The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-10-20
KILLED ON THE STAGE.
shocking Occurrence Before nm Audience I'M
n Cincinnati Theatre.

Tho play of "Si Slocum" ended with
real tragedy at the end of the fourth act
at the matinee in the Coliseum Theatre,
/ Cincinnati, on Thanksgiving Day. Frank
Fraync's company was playing, with
Frayne us "Si Slocum," and Miss Annie
Won Behrsl rs "Mrs. Lucy Slooum." 1t
being Thanksgiving Day, the people and
the performers were in a good humor and
i'll apparently full sympathy with each
other. The audience appeared to be de-
lighted and npplauded generously, and
the performers were stimulated to the
top of their bent. Everything went off
brilliantly till the end of the fourth act,
when the william Markham, who has cap
tured 81 Slocum, savs, "Tll have you
shoot the apple off your wifo's head, and
with the backward shot"
Miss Won Bchren, who had been per-
forming in that role since the death Of
Frank Fraynes own wife, some two
years ago, was taking the character of
Lucy. She stepped lightly to her post,
whore she stood with the appl' ON her
head, looking the very personiication of
wifaly trustfulness and confidence. ST
Sl0cum adjusted his mirror slowly. The
wife was thirty feet away. His aim was
deliberate and slow and he was never
more steady Of nerve Bang went the
rife. The apple didn't fall, but the girl
dropped full length backward with q
dull, heavy thud on the floor and the
apple rolled away toward the footlights.
Her face was partly hidden behind n
wing of the scenes. With the flash Of
his rifle Frayne himself sprang as if he
had been shot, and turning toward the
PROSTATE girl, ran in wild, plunging,
staggering sort of way, till he fell on tho
floor beside her. with one arm resting on
her body. The curtain fell over all.
Immediately the manager came out
and announced that slight accident had
occurred and it was thought best not to
give the fifth act, for which reason the
play would now end. The audience had
up to this time suspected this was q sur
prise introduced into the play, and that
it was mere feigning Some had ap-
plauded. Many, however, suspected an
accident, but none seemedt to have known
it. Up to this time not moan or a cry
had been uttered on the stage.
Mrs. Slocum" fell without moan
and lay motionless. "Si Slocum" lay
in a swoon behind her. The actors
were discreetly silent. As soon as tho
curtain fell Miss Won Behren was care
fully borne to her stateroom. A surgeon
arrived Immediately. 1t was of no use
she never moaned or spoke and scarcely
moved. In fifteen minutes after the
bullet struck her she was a corpse.
| Frayne was also carried to stateroom.
As soon as he recovered sufficiently he
came and knelt by the side of the almost
lifeless girl and pleaded with her to
speak. She heard nothing and gave no
| sign of consciousness. That stage was
chamber of death with all its accompani-
ments. The actors rushed to their rooms
after the death scene and gave way to
overwhelming grief.
Frank Frayne was taken to the station
and locked up on charge of murder.
When taken there he said to the officers.
-" Make the charge as severe us you
can. Make it the worst"
| The ball entered Miss Won Bohren's
forehead two inches above the left eye
and half an inch to the left of the me-
dian line. The apple on her head rested
on hat and the bottom of the apple
was four inches above the top of the
! girls head, though with the makeup of
| her hair and hat it appeared much nearer.
! The distance was thirty feet, the width
of the little stage. The shotwas Frayne's
usual back shot, using the mirror. The
place where the ball struck the girls
forehead was directly in a plumb line
below the centre of the apple. The rifle
used was q 32-calibre breechloading
cartridge rifle, made for Frank Frayne
and used by him six years in this act.
Frayne says the spring catch near the
breech of the barrel, which holds it down
after loading, broke or failed, and that
the stroke of the hammer ON the cartridge
threw the breech up and depressed the
muzzle at the moment of firing so as to
throw the bali downward. He also says
that the apple placed as it was fairly
good shot would never miss it except by
/ some such accident as this.