Transcribed, and placed in Doron Zeilberger's website, Nov. 23, 2000.
Roger A. Pinner, 31 years old, of 1036 Sherman avenue, was shot by Mrs. Augustina Hermann in his office at 122 Water street, New York, about 7 o'clock on Saturday evening. The cause of the shooting is somewhat of a mystery. Pinner will say nothing regarding the woman, who refuses to give any information about herself.
Captain Moritz Pinner, father of the wounded man, formerly owned the house in which Mrs. Hermann lives at 354 Mott avenue, the Bronx. He says that Mrs. Hermann was behind in her rent, and that his son had frequently pressed her to pay up. The house was sold recently, but Captain Pinner thinks the new owner may have had trouble in collecting the rent also, and again threatened to put the woman out. Believing that Roger Pinner was the cause of all her troubles, the father believes that she became exasperated, went to his office, and shot him.
That is merely a theory advanced by Captain Pinner. The New York police do not know just what to think of the case.
The bullet which struck Pinner entered his face on the right side of the nose. It did not make a clean hole, but tore the flesh badly. The bullet was found yesterday afternoon in the fleshy part of the neck. It did not fracture the skull, as has been feared at first, and the surgeons now believe that Mr. Pinner has a good chance for recovery, though he will probably be disfigured for life.
Pinner walked into the Old Slip station on Saturday night with blood streaming from his face. He told the sergeant that he had been shot by Mrs. Hermann after a quarrel in his office. He said she fired three shots, two of which went wild. Pinner was removed to the Hudson Street Hospital and a policeman was sent over to his office.
The policeman did not find the woman there, but he picked up a thirty two caliber revolver, bloodstained and new.
An alarm was sent out for Mrs. Hermann and about 9 o'clock she was arrested on arriving at her home in the Bronx. When a policeman informed her that she was under arrest she became hysterical. She said that a man had tried to shoot her, talked widely and frequently burst into tears. She was held on a charge of shooting with intent to kill.
A white silk waist and a big straw hat which Mrs. Hermann wore were stained with blood. The right shoulder and sleeve of the waist contained much blood. The police believe that she tried to stanch the flow from Pinner's wound before she left the office. For a time she succeeded in concealing the blood stains by having donned a jacket and putting a thick veil over her hat.
Word of the shooting was received at police headquarters here at 8.45 o'clock and Officer Ward was sent to Pinner's home to notify his people. His father and mother went to New York at once and stayed until yesterday morning. They wanted to take their son home to Elizabeth, but the surgeons would not allow that. Pinner's wife went to New York yesterday afternoon and paid a visit to her husband. She seemed to be much affected by the shooting.
She was Miss Elsie Woodruff, of Waverly, and was married to Pinner in the latter part of 1902, though the wedding was not made public till the following April. There is a baby boy in the family.
The New York police doubt if any court proceedings will ensue. The charge against Mrs. Hermann will not hold, if the wounded man recovers, unless he is made to repeat his story against her in open court. When she was brought into the hospital on Saturday night for identification, Pinner said:
``Yes, that's the woman. Let her go. I have been shot and prosecuting her won't help my wound.''.
Mrs. Hermann had to be taken to Bellevue Hospital yesterday on account of a sprained ankle. As she stepped from the patrol wagon on Saturday night she slipped, causing the injury. The ambulance on the way to the hospital picked up a homeless old woman, with whom Mrs. Hermann objected being made a companion. Mrs Hermann is about 28 years of age, rather good looking. She is of dark complexion, has a good figure and dresses tastefully. People living in the flat at 354 Mott avenue know very little about her. It is said that she was employed as a milliner.
Pinner told the police that he had not seen Mrs. Hermann for three months. He said also that Mrs. Hermann, whom he had often befriended, had only recently learned that he was married and then became jealous.
Captain Moritz Pinner, father of the wounded man, said at his home last night that he knew nothing of Mrs. Hermann except that she had formerly been a tenant of his. She had been behind in her rent, but made part payment in July. Roger Pinner, by mistake, gave her a receipt for the month of July instead of for rent due. Shortly afterward the house was sold, and Captain Pinner thought that when the new owner went to collect the rent from the time the transfer was made, Mrs. Hermann showed him the receipt given to her by mistake. The present owner may have threatened to put her out, and she, believing that Roger Pinner was the source of her difficulties, went to his office and shot him. Captain Pinner made clear the fact that this was merely his theory of the case. His son, however, had frequently expressed as intention of putting the woman out of the house. The father understood that she had been out of work and advised that she be allowed to remain there until she would get back to work.
Captain Pinner is the last surviving officer of General Phil Kearny's division and staff. Before the war he published an anti-slavery paper in a slave State, Kansas, and was a delegate to the convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln.
Roger A. Pinner is the chief partner of the Mutual Electric Company, which has office in the building at 122 Water street, New York. Frequently after his day's work he went out to collect rents for his father, who was formerly in the real estate business. Dinner was awaiting him on the table at his home on Saturday night when word was received here of the shooting.
Roger T. Pinner, of this city, who was shot by Mrs. Augustina Hermann in his office in 122 Water street, New York, on Saturday night is still hovering between life and death in the Hudson Street Hospital, New York. The physicians did not think to-day that his chances of recovery were so good as they seemed to be on Sunday and early yesterday.
Pinner was not allowed to see visitors yesterday. His father, Captain Moritz Pinner, was among those who called to see him. The surgeons are doubtful now about the exact location of the bullet which they thought they had located in the fleshy part of the back of the neck. They fear that it may rest against the lower part of the base of the skull.
Mrs. Hermann was arraigned in the Tombs police court yesterday afternoon before Magistrate Pool on a charge of a felonious assault and was committed to jail without bail.
``Will they let me go now?'' she said to the officer who had her in charge on the way to court.
``You must appear in court first, at any rate.'' replied the officer.
``They haven't got any evidence against me, have they?''.
The officer explained to her that Pinner said she was the woman who fired the shot when she was brought to his bedside in the hospital on Sunday night.
``Oh, well,'' the woman said, ``the case will never go a jury. Mr. Pinner will never appear against me. He doesn't dare to let the case go to a jury. He'd be afraid of the story I could tell.''
Mrs. Hermann preferred to leave Bellevue Hospital yesterday, although her ankle which she sprained in alighting from the patrol wagon on Saturday night, still bothered her. She said that her surroundings at the hospital were not to her taste.
In the court room the woman showed perfect self-possession and spoke hardly a word to anyone. Once she asked permission to sit down, as her ankle pained her.
The floor of the Mutual Electric Company, where Pinner said the shooting occurred, was painted yesterday. H. W. Hufurth, Pinner's partner, who sometimes went on errands for Pinner to Mrs. Hermann's house, said that he did not know there were any bloodstains in the building to show that the shooting really did take place there. He said he supposed the shooting was over arrears in rent, due by Mrs. Hermann to the Pinners and resentment that she had not been informed that the house had been sold.
Captain Moritz Pinner takes the same view of the case. He said that he was the only owner in the Bronx who did not raise rents. He said that he sold the house because tenements didn't pay him these days and because it was a bother to collect rents. The New York police takes no stock whatsoever in the theories of Mr. Hufurth or of Captain Pinner.
Roger T. Pinner, of 1036 Sherman avenue, this city, who was shot by a woman in his office at 122 Water street, New York, on Saturday evening last, is still in the Hudson Street Hospital, New York. The physicians there said this afternoon that Mr. Pinner is getting along very well and that the chances for his recovery are now good.
Mrs. Augustina Hermann, the woman who did the shooting, a former tenant of Pinner's father in the Bronx, is in the Tombs, where she was committed without bail on Monday afternoon. The New York police have not yet found out the real cause for the shooting, they say.
New York, Sept. 7.-- Mrs. Augustina Hermann, who on Aug. 27 shot Roger H. Pinner in his office, No. 122 Water street, was discharged from custody to-day by Magistrate Pool, the complainant failing to appear.
Detective Walsh, who made a search for Pinner since he left the New York Hospital three days ago, told the magistrate that he had been unable to locate him, but had learned that he had left the city for the express purpose of avoiding appearing against the woman.
On motion of her counsel, Mrs. Hermann was discharged. At the time of the shooting Mrs. Hermann told the police that Pinner would not dare to appear against her.