The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-05
WOMAN IN THE CASE.
The Mysterious Shooting in the
Bank at Midnight.
LANEHART ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
He Left the Bank with . Woman
Shortly Before the shooting-Con-
Trajectory Stories.

Many stories are afioat concerning the
shooting of the Bank Clerk Charles C.
Lanehart at the Washington National
bank. northwest corner of Cherry and Sec
ond streets, at o'clock yesterday morn
ing and the affair is nearly as mysterious
as ever
BY his own statement and that of his
friend, Thomas S. Beals, jr., bookkeeper in
the bank, Lanehart shot himself and it
was not done accidentally.
Whether woman figured as the cause
of the act, is an open question.
Lanehart is now at Providence hospital,
In room No. 50, second floor. He slept all
the afternoon, and last evening his condi-
ton was slightly improved. He is shot
through the left lung, and unless great
caution is exercised he may have q hem
orrhage and lose his life.
A convincing story is told by Mr..
Thomas Bradley, foreman of the Posr-IN-
TELLIGEScER press room, which would go
to show that woman was in the CASE
He said:
about 2:45 o'clock was coming down
Cherry to go to the press room. Just as
reached the south side of Second street /
saw a woman come out of the bank at the
Cherry street entrance. She wore sort of
hght-colored cloak. She turned and
walked slowly up Cherry street and /
walked toward her. When / got near,
she turned her face to one side so that
could not recognize her. Immediately
following her came a tall, slender young
man about Il years of age He was dark
complexioned and was smooth-shaven. /
have seen him good many times and
r., l. \. - IL L.,
soon as the woman stepped out, he fol-
lowed and locked the door. She turned
slowly down Second street. and as /
PISSED the corner, going down Cherry
street, the young man was walking
rapidly, apparently catching up with her.
MY eyes did not deceive me. / know
positively that the woman came out of the
bank.
LAS I passed the corner / looked into
the bank. But one incandescent electric
light was burning, and not soul was in
there.
1.-THE young man wore a long, dark
oyercoat and dark derby hat"
Although Bookkeeper Beals emphatic
ally denies that woman was in the bank,
and young Lanehart is non-com-
initial, except to say that he
shot himself Mr.. Bradley is equally
confidens that he saw woman come out
of the bank and the description he gives
tallies precisely with that of young Lane
hart.
1t was just three minutes after o'clock,
about eighteen minutes after Mr.. Bradley
saw him leave the bank behind
the woman, that young Lanehart
was found by two PosT-INTELLrGEs-
GER reporters on the pavement
directly on the corner of Second and
Cherry streets, in front of the bank. He
was weak and exhausted and could scarcely
talk He said he was shot
At that time his friend Beals was with
him, and was running hastily about
for a physician. A few moments
later Lanehart was assisted
into quincy and was driven one block to
the Hinckley building. He was carried
upstairs to DR.. H. S. Heliker's office, the
doctor having been previously awakened,
and there his wound was examined.
Beals was much worried and frequently
asked:
How did you do it, Charley7"
Lanehart lay in stupor for few min
utes, and the cold sweat stood out on his
face. To the oft repeated question he
finally answered:
"Oh, don't know"
Later he told the physician that he
couldn't make his accounts balance
and that he was tired out: he saw
the, revolver, which is kept
desk. He didn't know why, but an i'm
pulse seized him and he grabbed the re-
volver, put the muzzle to his breast and
pulled the trigger.
Beais says he was waiting for Lanehart
to finish his work and leave the bank with
him when he heard a noise. He thought
his friend had struck an electric globe and
broken it and paid no attention. A second
afterward Lanehart said:
'sI'm shotp'
Still Beals thought he was jesting, and
said, without turning around:
"Well. that is too bad"
The words were scarcely out of his
mouth when he heard groan. Then he
turned quickly and saw Lanehart leaning
over on his desk, and the smoking re-
volver was on the floor beside him.
He became excited and, asking many
questions, helped his companion to his
feet. Lanehart, with assistance, walked to
the door, When he reached the open air
he became weak and sank to the stone
walk.
Policeman Hanson says he saw two men
at work in the bank up to o'clock. From
| to nearly o'clock, so far as he could
see, the bank was deserted. He passed
the bank a few minutes before the
building He could not say that they
were working. He had gone about
half a block when he heard a
pistol shot, and was returning to find
where it came from, when Lanehart stag
gered out and fell on the pavement.
Whether the woman had anything to
do with the shooting is an open question;
but the several stories do not tally. There
is u link loose somewhere.
Both young men, though but short
time in the bank, enjoy the confidence OF
their employers.
Mr.. f. o. Graves president of the bank,
said: "All / know about the case
is that the young men were in here work
ing on the books. At the beginning of
every month the business is, of
course, very heavy, because lot
of passbooks are TO be posted,
and all that sort of thing. 1t is
certainly should not have authorized the
young men to work at such an hour, had
been consulted in the matter"
Mr.. NJ. Il. Backus, cashier of the bank,
does not place any credence in the story
about the woman, and said:
II think the young man fired the shot
| while in a moment of dependency, caused
| by overwork. Since the unfortunate oc-
| currence | have found that Lane
! has worked after hours many times
| TO make his accounts balance. On the
| night in question he was 30 cents short,
| and could not lind his mistake.
| ''He comes of highly respectable fam
| lily. His father is not living, but his
| mother who has means, is at Au-
| burn. Y Y Mr.. Lanehart came to us two
| months ago with letters of recommends
/ ton from Hon. ". III. Seward and Hon.
/ :. 4. Payne, member OF congress from the
/ Twentieth district of New York. He is
| u years of age, and so far as We know OF
| very good and steady habits.
.sMr Reals has satisfied us since the