Diss Family History Group

DISS.

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE.

On Thursday evening the neighbourhood of Walcot-green, Diss, was thrown into a state of excitement, by a young woman about 20 years of age, named Susan Garrod, being shot by her fellow servant Charles Sheldrake, and the excitement was much increased on Friday afternoon, when it became known that Sheldrake, to avoid being captured by the police, had blown out his brains. From enquiries made on the spot it appears that Charles Sheldrake was general servant and Susan Garrod maid servant, to Geo. Ringer, gent., of Walcot green, Diss. Sheldrake was transported some years since, and on his return with a ticket-of-leave, about four years ago, Mr. Ringer, in the hope of being able to reclaim him, gave him employment, since which time he has married and has a wife and two children living. Sheldrake, although a married man, seemed to have become attached to the girl Garrod, and he found a rival in his brother. Last Sunday Garrod was seen by her mistress walking with the deceased's brother, and, she, not liking the acquaintance, sent for the girl’s mother, who came and spoke to her about it. On Thursday Mr. and Mrs. Ringer left home about nine o’clock in the morning, leaving Garrod to take care of the house, and Sheldrake on the premises. In the afternoon the deceased asked the girl what her mother was down there for last Monday, and she answered that it was about her walking with his brother. He replied that he thought that was what she came for, and asked her if she was going to Winfarthing fair. She said she was, and he said, “My brother means to go with you.” She replied that she was sure he would not, for she dare not go with him. On hearing this he walked away, saying, “I don't know that you will have the chance of going yet;” and she thought he was gone home. Later in the afternoon Sheldrake went to Mr. Cuthbert’s liquor shop at Diss, and obtained a bottle of wine and a bottle of brandy in his master’s name. The deceased, Garrod, and her cousin partook of the wine, and he attempted to take improper liberties with both girls, which they repelled. Garrod’s cousin then left, and Garrod went into the privy to vomit, when the deceased, who had secreted himself behind some palings, fired at her as she came out, and the shot took effect in her left breast and side. She immediately ran back into the privy and fastened the door, when he came to it and said, “If you are not dead, speak.” She replied, “You are a good-for nothing fellow, Sheldrake; what is this for; I am dying.” He said, “You are not dying; undo the door; I mean to finish you up at once, and if you do not undo the door I will get a hatchet and chop it open.” She made no answer to this, and remained quiet until he went away, when with great difficulty she regained the house, and having fastened all the doors and windows, waited until her master and mistress came home, who found her severely injured and covered with blood, and immediately sent for Mr. Amyott, the surgeon, and the police. On the following morning search was made for Sheldrake, but nothing was discovered of him until the afternoon, when he was seen in a wheat field by a little boy, who told a policeman named Bouttell where he was, and he jumped over the ditch to take him into custody, but before he reached him the deceased held the muzzle of the gun to his mouth with his left hand, and pulled the trigger with his right. The charge passed out at the left side of his head, and he immediately fell dead. An inquest was held on Monday, before E. Press, Esq., Coroner, at the Magpie Inn, Walcot Green. The Coroner said the circumstances of the case must have caused great excitement in the neighbourhood, but he could not enter into any matters not relevant to the death of Charles Sheldrake. Should any other death take place, that would be the subject for further inquiry.

Thomas Bouttrell deposed: I am a police-officer at Diss. About one o’clock on Friday morning I first heard of a woman being shot. I went to Mr. Ringer’s, Walcot-green, Diss, about eight in the morning. I there saw Susan Garrod, who was shot in her face. On further inquiry which I made there, I got a warrant for the apprehension of Charles Sheldrake, on the charge of having, on the 20th of June inst, fired a certain gun against one Susan Garrod, with intent thereby to kill and murder her. I then made inquiry in order to apprehend him, and, from information I received, I searched the outhouses and pond round the house at Walcot-green. As I was looking about, a little boy named Henry Foulser told me that he had just seen Sheldrake in his father’s field. I went in the direction he pointed to, and saw a person in a wheat-field whom I supposed to be Sheldrake. I was 14 yards distant from him when I first saw him, and called out, “Sheldrake, come this way.” He did not answer me. He had a double-barrelled gun, which I now produce, in his hand. At the time I called to him he held the gun about the height of his hip, the muzzle being pointed at me, and he was fumbling at the lock. I was under the apprehension that he would fire at me and I jumped over the ditch from the bank on which I was standing into the field in which he was. As soon as I alighted on the brow of the ditch I saw him turn the gun upwards and place the muzzle in his month, and put his right hand down towards the trigger, and the gun went off. The deceased immediately fell down dead. I have no doubt the deceased intended deliberately to shoot himself. The other barrel was loaded, but it was not capped. I know nothing of the deceased. I was not alone: p.-c. Carson was with me. When I first saw the deceased he was stooping down, apparently secreting himself in the wheat. I could not see the gun until the deceased rose up, when the muzzle pointed towards me, as I have before mentioned. After the man was shot I sent for the doctor. I found a powder flask and gun-caps in his pocket, but no shot. There were also a bottle of brandy and a shut knife in his pocket. It is from 200 to 300 yards from Mr. Ringer’s house to the place where Sheldrake shot himself.

P.-c. Curson, who saw all that Bouttell described as occurring in the fieId, said that the evidence he had given was correct.

P.-c. Bouttell recalled I found a place where a person had secreted himself, which commanded a view of the back of Mr. Ringer’s house, and any one lying there could see any person going to or coming from Mr. Ringer’s house. It was not within gunshot. Some men carried the body to the Magpie.

Henry Foulser deposed: I live at Walcot-green, Diss, and am a farmer's son. On Friday last, about ten minutes to two, I was looking for Charles Sheldrake, in consequence of what my father said, and I saw him near my father’s clover-field, which is next a wheat-field. Soon after that I saw p.-c. Bouttell, and told him I had seen Charles Sheldrake in the direction which I pointed out to him, and he ran towards it. He had a gun in his hand when I saw him, and I told the policeman so. I did not see him attempt to shoot anybody or anything. I don't think Sheldrake saw me.

Mr. George Ringer affirmed: I live at Walcot-green, Diss, and the deceased was my groom and gardener, and attended to the stock. He had been with me backwards and forwards four years, and has lived with me regularly two years. For four or five weeks I was absent from home, and left the deceased in charge of my house. On Thursday last I left home about nine o’clock in the morning, with my wife, to go to Harling, leaving Susan Garrod in the house, and the deceased, who was an outdoor servant, on the premises. I returned home about nine o’clock in the evening, and, on driving into the yard, I knocked at the door, expecting the servant to come, but, as she did not come, my wife felt rather vexed, and went to the door and knocked again, when she said she would let her in and tell her all about it. On going in I saw Susan Garrod sitting on the table in the front kitchen. She said, “That fellow has shot me,” but, as it as dusk, I could not at first tell what had taken place. I could see, however, that she was covered with blood from wounds on her face, neck, and breast. Her face was particularly bloody, and so were her clothes. She appeared in a nervous state, and her breath was affected at times. There was no one in the house with her. She was quite sensible that she was seriously wounded, and, from her conversation, I considered her life was in danger from the effects of the wounds she had received. She is unfit to give evidence, being unable to sit up.

The Coroner said, that being the case, Mr. Ringer might state what the girl had told him.

Mr. Ringer: From her answers to my questions, it appears to have happened between six and half-past, and I am rather confirmed in that by other evidence. She told me that Charles Sheldrake had shot her while she was standing in the orchard, but I could not ascertain positively the spot. I suppose he must have been between 20 and 30 yards from her. Sheldrake said it was accidental, but she would not credit that. It appears that contrary to my orders her cousin had been visiting her at my house in my absence. The three together had partaken of a bottle of wine; the fact is they all took a little too much and two or three of them cast their stomachs. I should say that Sheldrake was half-and-half when he shot her. Undoubtedly the shooting was deliberate, for he went to the chaise-house and got gun when her cousin left, half-an-hour before. For the last two years the deceased had been in a place of trust, and I had the greatest confidence in him, and he slept in the house when we were absent.

The Coroner: Did you ever remark that his mind was unsound?

Mr. Ringer: He was a weak-minded man and was not a full bodied one. He was not of a excitable temperament, and I scarcely ever saw him put out. Of late I cannot say he was a sober man, for I have lately heard that while I was away he was drunk once or twice. I did consider he was dishonest, for although I missed one or two things I had no reason to suspect him more than any other. When I left on Thursday morning I gave the deceased leave to go home early that evening, telling him to have everything ready, so that I might only have to put my pony in the stable. When I came home I found nothing done, so he must have left the premises directly he shot the girl. He ought to have come the next morning at six, but he did not come at all. The gun produced is mine, and thought it was in my study, where I left it in its case about six weeks ago, oiled and cleaned. I allowed the deceased to have the gun to shoot birds with, but he took it out of the study without my authority. He was to have left my service last Tuesday, but as he felt inclined to stop I allowed him to do so for a few weeks longer. He must have had the gun during the greater part of my absence.

Mr. Amyott, surgeon, said he saw the deceased, and took a few shots (No. 7) out of his head.

John Sheldrake, labourer, of Burston, deposed: I am father of the deceased, and I don*rsquo;t know anything that could drive him to commit this act but distress. I mean by distress that he had not sufficient to support his wife and family with.

The Coroner: But that did not drive him to shoot the girl?

Witness: l can’t speak to anything about the girl. I mean that nothing but distress drove him to shoot himself. He had his dinner with me in a lane at half-past one on Friday. I told him I understood a bad job had happened. After dinner he told me he should go and see his master, and he went directly through the hedge towards Mr. Ringer’s house. He has a wife and two children, and his earnings were 6s. per week. He was not a full bodied man, that is, he could not work in a ditch or drain like another man: although he suited his place and liked his master.

Mr. Ringer thought the deceased must have flour in his house as he sent him 12 stone the latter part of May, and he should certainly say he was not in distress.

Witness: My son came up to a field about ten o’clock on Friday morning, and whistled to me, and I went back to him and said, “Well. Charles.*rdquo; He said, “A bad job happened: I shot Susan Garrod dead last night. I was nannicking with her with the gun on half cock, and had no thought of its going off, but positively it went off, and I believe some of the shots are in her head.” He had no gun with him then. I did not consider that his mind was at all weak, but could see that he had been wasting for weeks. He appeared sensible enough, but his mind was hurt: he was not silly minded.

Mr. Ringer: Do you know what sort of a house he kept?

Witness: Well, I don't know.

The Coroner: Did you ever see him show any symptom of an unsound mind previous to this?

Witness: Well, I can't say that I did.

Mr. Ringer said he paid the deceased 6s. per week, and bought his flour for him, allowing him to pay for it as he could. He always allowed him to do what extra jobs he could, and let him take his harvest, and during all that time his wages were paid us usual.

The Coroner left it to the Jury to decide whether they thought there was any evidence to satisfy them that the deceased was a person incapable of judging what he was about, or whether they thought that he deliberately shot himself, and was what the law called felo de se.

The Jury returned a verdict that Charles Sheldrake did wilfully and with malice aforethought kill himself, and the Coroner issued his warrant for the interment of the body in Diss churchyard, between the hours of nine and twelve that evening.

After shooting at the girl, Sheldrake went home to his wife, and told her that he had accidentally shot Mr. Ringer’s servant, and that he should be obliged to take to the road. It is supposed that during part of Friday night and morning he was secreted in a large elder bush, commanding a full view of Mr. Ringer’s back premises. The girl, under the care of Mr. Amyott, is progressing favourably, although seriously wounded. The sad occurrence communicated to the deceased’s wife by the Rev. Mr. Frere, of Burston, who has behaved most kindly to her and her children.