Evening star., 1894-03-24
MURDER NOT MEANT
Frederioks Claims That He Shot in
Self-Defense.
THE BANK TRAGEDY At SAN FRANCISCO
Crime of the Convict From Folsom
Prison.
A FRIEND OF CHRIS EVANS

SAN FRANCISCO. March 24.-wm Fred
erlcks, who shot Cashier Herrick yesterday,
is only twenty-five years DID, but for years
has been hardened criminal Several
years ago he was sent to the peniten tiary
for robbery and served four years. He is
accused of two murders besides that Of Her.
rick and is suspected of another Last
night he admitted that his name was Fred
ericks and said that he had furnished arms
to George Sontag. Chris Evans partner,
when Sontag tried to escape from Folsom
prison.
In a notebook carried by Fredericks were
some notes written in cipher, which, being
Interpreted, showed that he had been in
communication with Chris Evans. Freder-
icks says his plans were to bluff the bank
officials into submission, lock them in the
vault and quietly walk away. He says he
would not have fired at Herrick had not
the cashier first wounded him.
Although Fredericks has such a hard rec
ord as desperate man the police con-
Vlnced that he is a coward at heart, as he
weakened as soon as he thought he was
wounded. Herrick fired through the win
dow at him and he was struck on the
breast by a spent ball, which did not enter
the flesh
Fredericks went into the bank at 9:3O
o clock, soon after 1t was opened, and when
there was but little chance of his being
interrupted. He asked Bookkeeper Melvin
to direct him to the cashier. Melvin did
so, and Fredericks went up to Herrick
and placed in front Of him bottle with a
sort of fuse attachment and a letter de-
manding money and threatening in the
event of refusal to blow up the bank. Her
rick apparently thought he was dealing
with a crank. for he tossed the letter back
without a word. AS he did Fredericks
shouted, Stand back" and drew an old
fashioned navy revolver of the powder and
ball kind. He leveled the revolver at Mr.
Herrick and pulled the trigger.
The cap snapped and Herrick took ad-
vantage of the opportunity to grab his own
revolver from the counter. AS he leveled
it at Fredericks he looked down the muzzle
of the robbers big revolver. Both men shot
at the same instant. herricks bullet went
Wild but Fredericks had taken better aim.
The ball from his old navy revolver
struck Herrick in the corner Of the left eye
ard the cashier fell to the floor dead. As
Herrick fell. Bcokke"re- Melvin opened
fire on Fredericks. The bullet went
through the heavy glass panel over the
counter and struck the robber in the chest
A splinter Of the broken panel hit him in
the eye.
Relieving that he was seriously wounded
and seeing a crowd gathering, Fredericks
turned and fled He got through the crowd
and hid under q house three blocks from
the bank. There the police caught him.
They took him to the city hall, and after
doctor had examined him he was sent to
the hospital. He had lot of papers bear
Ing the name of Frederick Bonnemart, and
anarchistic memoranda, but as soon as
Capt. Lee, chief of detectives, saw him
he recognized him as ex-Convict Fredercks.
who killed Brakeman Bruce of the South
ern Pacific and Sheriff Pascoe of Nevada
county last June. He had just been re-
leased from Folsom prison, after q three
years term for robbery.