The herald., 1894-06-02
IT WAS MURDER AND SUICIDE,
Martin Fiske Shoots Charles
Meyers,
And Then Puts Bullet in His Own
Brain.
A Sensational Affair at Commercial and
Aliso Streets = A Wife's Perfidy
and Husbands
Crime.


infidelity cost two lives last night
The result of this combination culmin-
ated at IL O'Clock in the murder o
Charles Meyers and the suicide OF Mar
tin Fiske. The sensational affair oc-
CURED at Also and Vignes streets.
Several years ago Martin Fiske wal
wealthy lumber dealer at Worms-on-
the-Rhine. He suddenly became bank
rupt and left the old country with $780,
900 indebtedness. Three years ago ht
and bis family consisting of wife
and three children came to Lot
Angeles. They rented the email
cottage at 1855 Center street, near Macy
Fiske took to drink, and finally. on the
LIST of laet January, lie turned over 6
new leaf by leaving his home on account
OF family trouble.
Fiske, who was OF German descent
made the acquaintance of young Ger
man named Charles Meyers, driver Of
q beer wagon for the Pacific Bottlinp
works, at Third and Los Angeles streets,
owned by Fred Hoppe. Fiske took Q
fancy to his young friend and allowed
him to visit his family. His visits
AuhliN tc6uib00 ia q W6IA aACCbiUn iOI
Mrs. Fieke, a comedy German woman of SO
years. The wife and the husbands
friend met on numerous occasions, and
as it became unbearable, Fiske took to
drink and left his wife and children.
Fiske. after leaving home would watch
the wife and Meyers. His friendship
for the young German turned to hatred,
and when under the influence of LIQUOR
he would always threaten to kill
Meyers, his wife and almost everybody
in sight. He would get drunk and visit
his wife's residence and attempt to get
in or raise the window to see what was
going on inside.
Yesterday afternoon he went to
the house in a drunken condition
and demanded to be admitted. His
wife, worried almost to distraction by
his conduct, refused to admit him, as
she had done on numerous occasions be-
fore.
Becoming frightened for fear he would
kill her, Mrs. Fiske persuaded her hus-
band to leave the house. He went over
to the saloon at Also and Vignes streets,
owned by q Frenchman named Escal-
lier, where he proceeded to get glorious.
ly full.
In the meantime Mrs. Fiske became
frightened for fear her husband would
return and kill her, and, so she says.
went up town to hunt Charles Meyers,
whom she wished to go with her to the
police station to ask for protection
against her fendish husband. 1t is be.
lievsd Meyers called upon her at the
house, as was his custom, instead OF her
going up town alone. At any rate Mrs.
Fiske left the three children in bed and
went out.
She and Meyers took supper at Mar
tins restaurant, on South Main street,
whence they went together to the police
station. Meyers did not like to 60 with
her. as he had told her all along he
did not wish to be mixed up in the fam
lily trouble.
He staid outside while Mrs. Fiske
went in and told Clerk Gridley that she
wanted protection from her drunken
HUSBAND. who had threatened to kill
her. She was afraid to go home alone,
and finding that she could not secure
the kind of protection she wanted, &C.
cepted a note from the clerk to Officer
Lee, whose beat extends along Also
street from Main to the river. The note
requested the officer to see that she
reached her home safely. Meyers went
home with her.
In the meantime Fiske had become
very drunk at Escallier's saloon. He
was seen in the saloon by Officer Lee,
who saw him spend money over the bar
with a lavish hand. He must have re-
manned in that vicinity several hours,
part of which he expended in keeping a
lookout for Meyers.
Mrs. Fiske and Meyers, on their way
home, met Officer Lee, who saw that
nothing occurred. He escorted them
TO the humble, vine clad cottage, and
retraced his steps to Also street. He
could not have been gone more than an
hour when he heard q shot.
Simultaneously with the report he saw
the fash of revolver. Standing on
Also street in front of the Philadelphia
brewery, the officer saw Fiske through
the long driveway leading from Alisc
TO Commercial street. He ran around
and yelled to stop that shooting, think
ing the man was only firing
at random to amuae himself.
or to appease his drunken desire to
shoot at something or somebody. See
ing the officer going toward him, Fiske
turned his revolver az Lee and fired
He ran around on Vignea street tC
Also, firing once more as he ran.
He rushed to the curb of Escallier'i
saloon and without warning and before
the officer could reach him, he fired into
his mouth and fell dead. A ball from {
Smith 81 Wesson 3S.caliber revolve
crashed through his brain, and he die
not utter word after he fell. He mus
have died instantly.
Officer Lee rang for the police station
and gave the facts 30 far az he theI
knew. The body, at the instance o
Coroner Gates, was cent to the under
taking parlors OF Robert L. Garrett 6
Company, on north Main street.
In the meantime q call was sent in Il
the station for the patrol wagon, which
was wanted in the rear OF the Philadel
phis brewery, where the body Of q mar
wac found shortly after the shooting
He was not quite dead, but unconscious
lie proved to be Charles Meyers.
The supposition is that Fiske saw
Meyers leave his wife's house and fol-
lowed ham. When near Commercia
ard Vignes streets, the husband, crazeC
by drink, shot Meyers from behind, dc
liberately assassinating him III cole
blood.
The bullet entered the left side of tht
back and went straight through the
heart. Meyers ran unseen to the resi-
dence OF Harry Fentou, 626 Commercial
street, and knocked at the door, yelling
he was shot. Mrs. Eeaton became
frightened and refused to open the door
whereupon Meyers ran up the street
finally falling in gutter, where he wal
found.
He was removed TO the recaivino hos