The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-26
EIGHT BAD GASHES.
An Old Quarrel Renewed Be-
tween Variety Actors.
JOHN elLMoRE's VENGEANCE.
He Stabs His Boon Companion with .
Pocket-Knife--A Murdered Baby
on Commercial Street.

John Leonard, variety theater per-
former, lies at Providence hospital with
his left side punctured with knife wounds
received early yesterday morning atthe
hands Of John Gilmore, in drunken
ARRAY at the Elliott house, corner of South
Third and Jackson streets.
From the evidence of the clerk of the
house it appears that Gilmore, who had
roomed there the night before, came in
between and o'clock yesterday morn
Ing, and brought with him Leonard and
Dick Ford, a performer at the Comique
theater. All three were in an intoxicated
condition. They were shown to Gilmore's
room, but Ford left soon after A short
while later some of the guests were aroused
by Leonard's cries for doctor, and rush.
ing into his room found him lying in bed
weltering in his own blood. He was
striped to his underclothes, and seven
knife wounds were found in his
left side and one in his neck.
All OF them were slanting downward and
about an inch and half deep. Gilmore
was endeavoring in half-drunken man
ner to stop the flow of blood DR.. Jacob
son and Health Officer Sparkling were
called in. The latter took charge of the
case and had the wounded man conveyed
to the hospital.
The affair was kept very quiet, and it
was not until nearly noon that Lieutenant
Phil Sullivan CHANGED to learn Oft. He
went at once to the Elliott house, and al
though the parties in charge at first re-
fused to talk. he compelled them to show
him the room where the cutting took
place. The bedclothes and the carpet were
covered with blood, and there was every
evidence of hard struggle. The weapon
used was found on the floor. 1t was a
small, two-bladed pocket-knife. One of
the blades, about two inches long, was
open and covered with blood. From the
accounts of the other roomers, who ran to
the room in answer to Leonard's cries, it
would seem that it was not until he had
undressed and gotten into bed that Gill
more attacked him. When found both
men were still too stupefed with drink to
talk intelhgently.
Lieutenant Sullivan at once started in
search of Gilmore and finally found
him on Jackson street. He was still in
toxicated. The officer took him to the
police station and locked him up. He is a
small man weighing not more than 1876
pounds, and when jailed was too much
under the influence of liquor to tell con-
nected story. He said he came to this city
on Sunday from Spokane and had not yet
secured an engagement with any of the
variety theatres. although that was his
object in coming here.
The police officers are generally of the
opinion that the affair was nothing more
than a drunken row. 1t seems, however,
that there is an old feud between the two
men. Ethel Leonard, the wife of the in
jured man, who is a variety actress at the
Peoples theatre, says that long time
ago the two men had trouble at Spokane.
Gilmore was beating his wife, when Leon
ard interfered. Gilmore then turned on
Leonard, but was given a sound thrash
ing. She believes this to be the cause
of the cutting, and thinks that Gilmore
took her husband to his room in the
Elliot house with the intention to do him
harm.
Ford, the man who went to the hotel
with Leonard and Gilmore, has not been
arrested. but is under the surveillance of
the police, who can lay their hands on him
when he is wanted for witness.
Leonard is famous clog dancer, and
was at one time with Emerson's minstrels
He is well known all over the United
States.
1t was reported that the two men fought
a duel with knives, but this story is dis
credited, as Gilmore was not cut at all.
DR.. Sparkling says that Leonard was
stabbed seven times, one of the cuts being
in the pleural cavity, between the eleventh
and twelfth ribs. He was taken to Provi-
dence hospital, where it was reported he
was doing pretty well and will probably