The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-30
A Crank's Pistol Ended the Life Of
Chieago's Mayor.
PARTICULARS OF THE CRIME AND
SUNDAYS SCENES.

Wild Threats of Lynching Followed by
Better Counsels - The News of the
Murder flushed the Gaiety on the
Midway Memorial Services in Place
of Final Festivities at the Great Fair
Chicago, ILL.,, October 2s.-Mayor Car
ter Henry Harrison was shot and almost
instantly killed this evening in the front
hallway of his handsome residence in
Ashland avenue by a crank named Eugene
Patrick Prendergast, a fellow to whom
the mayor in order to get rid of had
promised position. Prendergast is a
Republican, but claims to have worked
hard for the mayor astspring. The muir
derer went to the Desplaines street sta
ton Immediately after the shooting and
gave himself up.
| The shooting took place at ten minutes
| past eight clock, and it was seventeen
minutes afterward that the mayor
breathed his last, surrounded by the
members of his family. 1t was practi-
| cally the eve Of the mayors wedding, for
he was to have left here on November 5.
The ceremony which would have united
him to Miss Annie Howard was to have
| taken place on the 18th November, at the
house of the bride, in New Orleans.
| Mayor Harrison after dinner had gone
| to his study and after remaining there a
while went into the back hall, where he
was when the front door bell rang. A
maid servant went to the door and ad-
mitted poorly dressed man, who said
II want to see the mayor"
"All right" said the maid, 'sjust wait
a moment and I'll call him.
AS the mayor had many callers, both
day and night, and the servants had or
ders to admit them all, no matter how
poorly dressed, the maid thought nothing
of the visitor, merely passing to the back
| hallway to tell the mayor man wanted
to see him. The mayor then went into
| the dining room 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 mayors library,
which looks out upon Ashland Boule-
| ward. Seeing who it was, the mayor said
shortly, "Well, my man, what is it?''
''You have not kept your promise to
me,'' replied the man, land 1 don't like
that way of doing" Then, without a
word as to what he intended doing, the
| fellow drew revolver Of .2S calibre and,
presenting it at the mayors breast, fired.
| The shot entered Mr.. Harrison's body
near the heart. but he did not fall. An
other report rang out, the bullet taking
effect in the abdomen, and then the
mayor reeled as though about to fall. AS
he wavered he threw up his left hand
and the third shot fired by the assassin
struck him in that member.
At this the mayor reeled and fell heav
| ily 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
CHASTITY pale.
He did not say a word. but lay as
| though dead. Hearing tine shots, Preston
Harrison, the second son of the mayor,
who was up stairs in his fathers study,
came running down, two steps at a time.
| Prendergast still had the weapon in his
hand. and as young Harrison advanced
upon him fired one shot. The bullet
went wide of the mark and imbedded it.
self in the wall in the rear of the hallway.
The assassin, who with much fore
thought had left the front door partially
open, then sprang out upon the front
porch and ran down the walk to the gate
that led to Ashland Boulevard.
The butler, John Fink, had been in
the pantry. and coming out just as the
murderer fred the shot at young Harri-
son, ran after Prendergast, but when he
reached the Boulevard the assassin had
escaped in the darkness, probably by
running east on jackson Boulevard,
which skirts the Mayors residence on the
north.
Mr. w. J. Chalmers, wealthy iron
merchant who lives in Ashland Boule-
ward, just opposite the mayors heard
the shots, being at the time just
outside his gate. and ran into Mr.. Harri-
sons residence. There he found the
mayor lying as described, half
hallway to the dining room, with young
Mr.. Harrison, Miss Sophie Harrison, the
mayors unmarried daughter, the butler
and three servants around him.
The mayor lay as though dead, his lips
ashen, eyes closed and heart beating very
family. At first no one seemed to know
what to do, being paralyzed by the shock
of the tragedy. Mr.. Chalmers ordered
the butler to go for a physician. The
butler obeyed with all speed possible,
and taking off his coat, Mr.. Chalmers
put it tenderly under the head of the
dying man. just then Patrolman John
n. Hurley of the Lake street station.
who had been walking his post in the
neighborhood, it boing his duty to keep
near the mayors house at all times. came
in, AS Mr.. Chalmers put his coat under
the mayors head the latter opened his
eyes.
'"You are not badly hurt Mr.. Harri-
son." said Mr.. Chalmers, cheerily. "The
doctors will soon pull you through ali
right" With an effort the Mayor. who
was apparently free from all pain said.
mo. do not think will live. This Is
fatal; must die"
AS the Mayor spoke his ewes closed
again and he seemed to gasp for breath.
Patrolman Hurley, who was protege OF
the Mayor, stopped down and raised The
dying mans head. Mr.. Harrison was
growing weaker and it became annarent
even to those whose eyes were not accns.
toned to the sight of death that his end
was near.
In the meantime the butler had 70.
turned to the house with Dr.. r. N Frost
of No. 523 Jackson Boulevard. and Dr q g.
+. Wash burn of No. 55l jackson NJ Ronia. 10 T.
ward, both Of whom live near tInl The
Mayors residence.
Neither attempted an examination Of