Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-05-04
A TRAGEDY.
: sIxrEEN-YEAR-oLD SCHOOL BOY
SUICIDES
After Attempting to XIII Girl With
Whom He Had Fallen in Love-Ehe
Whole Story OF the Shocking Affair.

4 tragedy occurred yesterday afternoon on
lower Eighth street, of quite peculiar enar'
acter, the subject OF the tragedy being boy
not set sixteen years of age, who put an end
to his existence with pistol ball.
TIE CAUSE OF THE SHOOTING.
From the parties interested and those who
saw the shooting the following par
ticulars have been obtained: Some months
ago Albert Drake, the boy who shot himself,
aud who, had he lived, would not have been
IS years old till August next, commenced 60
ing With little girl named Jennie Fawker,
whose parents reside in the brick dwelling on
the southeast corner of Eighth and Minnesota
streets. The little Fawker girl is about the
age of tie boy, probably not quite as old
g little over Ii years. She Is OF
slight build, dark hair and eyes,
and interesting and bright in conversation.
EIr. Fawker is travelling for q fsh.house,
and is now somewhere IN the vicinity of Fargo.
The boy had not called at the house in any
formal way to see the little girl, and met her
only as school children meet and play to-
gether. He was attending Curtiss' Business
college, and was the son of William Drake,
the foreman of E. F. Berrisford's cracker and
confectionery mandatory on Robert street.
THE BOYS INTEREST.
AS mentioned above the boy had only met
the little girl on the street, yet he seems to
have formed, or thought he had formed, an
attachment for her. 80 far as she is concerned
she liked him we'll enough and received his
boy attentions without any particular con-
sideration one way or the other;
The mother thinking the little girl
was too young to be receiving the attentions
Of the boy, and not wanting to have her inter-
ruptel in her studies, told her that she must
not waste her time in that way, and that she
lad better tell Albert what she (the mother)
SAID.
HE is NOTIFIED TO STOP.
In accordance with the suggestions of the
mother the little girl communicated to Albert
last Friday, The suggestions made by
her lnother. At that time the boy did not
appear 20 feel at all hurt, and apparently ac-
repted the situation without any particular
thought or consideration. The little girl
did not see him again till Sunday, when they
accidentally met at church. The two spoke
together as usual, and the boy at that
lime appeared as pleasant and smiling as
he ever did in his life, and was just
the same, so fer as she could see, as he had
been all along during their acquaintance. She
ing, when he was pale. nervous and ugly. His
conduct on that occasion was such as to ter
rify her.
The FATAL MEETING.
About half past three yesterday afternoon,
az the little girl was coming up Eighth street
IN company with her SITTER, Farrie Fawker,
and Fannie Baily, she met the Drake boy a
little below the old club house, east OF Bart.
PreSley's residence. Just at that moment she
was telling the Bailey girl about what her
mother said, and that her mother thought she
was too young to receive attentions from any
one. The boy came right upon the two
almost before they knew of his presence. The
little Fawker girl instantly exclaimed as soon
as she saw him: "There he iss' She noticed
that he looked pale and ugly, but, of course,
anticipated no such result as followed She
had hardly uttered the words quoted above
revolver and placed the muzzle of 1t close to
her face. The girl lodged, and al
most out of her mind with terror,
started TO run across Eighth street. By this
sudden act, the result Of pure terror and I'M
pulse, the little girl escaped sudden death,
tight there on the sidewalk. As hestarted
for the other side of the street he followed
after and fired He missed the girl with this
first shot, but he was evidently determined to
kin her aud followed close after her.
BRAVE BOY.
On the corner opposite to where the girls
met young Drake there is a grocery store.
As the little Fawker girl crossed Eighth
street she came right in front of this grocery
store, and fortunately for her boy, only
little larger than she is, named Edward Eriek-
son, happened 10 be standing in front of the
store. This boy took in her situation at once.
He had heard the shot and was not little
alarmed, as it was fired in line with him,
and if it was repeated he would have been as
likely to be hit as any one. AS the girl came
on the sidewalk near to where he stood he saw
Drake raising his revolver for another shot
and place il close to her right ear. Young
Erickson jumped forward and, grasping
the girl around her waist, pushed himself be-
tween the two, and dragging the half falnting
girl into the store, closed the doors.
THE SHOT FIRED.
Come assert that three shots were fired,
while others declare that only one chamber of
the revolver was emptied at that point, and
that all the shots fred in addition to the first,
were fired some distance below on Eighth
street.
WHERE he WENT.
The boy shootist, 1t is believed, thought he
had killed the girl or that from the condition
in which she appeared when she was taken
into the store that she would die. He crossed
the street through lumber yard
and came out on Eighth street, when
he ran down toward Broadway. A few per-
sons followed, not, however, with view of
catching him, but more for the purpose of
seeing what he would do further with his
gun. Some boys were playing ball lower down
Eighth street and their attention was arrested
by the shooting. They naturally came from
The adjoining lots, and as they did so they
saw young Drake running down street with
his revolver in his hand. Some assert that he
discharged the revolver three times into the
sidewalk as be ran along. Finally ne stopped
when near Pine and Eighth street, and taking
hol1 of the lapel of his coat with
his left hand, held it up before
his face, when two shots were heard in rapid
succession, and Albert Drake, the boy, dropped
TO the sidewalk csrpse.
WHAT WAS DONE WITH THE BODY.
The corner was sent for as soon as possible,
and the boy suicide was placed on dray with
rubber blanket over him and taken to the
undertaking rooms of Messrs. Mccarthy &
Donneliy. OF course great crowd followed,
and for q long time the doors of the establish.
ment where the body was placed were sur
- fba rha1