Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-07-12
Terrible Accident to Louise HaW.
thOrne, the Actress.


The following particulars concern
ing the terrible and fatal accident at
the fremont House, in Chicago, to
Louise Hawthorne Mrs Morton), the
actress, are from the Inter-Oce0n of
June %:
The room occupied by the unfortu-
nate lady is numbered 3l6; consists of
a bedroom with bathroom attached.
and is upon the inner corridor of the
sixth floor of the building. 1t is light
ed 10y large window looking ont on
the quadrangle formed by the hotel
on three sides and the backs of the
State street houses on the fourth.
From the window to the basement the
distance measures about ninety-five
feet.
At about half past two in the morn
ing, the bell of room 316 was rung yio-
lently, and Mr.. >hafer, the night clerk.
sent 1t colored boy. Samuel Elias. to
answer it, telling him to take pitch
er of. ice water along. The boy
knocked at the door. but received no
response He thought he heard a
groan, and he Immediately ran to the
speaking-tube and called to Mr.. Shafer,
asking who it was that occupied that
room. The clerk said il was Miss
Hawthorne's room. The boy called
down that there was some one in the
room, but he could not get in. Mr..
Shafer replied through the tube ::
Then go and rap louder" The boy
did rs directed, but soon came running
to the clerks desk. saying he heard
somebody groaning in the room. but
they did not open the door, although
he knocked quite loud. Mr.. Shater
told the boy to run up stairs at once
and rouse Mr. Eldridge and Mr.. War
field. whose rooms were on the same
floor as that of Miss Hawthorne, at
the same time directing him to show a
guest to his room on the way up.
The hoy had been gone three min
utes. when Shafer. still at his desk
heard Il heavy sound of something fall
ing on the ground. The same sound
was heard by Mrs Boland, who occu-
pies the room under No. $40, and by
Mr.. O'Neill who felt restless and had
not retired.
Shafer went up stairs to see what
the matter was, Meanwhile the boy
had awakened Mr.. Eldridge. one of the
clerks of the hotel, who sleeps on the
same floor, and the two, with Mr.
Chapman. who had become alarmed
10y the knocking, visited the room. No
one was there, the bathroom was
empty, the long window. the sill of
which is only about "A foot from the
floor, was wide open. and a dread pre-
sentiment of the horrible tragedy
which had occurred stole over both
men, They called down the speaking
tube to the night clerk, who procured
a lantern. and the worst fears of the
searehers We're realized. In the small
square between the elevator building
and the main wall. on the cold stone
paving of the yard. with the drilling
rain FLASHING upon it, lay the crushed
and bleeding body of the unfortunate
lady, Above the line of the brows the
( bead was a ShapelesS mass, the brain
Z being completely exposed. The right
arm was broken in two places: the
/ breast teartully bruised, and the right
( leg also broken. The body Law i'm a
natural position. the face downward
and half resting on the right arm,
while the left arm lay by the side, Ii
was clad only in cnemise and short
I travelling dress of brown holland
/ which reached TO the knee. and had
apparently been used aS night wrap
/ per.
DIR. Macarthur, who boards in the
hotel, was called up and came before
( the body was removed. but il did not
need his deciS,on-LouiSe Hawthorne
was far beyond the help Of any earthly
physician.