Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1882-12-08

giving Audience at Cincinnati-An Actor,
In Fancy Rifle Scene, Accidentally
Shoots an Actress Dead-The Actor Fran
tic With Grief
CINcINNATI, November 30.
An accident. terrible and fatal that snatched
iway prom sing young life, was witnessed
! BY more than 1000 people at the Coliseum 4 he
ater this afternoon. In the progress of tho
play, An, ie Won Beh en-. the leading actress
of tin COMPANY appearing there, was shot in
the forehead ty rifle ball and aim st Instant
y killed by the star, Frank l Frayne. For
several years past, expert riie-shots have
introduced into variety acts and border dramas
the feat # shooting apples or other objects
held in the hands of other persons, or resting
| on their heads.
Yesterday afternoon the Coliseum Theater
was crowded to Its utmost capacity, the count
Of tickets showing the presence of 1900 peo-
pie within IS walls. The play was the drama
~ 81 Sl,cum," a h glly-c lored cure of life
in California. FrayDe has produced it in all
The principal cities of this county and in
fireat Britain.
The tor ible fatality occurred In TIE fourth
act. III Slocum Fraynel and Ruth Sooum
lAnn G Won Bshren) were In the power of Yes
luez, an outlaw n. NJ. Markham. On the stage
In th scene were Frayne in his backsoodmans
att red, W tn brown cress and brown itockings
or leggings with me fringe that ususiiy accom-
pan.es the front er costumes of the stage,
Markham, and George d ar, who played
the part of jim Bludsoc, Vesquez, the
outlaw, tells slocum that he IL doomed
to die, but he will give b IN
single chance for his life, fearful
chance. With his back turned to his wife he
must sh ot an apple from her head with
rifle lu let-a situation having its origin of
cause in the story OF william Tell. SIOcum
,ecepts the alternative. Ruth Slocum, blind
folded, Il placed ut the left of the stage with
the apple on her head, VIII lie Socum, from the
)ther sile, fires the shot that is to free them.
Tho backward shot, as it is called, is done
oy resting the gun on the shoulder of the
shooter, with the butt of the gun in front OF
aim. In the stock il affixed the handle of a
little mirror, with which aim is taken. Those
who are famil ar with the fe say tbs is tho
sas es fancy shot that is made on the stage.
When Frayne made his customary slow prepa-
rations for 1t yesterday afternoon the audi
encc, the majority of whom were women and
children, waited in brer bless SUSPENSE Miss
Won Behren stood like statue. with
bandaged eyes and apple on head, waiting.
There was the sharp crack of the rife, and to
the asronshment of the audience and the hor-
ror of those on the stage, the woman fell.
Frayne dropped his gun and stood transfixed
with horror, and III N the curtain was qu ckly
lowered. shutting out the scene from the won
dering people in front. A buzz went through
the house, but there was no excitement, and
after p luse Mr., Markham came before the
curtain, pale. even through his stage make
up, and n a ir ghteued, nervous manner an
nounced that Miss Won Behren had been hurt
and that the performance would be discontn- /
ued Few q m ID to realize the ext mt of the |
amity, an the great crowd dispersed with |
out any undue excitement or p ME. Ono |
lady, pressed by the throng, tainted near the |
door, but prompt remedies brought her to.
The awful scene behind the lowered curtain |
can scarcely he conceived. There, indeed,
were pan str cken people. None knew what |
to do. The dying woman lay prone on ths |
stage, with tho brain m 1T r oozing from a |
blood tunn u fsoln. ~ - = - 01Flls 81 e !
at her side was Fraync, embracing and kiss
ing her-the woman that was SON to have |
been his wife, the woman he had killed nke
a man bereft Of reason. his whole ramc in
trcmhc, he iiry shr cked his grief calling |
down curses on himself, and kissing again and
again the lips that were qu ckly growing cold.
Friends drew him away fr m her, and i'd tho
body. from which the life was slowly ebbing.
on an lmproviscd ,uch. DIR. Quern was
found In "A fcw minutes, but he saw at
once that tn poor woman was at the porthis
Of death. she lived but a few minutes after
the bullet entered her brain, but she never
knew who e hand it was that took her life
away. Frayne, completely broken down by
the awful oc' urr nee, wept like baby blam-
ing b m cl and crying for pun shmcnt to be
visited on him. Reason seemed to have lefs
him. and when Sergeant Renninger and two
patrolmen of the Bremen district told h M
that they would have 10 Id him under arrest,
he seem med glad to be taken into custody auc
anxious to !. o TO the s,ation-house. Arriving
there, his name and the charge were formally
entered on the slate; Frank l. Trayne. ngr
forty-throc, performer, residence Chatham. n
j., ch rye. manslau ghier.
Frayne was perm ted by Lieutenant West
endorf to sit with his fr ends in the station
house. He was SC rcely able to talk from ex-
cess OF grief. but he told how he loved the
y ri he had killed. AM that she was soon to
have been h wife. lie asked to be locked
up. and said h did not want bail. lut WISHED
for pun SHIN nt TO the extent OF the law. IN
was SAID N true All ter le earnesLcss. ON
the receipt Of at lephone mess ge from Judge
ligiey, a hack WIS procured, and the pr soti-
or, accomp y o by Mr.. Hubert Heuc (, drove
TO the Jud els r sldcnce. WIN re bl bond OF
$40 q WAS drawn up an 8 gned by Mr. Hetlck.
and Frayne was relca a-ei.
Ia the meantime silent v gil was kepr on the
lmly- ighfed stage OF tie darkened theater
over the budy O. p or Annie Won u hren.
Weep ng eyes were about AID at interval the
deep gro~ls Of the Gag d African lion used in
Ihe pay, added a deeper solem iiy % the
scene. 4 he oroner arr we'd and adsis d Man
ager Fem ssy TO send the b dy Tor the pres
mt to Habigs. which was done. AT the man
arers request tel gram was sent % the
friends n the dca actre and amily in
N I the sad ws might be broken
renfly TO Le laren.s. An iie ON Behren hid
been the It &c i've years. she was about
IN cnty-Ilye years Of age.
previous nc,i lent of Fraynes Il recall a,
which occur ei Ave or six ye rs ago. BY
RANGING ball man namen linord who was
,fandinR in the wing of the the ter. wa.
sounded In the leg. The lhe us d to-day was
me of tie Seven m Ike. and had been n use
Tor twelve years. II was mads for Fra ne. In
explanation the &C d n, frasn says that !
when n ed heart the cate spring sfri Sc
.nd the flash burned his shirt-collar He then
notice tnaf the cfrt e-sh II was partially
blown out. ssnall p ece OF ir n that Md ths !
breech of the ba rel in PLACE broke. and ne I
piec dew upon The stag and the other down ,
INTO the nudi nee IN perm tied the br ech
% raise q true. ilwering the muzzle enough
10 ch nxe the direction of the bullet from the I
lpple TO the dead wesnan's foreheaL