Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-12-06
FRAYNE'S FATAL SHOT.
Tragic Ending OF the Play OF
'ssi SlOcum's I'm Cincinnati.

Tragic Ending of the Play OF
'soi SlOcums I'm CINCINNATI.
a Startling Scene on the Stage
The Apple and Mirror OF
Death.
CINCINNATI, Nov 30.-This after
noon, at the Coliseum, a new cosy
little theatre over the Rhine, opened
only a fortnight ago, Frank Frayne
and company were playing Isl Sio-
cum.n The theatre was full. All the
sitting and standing room was taken
and the audience became wonderfully
demonstrative The play had proceed
ed to the end of the fourth act. Frayne
persopated 81 Slocun, and Miss Annie
Won Behren took the role of Ruth So
cum. "Si Slocum's'' wife. just at
this point, The Villtan required "a
Slocum to shoot an apple off his wife's
head, Bnd remarked, ''it must be with
the backward shot" The arrange
ments were made, the rife cracked and
Ruth Slocum fell to the floor, without
uttering an audible sound. Frayne
turned almost with the flash of his gun
and rushed toward the prostrate girl,
and, swooning, fell by her side, with
an arm across her body The curtain
dropped, and the audience, who saw
no blood, heard no cry and therefore
imagined it was new turn in the play,
were not aware of the situation.
DYING WITHOUT A MOAN.
Behind the scenes the girl was taken
to her room and Frayne was carried to
his. Surgical aid was called in, but in
fifteen minutes the girl was dead. She
never uttered word or a moan be-
tween the time she was struck and
when life went out Her body still
lies at the theatre. Frayne's wife, who
used to do this act, is dead, and Miss
Won Behren has filled the part for two
seasons. The ball took effect on the
hair-line, couple of inches above the
left eve and near the middle OF the fore.
head. The rife used was a breech
| loader, Stevens make, of twenty-five
calibre. 1t had been in use six years
Just as Frayne pulled the trigger ht
felt the catch on the snap, which holds
the barrel down at the breach, Civ
way. The cartridge was blown partly
or wholly out, and the flame of th'
powder from the breach burned Frayne'
shirt collar. The distance over whicl
he shot was thirty feet. On the girl
head was a hat on which the apple wa
placed. The bottom of the apple wa
| four inches above the head. Frayn
SAYS it was an entirely safe shot 70
any ordinarily good rlaeman. He say
the accident could not have been posi-
BILE under any other circumstances TIA
the giving way of the catch spring a
the breech.
i THE ACTORS GRIEF.
Frayne himself was Immediately a
rested. At the police station, wheI
he was locked up, the question was pr
by the officer: "What charge shall "
enter against him? ?" He spoke uE
"Oh. put it as bad as you please
make it the worst you can" He
, broken down with uncomfortable grie
and desires to be kept in the static
: house. All who have seen him pit
: him. After the tragedy the scene b
!. hind the curtains at the little theatl
! bafled description. The paleness
death was pictured on every face, b'
the grief on the stage was sllen
Frayne himself, in the tenderest tom
of which be was master, besought tt
J, girl to speak, but she lay unconsciol
to the last, only now and then gaspin
J The performers rushed to their room
Il after the last scene of all and ga
+ vent to uncomfortable grief. There
u q universal disposition 10 condemn tt
. practice of using dangerous shooting
~ this style on the stage. People SO
that though the marksman may be d
bended upon for accuracy, which mar
g, questions, this case shows that the gr
d may not always be reliable.
Is Frayne was engaged to marry MI
D, Van Behren. who was Brooklyn,
!. Y, girl. He was released tonight
Y, 5000 bail. He ssys he will new
e fire another shot.
.e The performance in which Frank
Y. Frayne shot Miss Won Behren la
Of night in Cincinnati was known as t
le mirror-shot. 1t has been performed
a years by Frayne with sucesss
ID ordinarily practiced, the woman W
n stationed on one side of the stage ne
i the wings, and Frayne stood on t
I opposite side, as far away from her
,e the wings would permit. From
iron frame, six feet and half hig
a. was suspended a mirror about sixte
n. inches long and foet wide, in such
n way as to reflect the entire stag
of Frayne stationed himself before tt
[e mirror with bis back to the woma
4. upon whose head he had PLACED an
n pie or some other small object. Fray
v raised his rifle over his shoulder, wi
at the but of the gun in front and t
,e barrel extending behind him. He to
IN aim au the apple upon the woman
ID head by looking in the mirror in fro
in of him. Upon the barrel Of the ri
er was affixed large globe sight to reno
ID the aim more effective. The shot W
,e fred while the man stood with
~ back to the woman, she facing
q muzzle of the rife and he taking q
a by the reflection of the mirror.
ls Baby Elephant.
u Barnum ia overjoyed with his
" quisition-the baby elephant-and
D. clares $500, 900 could not buy it.
D. offers $50, 1000 for an insurance of
d, u life of the infant for 50 weeks, Sure
iu if he knew the full value of Peru
'n and Manalin, be would do no such 70
O. q ish thing, as they are the M
" successful protective mediciI
w. that have ever been int
duced to the human family. No c
g. can take any disease while taking
rnna hafore zach meal and keeninp