The morning call., 1893-01-02
KILLED IN PLAY
Sydney Mccoy Stabbed to
the Heart.
A GIRL AND A KEEN DAGGER
They Were Playing an Innocent Cha
rade Which Wound Up in
Real Tragedy.

One of the most remarkable and one o1
| the saddles. cases of accidental death at the
| hands of another occurred on New Year:
eve during some quiet social festivities IL
the Mission when young lady, while car
! rying out tragic part in parlor charade
welded a sharp pointed dagger too effec-
| lively and unconsciously stabbed to the
heart the young man who was the other
actor 10 the scene.
In the mimic world the young woman was
TO attempt the young mans life with des-
perate energy and a dagger, while he in
turn was to foil the attempt and with the
same dagger assassinate his assaiant.
| The actress sprang at her mortal enemy.
but her histrionic energy and the turning OF
her injured ankle, which threw her further
forward in some unaccountable way, sent
! the steel too far and the result was trag-
! edy in real life that was sadder than the
! one portrayed to the fancy.
The victim was Albert Sydney johnson
Mccoy. bright young married man Of 80
years, who was about to enter upon the
practice of law in this city.
Tie young woman, into whose life there
quickly came dark cloud that will never
lift and a keen regret that will never be
stilled, is Miss Clara King. a bright. hand
some and popular young lady of nineteen
years, who lives with her family at 264C
Howard street.
The McCoys live at Ills Guerrero street
in one of row of handsome new flats near
Twenty-third street. There were Mr.. and
Mrs. Sydney Mccoy, DR.. Juan w. Mccoy,
an unmarried brother of the deceased, a
grandmother Of the Mccoy boys and four or
five grown young people, nophews and
nieces of tile McCoys, including Mccoy
Fitzgerald, Richard Fitzgerald. Geraldine
Fitzgerald and Mccoy ChappeI. Dr. Mccoy
was sick in bed upstairs, but otherwise the
home was pleasant and jolly one. Mrs.
Sydney Mccoy is visiting friends In New
York, having gone East two weeks ago.
These young people planned party for
New Years eve, and several young friends
were invited to come and watch the old
year die. Clara King was one of the invited
guests, and none OF the dozen or so of people
of both sexes who enlivened the handsomely
furnished double parlors before 9 o'clock
were prettier or jollier than she.
Sydney Mccoy had taken the leading
| part in the plans and preparations for the
| affair. 1t had been decided that mum ber
of charades shonld be acted and be planned
and partially arranged the dialogue for a
two-act charade, which should contain a
nihilist plot The word to be veiled by the
| play was Diyinski, the name of a Russian
nibilist.
Before the evening had grown late the
party divided into two sides and series OF
charades began, each side alternately acting
a word for the other side to guess. The
back parlor was used for the stage, the front
parlor for the spectators and the folding
doors for a curtain when one was needed.
Five or six charades were played before the
fatal one was announced, and between
times lively tunes danced out from the
piano. jolly songs helped TO make every body
happy, and parlors, hall and kitchen were
! noisy with the romping, joking, young
people.
AT about II o'clock the side to which Sgd
ney Mccoy, Mrs. King and four or i've
others belonged began to play "a word of
three syllables in two acts" "Di' was the
key to the first act Tie scene showed a
secret consultation by band of half
dozen Nihilists 1t was developed that the
Countess Vinski. nilIilist and member of
that circle. had revealed important secrets
to the Government, and it was soon decided
that she must die. Then the question of
who should be her executiOneer arose. 1t was
to be decided by chance and die was cast.
As arranged, the nihlist which Sydney
Mccoy represented was chosen by the
spotted cube. The dark conclave broke up
and the appointed assassin went forth on
his mulderous mission.
There was III the house dagger or
sheath knife that had been In the family
for a good while. An uncle OF the de-
ceased had had it made for himself at
some time or other, and there was no finer
piece of steel in California. 1t is said that
four times 1t had been driven through
silver half dollars and its edge had not
been turned or blunted. The blade was about
eight inches long, a trifie less than an nch
in width. and its tapering, two-edged point
was keen. The handle above the cross
piece was longer than is usual with dag
gers, to give a hand full and firm hold
upon il.
This dagger the unfortunate amateur
actor and dramatist carried nDder his vest
when he entered the apartments of the
Countess Vinski after the foldipg-doors had
opened on the second scr. As he entered
by side door the Countess. impersonated
by Miss King, arose from a sofa placed in
the middle OF the room and greeted her
visitor.
But little more than the outlines of the
plot and dialogue had been arranged, and
the lines and The acting were to be promptly
impromptu. Miss King was well qualified
to carry out her part, impromptu or other
wise, with dramatic skill and effect. She
had o1 had tnU for fan
theatrieals, and often participated in them
She is said by some of her friends 10 have
considerable dramatic talent. and to throw
her soul and energy into any part she is
playing in true histronic STYLE
Mccoy, too, was a fellow with soma
natural genius in that direction, and the
tragic second scene proceeded in very
effective way.
The Countess was Informed that her be-
trayal of the society, and her breaking of
her oaths had been discovered, and she
started with an impulsive gesture. She was
told of the decree of death, and that he had
been chosen to execute the sentence.
These two were the only participants in
the second act. and all the rest of the party,
including the aged grandmother. was
crowded about the open folding-doors watch
ing the interesting play.
Mccoy drew the dagger from under his
vest, unsheathed it and informed the lady
he was facing that she might choose be-
tween killing herself with the dagger and
dying by his hand. 1t had been arranged
that she should take the dagger as If to kill
herself and then attempt to kill him with
it. He was to foil her attempt, wrench the
weapon from her and quickly carry out his
purpose with it.
Miss King proceeded to carry ont her