Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Monday 16 September 1907
Sergeant in Hospital.
Constables’ Wonderful Escapes.
Late on Sunday night a sensational shooting affair occurred in Mexborough’s busiest thoroughfare, and as the result of which Police Sergeant Matthews, one of the most popular officers in the force, now lies in the Montagu Hospital seriously injured with a bullet in his right side.
A man named Harold Carr, miner, aged 23, living this his mother in Flowitt Street, he is in custody. The Mexborough district of late has acquired unenviable notoriety so far as sensational happenings are concerned, but since the Trubshaw horror this the most serious that has happened. From what can be gathered it appears that Sergeant Matthews and Police-constables Haigh and Burrows were standing near to the Prince of Wales Theatre at the top of High Street, about 10.15 p.m. The street was fairly busy at the time.
The First Shot.
Suddenly a revolver shot rang out, and the Sergeant received a bullet in his side. Looking round the constables saw Carr a few yards away with a revolver in his band, and with commendable promptitude, and without thought of the consequences, they went for him.
As showing the desperate resistance made by the man she fired point blank at Haigh, who had a wonderful escape, the bullet striking one of the steel buttons on his tunic just over the heart, and glancing off grazed his left wrist. Turning his attention to the other constable Carr fired again, bullet passing through Burrow’s right sleeve, tearing the tunic, but luckily not injuring the officer all. The man was overpowered after a desperate struggle, in the meantime several other constables coming on the scene.
In Hospital.
Sergeant Matthews was conveyed to the Montagu Hospital, where at present he remains, the bullet at the time of writing not having been extracted. His condition is, we understand rather grave, the medical men in attendance being somewhat reticent in giving particulars.
The prisoner was removed to the Doncaster Court-house this morning, his departure by the 10.7 train being witnessed by huge crowd of people, who thronged the station approaches. He was conveyed from the police station to the train in a cab. Carr is well-known to the police, and last week was served with a summons for using bad language, at time declaring that he would “do for” the sergeant, though, of course, little attention was given to his words. The affair has naturally created the greatest excitement iu the district, where the sergeant is very popular. Much sympathy is felt for him while the inhabitants are loud in their praises of the plucky conduct of Haigh and Burrows.
Shocking Threats.
The revolver is six chambered, ugly looking instrument, and was found to have been loaded in all chambers. Three empty cartridges were extracted’ whilst another had missed fire. The constable. Burrows, upon examining his clothing at the police station, found a bullet in his shirt.
Enquiries made this afternoon elicit the fact that the police were standing together when Carr came up them in very excited condition.
He said: Now, Matthews, I’ve come to meet you. I said I would you do, you —— . And now I’m going to do it. Carr then stepped back a pace and fired at the sergeant. He then shouted : I’ve done for him, and now I’ll do for you ——. Haigh and Burrows went for him, the latter hurling his lamp at him, and striking him on the nose. Carr quickly fired at the two plucky constables, who had marvellous escapes before they overpowered him. Haigh has a big round bruise on the chest where the bullet struck his tunic button.
Frenzied Prisoner.
It is stated that Carr was not drunk, but was in a frenzy of passion when he attacked the police. It is asserted that, this morning, when washing himself, Carr remarked to the police that the only thing he was sorry about was that h© had not killed the sergeant.
Our reporter interviewed Mrs. Carr, the man’s mother, at No. 8. Flowitt Street. She said that Harold had been very good son to her. He had been “lad-like” in his ways, but had got with bad companions, who had led him astray. He had received a summons for .something on Saturday night, and had complained that the police were “dogging” him. Mrs. Carr remarked that she supposed the police had been exceeding their duty, as they sometimes did.
Mrs. Carr, who was in a distressed state of mind, said she had not been aware that her son possessed a revolver. He had never done any shooting, nor had ever boon in the Volunteers.
Mrs. Carr added that her husband had been dead about nine years, leaving her with three sons and three daughters.
Sergeant Matthews at two o’clock this afternoon was stated by Dr. Dunlop, assistant to Dr. Huey, to doing well as could be expected. The bullet had not yet been extracted.