The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-14
A REAL STAGE TRAGEDY.
Particulars OF the Terrible Shooting
Accident in Cincinnati Theatre
Prank Frayne Kills His
Leading Actress.

bands life by allowing 81 Slocum, her
husband, to shoot an apple from her
head. When the play reached this
point there was a breathlesS silence in
the theatre. Not a sound to be heard.
Every eye was fastened upon the stage
where the pretty young actress stood
immovable, with the apple upon her
head, while thirty feet distant Frayne
was pointing the polished rifle back
ward over his shoulder.
Every ear was strained to catch the
report. Frayne was unusually DELHI
crate. For a full moment he stood
adjusting the weapon and steadying
the sight. At last, after what had
seemed hours to the eXpectant OBJ
servers, he pulled the trigger. In
steady of the sharp, clear report that
| the rifle should have made, the came
Il lnutfled explosion like short heard
from distance, and little puff of
smoke came from 9th the muZZle
and breech of the weapon. Miss Won
Behren stood for second, and then
fell backward on the stage. Frayne
looked around in dazed way, glanced
at his shirt, all singed with powder,
and then seeing Miss Won Behren fall,
he rushed across the stage crying,
My God, my God, what have l dOnef'
and dropped down beside her. That
was all the audience saw, for Just as
they realized that something outside
of the ordinary course of affairs had
happened the cu tain came rolling
down, shutting the scene from their
eyes. Manager FenneSsy appeared
before the curtain and announced that
N
serious he did not know, but it would
lie impossible to continue the perform
ance, and would accordingly dismiss
the audience.
Meanwhile behind the stage the
greatest confusion prevailed. Miss
Won Behren was lying lifeleSS on the
boards, her forehead splashed with
blood, while crimson flood poured
from her nostrils, and Mr.. Frayne lay
moaning near her. Although she was
inSensible, not a muscle quivering or
a tremOr being visible to indicate that
life still fingered, her pulse was still
beating and it did not finally cease I'M
til fifteen minutes after the shot was
fired. Frayne meanwhile appeared
almost frantic with grief. He wrung
his hand and moaned, now crying out
like child and then breaking out into
SObs.
Sergt. Benniger was in the audience
and had witnessed the accident. He
Immediately went behind the scene
and announced that it was his duty
to take Mr.. Frayne into custody.
When the actor had in some measure
been quoted his friends took him to
his dreSsing-rOOm, and he exchanged
MS stage costume for his ordinary
dress. While this operation was going
on he explained as best he could with
tears how the terrible affair had hap
pened. The weapon is Stevens rifle,
3S-calibre, breech-loading. and was
made six years ago especially for MIR.
Frayne. He always loads and cares
for 1t himself, and just before going
on the scene he had carefully eX-
amined it and found it apparently all
right. Previously in the act he had
sat down in the chair while a saucer
was hung over bis head. shot through
an apple on the head of a member of
the company, hit target behind the
apple, discharging another gun, the
bullet of which broke the saucer hang
ing over him.
In order to make the backward shot,
small mirror, facing the trigger, is
fastened to the stock, and he sights by
means of this. just at the critical
moment when the weapon was dis
charged the pin or spring latch hold
ing the barrel in place snapped, allow
ing the long steel tube to drop, throw
ing the breech up and the muZzle
down. OF course this detected the
bullet from its proper course, and in
stead of hitting the apple, it went lower
and buried itself in the brain Of the
actress. While it appears to be an eX-
ceedingly difficult feat, it is in
reality one that almost any ordinary
markSman could perform, as the apple
is placed on the lady's hat, which is
raised four inches above her head,
thus allowing the ball to go quite a
little out of its way without doing
serious harm. Beneath the hat is
coiled the lady's hair, while above this,
for additional protection, is small
iron plate placed at an angle so as to
throw the ball upward, were it by any
mischance to go astray. The spring
which had caused all the mischief was
afterward picked up on the floor of
the theatre fully twenty feet from the
stage,
When Mr.. Frayne was at last ready,
accompanied by his friends, he left his
dressing room to go to the station
with the sergeant. 1t was necessary
to cross the stage upon which still lay
the body of Miss Won Behrcn. AT
sight of it the actors fortitude gave
away again, and he burst out into
passionate sobs.
When he was finally quieted the
party proceeded to the Bremen street
station. Here Mr.. Frayne once more
lost all control of himself and cried
and moaned like a child. There was
some delay in registering, as the SER
geant did not know what charge to
prefer. In this extremity conference
was held by means of telephone with
Police Justice Hugely. Justice Hugely
instructed the officers to make the
charge one of manslaughter. Mr..
Frayne gave his age as forty-three,
and his residence as Echo Dell,
Chatham, New Jersey. While the
officers were inquiring of the judge
what was to be done, he cried out re-
peatedly:
"Do anything to me. Make it as
bad as possible. l have committed a
murder, and want the law to take its
course"
A few of his professional friends,
among them Mr.. Oliver Doud Byron,
gathered around to administer what
comfort lay in their power. He sat
in his chair until about nine o'clock,
scarcely moving and apparently per-
fectly detected. At that hour he was
released on $1,000 bond given by Mr..
Hubert Hueck.
After the excitement had cooled, a
reporter visited the theatre. Entering
the stage from the right wing, a great
pool of blood lay upon the boards. Just
above it was a thick wooden shield
designed to catch the bullets. Cross
ing the stage, which had it's scenes still
set, the reporter entered Miss Won
Behren's dressing-room, whittier the
lady had been carried few moments
after her death. AS the actress lay
cold in death, in spite of the
blood which disfgured her counte-
nance she was still beautiful. In
her forehead was a great hole, from
which portions of the brain had ooZed
out. Drawing aside the coarse tow
els with which kindly hands had COW
cred her, it was seen that she was
dressed in a neat suit of soft gray
with pretty white apron, now stained
with blood. On her breast was a
half-opened white rosebud with del
icate sprig of green, the gift, perhaps,
of her lover, at whose hands she had
met her death.
To reporter Frayne said: From
my childhood l have handled rifle
and was always accounted an unerr-
ing shot, but from this day on / never
expect to take a gun in my hands.
Nv children. q boy now travelling with