol in her hand at the time she was arrested.
Believed that
Mrs. Ould was in a state of frenzy, and did not know what she was doing.
The shooting at that time was all over.
He had seen
Mrs. Ould every night on his beat, and she knew him well.
Meade, being recalled, stated that he was confined to his bed some twelve or fourteen days on account of the wound.
Andrew J. Ford stated that he knew nothing about the case.
Dr. White gave a description of the wound.
It was about an inch and a half from the spine, and being so near the muscles of the back, it was impossible to probe it.
At this point,
Mr. Saunders adjourned the further investigation of the case until to-day at 11 o'clock. Witnesses were recognized to appear.
Marmaduke Johnson,
Esq., and
Colonel D. G. McIntosh are the counsel in this most extraordinary case.
