Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-15
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ON THE
STAGE.

Horrible Spectacle Presented to a Thanks
giving Audience at Cincinnati-An Actor.
In Fancy Rifle Scene, Accidentally
Shoots an Actress Dead-The Actor Fran
tic With Grief
CINCINNATI, November 50.
An accident. terrible and fatal, that snatched
sway a prom sing young life, was witnessed
by more than 600 people at the Coliseum The
alter this afternoon. In the progress of the
play, Annie Won Beh en-. the leading actress
OF the company appearing there. was shot in
the forehead by rifle ball and almost Instant
y killed by the star, Frank L Fraync For
several years past expert rifie-shota have
introduced into variety acts aud border dramas
he feat of shooting apples or other objects
held in the hands Of other persons or resting
IN their heads ass f. ..
Yesterday afternoon the Coliseum Theater
was crowded to its utmost capacity, the count
IF tickets showing the presence Of 2,3OO peo-
pie within its walls. The play was the drama
81 Slocum." highly-colored p cture OF life
N California Frayne has produced 1t in all
the principal cities OF this country and in
Great Britain. .is tstea IS. t-
The terrible fatality occurred in the fourth
act. 81 Slocum Frayne) and Ruth Siocum
fannie Won Behren) were In the power OF Yes
9uez, an outlaw "a. NJ. Markaml On the stage
in tn scene were Frayne in his backwoodmans
dress, Annie Won Behren somewhat similarly
alfred, with brown dress and brown stockings
Or leggings with the fringe that usually accom-
panies the frontier costumes of the stage,
Markham, and George Bear, who played
the part of Jim Bludsoe. vesquez, the
outlaw, tells Slocum that he is doomed
to die, but he will give him q
single chance for his life, q fearful
:hance. With his back turned to his wife he
orx,la hor hoo xu;kk.
rifle bu let-a situation having it's origin OF
cause in the story of William Tell. Sloeum
accepts the alternative. Ruth Slocum, blind
Folded, Is placed at the left of the stage with
The apple on her head, while Slocum, from the
other side, fires the shot that is to free them
The backward shot," as it is called, Is done
~ resting the gun on the shoulder Of the
| thooter, with the butt of the gun in front OF
| aim. In the stock Is affixed the handle of O
little mirror, with W hich aim is taken. Those
Who arefamilar with the rife say this ia the
easiest fancy shot that is made on the stage.
When Frayne made his customary slow prepa-
nations for it yesterday afternoon the audi.
ence, the majority of whom were women and
children, waited in breathless suspense. Miss
Won Behren stood like q statue, with
bandaged eyes and apple on head, waiting.
There was the sharp crack of the riff 2, and to
the asronshment of the audience and the hor-
Frayne dropped his gun and stood transhxed
with horror, and then the curtain was quickly
lowered, shutting out the SCI ne from the won
dering people in front. A bu x went through
! the house, but there was no excitement and
aftera pause Mr. Markham came before the
! curtain, pale, even through his stage make
| up, and in fr ghteued, nervous manner, an
| nounced that Miss Won Behren had been hurt
| and that the performance would be dscontn-
| ued. Few seemed to realize the ext mt of tho
lamity, and the great crowd dispersed with
| out any undue excitement or panic. One
| lady, pressed by tho throng, tainted near
the door, but prompt remedies brought
! her to. at.uf f-s.tts r4 ir
The awful scene behind the lowered curtain
can scarcely be conceived. There, indeed,
were panic stricken people. None knew what
to do. The dying woman lay prone on the
stige, with the brain-fn lit oozing from a
CHASTITY wound above the left ey,, and red
| blood running from her nostrils. On his knees
at her side was Frayne, embracing and kiss
| ing her-the woman that was soon to have
been hiswife, tho woman he had killed. Like
a man bereft of reason. his whole frame in a
| tremble, he fairly shr.eked his grief. calling
down curses on himself, and kissing again and
again the lips that were gu ckly growing cold.
! Friends drew him away from her, and | id the
body, from which the life was slowly ebbng.
on an improvised couch. DIR. Quernor was
found in few minutes, but he saw at
| once that tn poor woman was at the portals
of death. She lived but few minutes aftor
/ the bullet entered her brain, but sh. never
knew whose hand it was that took. her life
away Frayne, completely broken down by
the awful occurrence, wept like bal y, blam-
ing himself and crying for pun shment to be
| visited on him. Reason seemed to have left
him, and when Sergeant Renninger and two
| patrolmen of the Bremen Dis crict told b m
that they would have to b I'D him under arrest
he seemed glad to be taken into custody and
anxious to 90 to the station-house. Arriving
there, his name and the charge we're formally
entered on the slate: Frank l. Frayne, age
forty-three, performer, residence Chatham, N.
j., charge, manslaughter
Frayne was permit by Lieutenant West
endOrf to sit with his friends in the station:
house. He was scarcely able to talk from ex-
cess Of grief, but he told how he loved the
] girl he had illed, and that she was soon to
have been his wife. He asked to be locked
up, and said he did not want bail. but wished
| for punishment to the extent of the law. THIS
was said in true and terriDle earnestness. On
the receipt of telephone message from Judge
Higley, a hack was procured, and the DR. som
or, accompanied by Mr. Hubert Heucx, drove
to the Jud res residence, where a ba bond OF
5000 was drawn up and signed by Mr.. Heuck.
and Frayne was released.
In the meantime silent Wig was kept on the
dimly- lighted stage of the darkened theater
over the body of poor Annie Won Behren.
Weeping eyes were about, and at interval, the
! deep growls of the Gagged African lion used In
the play, added a deeper solemrity to the
scene. The Coroner arrived and advised Man.
ager Fennessy to send the b. dy for the pres
ent to Habig' which was done. At the man
ayers request telegram was sent to the
friends Of the dead actre-s and family in
Brooklyn, that the sad news might be broken
| gently to her parents. Annie Won Behren had
been IN the stage FIVE years. She was about
twenty-five years Of age fsi
| A previous accident of Frayne's is recalled,
which occurred five or six We Irs ago. BY q
| glancing ball man namen Clifford who was
standing in the wing of the theater was
wounded in the leg. The rife us d to-day was
one of the Stevens make, and had been in use
| for twelve years. 1t was made for Fra ne. In
explanation IF the accid mt, Frayn says that
I when he fired he heard the cate spring strike,
and the fash burned his shirt-coliar. He then
noticed that the cartrid ge-shell was partially
blown out A small p zee Of iron that held the
breech Of the barrel in place broke, and one