Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-30
TRAGEDY.
Assassination Of Mayor Carter Il.
Harrison.
THE VICTIM OF A CRANK'S REVOLVER.
He Claims That He Had Been
Promised an Office.
HIS DEED WAS IN REVENGE.

Another crank has done his deadly work,
and Carter H. Harrison. five times mayor
OF Chicago and one of the best-known men
in the west lies dead In his home. 2al South
Ashland boulevard in that city.
He was shot and almost instantly killed
Saturday evening in the front hallway of
his residence by Eugene Patrick Prender-
CAST.
The shooting took place at ten minutes
past So'clock. and it was seventeen minutes
afterwaru that the mayor breathed his last,
surrounded by the members OF his family.
1t was practically the eve of the mayors
wedding, for he was to have left on Novem-
Der 5. The ceremony which would have
united him to Miss Annie Howard was to
have taken place early next month at the
house of the bride in New Orleans.
Various motives are ascribed for the
crime. One Is that the mayor had prom
ised to give Prendergast an office for Do
litical services. Another Is that the mayor
had neglected some advice given by Prem
dergast regarding the elevation Of the rail-
road tracks In the city.
The only person in the house at the time
beside Mr.. Harrison was his son, William
Preston Harrison, twenty-five years of age,
and the servants. Shortly before o'clock
the door bell rang, and when Mary Hansen.
the domestic. opened the door she was con-
fronted by a man about five feet five inches.
smooth shaven. his rather clean-cut fea-
lures lit up by pair Of dark eyes.
Els Mr.. Harrison in?" asked the man In
q pleasant voice.
Yes, sir" responded the girl, as she
threw the door wider open to permit his en-
trance
The 70
the man. as he walked toward the back end
Of the hall.
Mayor Harrison had just returned to his
home on Ashland boulevard from the
worlds fair. where his last public function
was to make a speech Of welcome to the
mayors of some fifty cities gathered to-
gether in honor of the reunion Of Ameri-
can cities. and to which Mayor Stuart Of
Philadelphia made the response.
He had just finished dinner, and was still
sitting leisurely in his own dining room.
when a servant announced that a gentle
man wished to see him. The mayor had for
years made 1t a rule of his political career
to see everybody who asked for him. and
his visitors seemed at times to be almost
endless in number and to come at all hours
of the day and night.
The maid thought nothing of the visitor,
merely passing i'll the back hallway to tell
the mayor a man wanted to see him. The
mayor then went into the dining room a
moment and passed from there into the
hall. The dining room is on the south side
Of the house. the latter having a frontage
to the east, and is just behind the mayor
library, which looks out upon Ashland
boulevard Seeing who II was the mayor
said shortly, We'll. my man, what is it?''
You have not kept your promise to me. -
replied the man, land don't like that way
of doing"
The mayor looked surprised. 1t is not
known whether he recognized the man. but
it Is believed that he did. He had a Won
derful memory, and knew everybody In
Chicago who had any connection with poll
tics. He replied:
''My man, have not broken my promise
to you. There is nothing for which / owe
you satisfaction"
The AssaksinatiOn.
Prendergast. his face pale in the gas
light, lifted a revolver. and. without a
word, sent a bullet crashing into the body
Of his host. The mayor, with a low cry.
started back. realizing instantly that he
had a murderer. and most terrible Of all, a
frenzied murderer, to deal with. He moved
half backward, seeking to retreat, and yet
unable to turn full around. The assassin,
quick as lightning, pulled twice again and
drove two more bullets into the form Of the
mayor.
At this the mayor reeled and fell heavily
to the floor, his head within the dining
room and his feet in the hall. Blood was
pouring from the wounds in the breast,
abdomen and hand, and his face was ghast-
ly pale.
He did not say word, but lay as though
dead. Hearing the shots, Preston Harri-
son. the second son OF the mayor, who
was up stairs In his fathers study, came
running down. and the butler also rushed
into the hall. Prendergast still had the
weapon In his hand. and as young Harri-
son advanced upon him fired one shot. The
bullet went wide of the mark, and imbed-
ded itself in the wall in the rear of the
hallway.
Either young Harrison or the butler, it
cannot be decided which, fired at the as
sassin, who retreated toward the open
front door and sprang down the front
steps. The butler followed, bat Prender-
CAST soon escaped ia the darkness.
There was a burglar alarm in the hall,
and young Harrison pulled 1t, and before
he reached his fathers side patrol wagon
filed with officers from Lake street station,
about a third OF a mile distant, was dash
ing toward the mayors home. BY the
time the officers arrived all trace of the
EDUCATIONAL.