Morning journal and courier., 1893-10-30
MURDERED BYALUNArIC.
Carter Harrison Killed at
His Own Front Door.
The ASSASSIN AN Ey-pOLIGEMAH.
He Was Perfectly Indifferent
at the Inquest.
He DIED The DEATH OF 4 SOLDIER,
A Spanish General Shot
From His Horse.
he DIED The DEATH OF 4 SOLDIER.
KILLED BY A CRANK.

a.
Mayor Carter Harrison Shot at Hi,
Home by Patrick Eugene Prender
gasr, an ex.PoIiceman-He Fires
| -Four Bullets Into the Mayors Bod
| The History of the Shooting Re.
told at the Session of the Coroner,
Jury-The AssSssin Was Present
But He Was Stolid and IndiGeren,
to All the PrOceedinss-when in
the Hall of the House He aid Thai
He Desired to Tell mrs. Harrison, ii
She Was Present, That He Was
Sorry for Her.
CHICAGO, Oct 29.-Mayor Carter Harri-
son was assassinsted at his home on Ash
land Boulevard last night at 8 o'clock.
Mr.. Harrison died twenty seven minutes
later.
| The name of the assassin lie Prendergast.
He was at one time employed on the Chica-
| go police force, and has been trying for
some time to get back on the force.
The assassin was pursued by Mayor Har-
rison's coachman to the Desplaines street
| police station where he cried to the ser
geant in charge:
clock me up! I've just killed Carter
| Harrison. He wouldn't do the square
thing by me-"
Three balls from Prendergast's revolver
entered Mr.. Harriaon's body. When the
mayors death came the assassin was in
the detectives room in ths Central station,
City hall, with only a glass door separating
him from a mob of thousands in the cor
ridors and streets.
patriotz F1oapo &So oro,E
who last night assassinated Mayor Harri-
con, was this morning removed quietly
from the central station, where he was first
confined. to one of the outlying police sta
lions. Up to the time of his removsl
Prendergast maintained the sullen, defiant
and Indifferent attitude that he had showl
| ever since he gave himself up last night.
Despite the assertion of DIR. Laidlow,
| the Prendergsst family ply sicisn, that the
| ASSASSIN had never shown any indication of
mental alteration, there is no doubt in the
| minds of those who have eeen and con-
versed with him that he is insane. His
actions for several weeks past confirm this
| superstition. He has been writing threat
| ening postal cards to various officials; he
has threatened the life of the mayor in the
| hearing of Mr.. Graham, the mayors secre-
| tary; he had demanded that Corporation
Counsel Krsuse should resign in his favor,
and his whole conduct hes been that OF a
man mentally unbalanced.
In church to-day there is a universal
feeling of sorrow and horror, but pubic
indignation no longer threatens to vent
itself in the form of an attempt at lynch
| ing.
|. Il is realized that Prendergest is luna
tie, pure and simple. 1t ia learned that he
had studied and read cranky economic theo-
ries until his mind gave way. He imagin-
ed that he was a reformer. He had schemes
| for the bettsrment of all mankind. He
WAS especially interested in the welfare of
Chicago, and imagined that he alone could
| reform the abuses from which the city is
suffering. He ives especially bitter In his
denunciatien of the railroad grade cross
ings, which are responsible for many
deaths every year, and the idea became
Fixed in his mind that If he were me- de cor
poration counsel he could colve the prob
lem of elevating all the railroad tracks
within the city limits. Long brooding
over this subject bred the de-
| lusion that the mayor had promised
| the office. He insist upon the fnl6lment
of the imaginary promise, haunt the
municipal bpilding sud annoyed the city
| officials with his crazy demands. Finally
| he concluded that the mayor was sting In
| bad faith with him, and he determined to
| demand from the mayor himself sstisfao-
| ton for his ime8inary rongs He bought
| cheap revolver and csllt at the may or's
| residence and killed him. After he was
| taken into custcly Prendergsst kept re-
| peatipg, 'tRsrrison deserved to be killed ="
He did not elevate the tracks" "Hs did
/ not keep his promise to me-" He said
| eaid he'd make me corporation oouneel"
| che went back on me and deserved to bs
shot"
| Mayor Harfison's son, hearing the OBJ
servation, remarked: che must be insane.
| No sane man would have shot my father"
At the time of the sho otlDg Miss Howard,
| Mr.. Earrison's fancse, was at the residence
Of Carter Harrison, jr., and was ssnt for
| Immediately. She FASTENED to the house,
but arrived too late to bs reoognize ed by
the mayor, who was just breathing his
last. The shock completely Frustrated
| her.
Mrs. Heaton Owsley, Mr.. Hsrrison's
daughter, wss seriously Frustrated from
the shock, and members of the family are
alarmed at her condition. All doctors
| who saw Mr.. Harrison expressed the
opinion that death resulted from the wound
in the abdomen and not from the one in the
chest.
The history of the shooting retold and
statements of physicians occupied the at
tention of the coroner's jury at the Harm
l son f66lQ6nc5 IOE Au hour tulo
Excepting technical description of the
wounds little was added to the information
already at the disposal of the officers. The
| verdict recommended that Prendergast be
| held for the murder until discharged by
due process of law. Coroner McHsle and
Deputy John Kelley reached the Harrison
l house about 9 O'clock.
Prendergast was driven in charge Of
Lieutensnt Hsas in closed carriage to the
back door and slipped in without his pres
ence being known outside of the house.
He made no demonstration Of violence snt
crowds In the strests near the mayors
house were in ignorance of the officers
plans.
Before his arrival Deputy Kelley and q
| messenger had summoned jury. They
elected a number of prominent men who
: were residents of the District and accessi
BILE at short notice. They were: @. G
Kohlsast, Judge of the probate court
Charles F. Elss, W, ]. Chalmers, S. A
t Scribner, Uric King and P. R. O'Brien.
:, The jurors met at the house before i
q O'Clock and organized by the selection o
/. Judge Kohlsatt as foreman. The body la,
n in an upper room and the jurors moves
r up stairs to view 1t before hearing testi
mony, The session was transferred 70
further proceedings to the south back par
lor on the main floor. PrenderRast wa
in a corner with Lieutenant Haas be
tween him and the door. In the wild
hall leading through the center of tn
d house from the main door to tn
broad staircase at the west end visitor
were thronging and passing to the uppe
rooms to view the face of their friend an
leader. The room in which the inquet
was in progress opened off the hall, an
through its half-open doors the crow
around the table was visible, but the
voices, pitched low, failed to attract after
ton.
william Preston Harrison, son of IL
10 mayor, and publisher of the Times, d
scribed briefly his knowledge the tragic q
s. fair. He eaid that about o'clock la
- night he found his father lying on IL
n floor, he having been shot. He heard sho
7 fred, but was in an upper room and d
not see anyone shooting. he hurried dow
to his father and asked him what the ma
ter was. The mayor said he was shot q,
dying, and exclaimed:
"Get Annie over at once"
He lay on the floor about twenty minut
and then died.
John Wheeler, a police officer. who co
I.o&.l fro,,, xba