The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-10
j. j. Lent Tries to Kill His
Rival.
MORE COMPLEMENTARY
The Woman in the Case Is Mrs.
Flood, an Actress.
SHOTS FIRED THROUGH A DOOR.
D. J. Patterson, Architect, Struck on
the Forehead With Bullet,
but Not Much Injured.

Love and jealousy nearly caused double
tragedy in a house on the southwest cor
ner of Grove and Lyon streets last night
The dramatis persona were Mrs. Rene
Flood, actress; j. J. Lent. actor; d. j.
Patterson, architect, and Ed Heath. gen
eral utility man in the house.
Mrs. Flood is a handsome brunette
about 26 years of age, and is at present
suing for a divorce from her husband, II
E, Flood, manufacturers agent. She &C
cupies the second floor of the house re
ferred to. which is Immediately above
Harrington's Exchange saloon.
s. Both she and Lent recently trod the
boards at the Lyceum Theater on North
Beach, and Lent has been roOming at he'll
house. About TWO months ago Miss Hol'
lis. who then ran the Lyceum. introduced
Patterson to Mrs. Flood and she in turn
introduced Lent 10 Patterson.
After this Patterson was frequent Wis
itor to Mrs. Floods house, and OF the 4th
he and Lent, Mrs. Flood and a lady friend
dined toge Their and had pleasant time.
Last night, when Lent got home, be-
found Mrs. Flood in bed and Patterson SIT
ting on chair beside the bed chatting to
her. Mrs. Floods young brother was in
an adjoining room.
Lent lurched up to Patterson and struck
at him with his clenched fist Patterson
parted the blow, and thinking that Lent
was tooling laughingly pushed him away.
But when Lent again attempted 10 strike
him he grappled with him. threw
him on the floor and choked him.
Then he threw him out of the room and
locked the door. Lent went into the bath
room by the door leading into the hall and
was forcing his way into the bedroom
through a door leading into it from the
bathroom when Patterson rushed at him
and showed him out.
To the horror and dismay of Patterson
and Mrs. Flood, a bullet crashed through
the door of the bathroom and lodged in the
wall. Another bullet followed and struck
Patterson on the forehead, fortunately
inflictlng only flesh wound. a third
shot was fired. but the bullet, like the first,
did not strike either Of them. They heard
the pistol snap twice in succession, which
showed that il had evidently been emptied
Of its cartridges.
Lent, minus his coat and hat. than ran
downstairs, followed bv the old man
Heath. shouting "Police!" Lent wheeled
round and hit him over the head with the
butt end of the pistol. inlicting a scalp
wound. and ran down Grove street as far
as Lott. In few minutes he returned to
the house and went to his room.
Meantime Heath with tie blood stream
ing down his face staggered INFO Harring-
toms saloon and had the blood washed
from his head and face and the wound,
which was only slight one, dressed.
a telephone message was sent ~ police
headquarters that two men had been shot
in saloon on Grove and Lyon streets,
and Sergeant Birdsall and Policemen
ReardOn, Sawyer and Collins went out in
the patrOl-wag0n. When they got to the
house all the lights were out. but after a
few minutes they got inside and found
Lent in bed partly undressed. They
arrested him and took him to the City
Prison, where he was booked on the
charge OF assault to commit mGrder.
The police made a careful search of the
rooms but failed to find a pistol. They
think Lent had thrown it away when he
ran down to Lott street. They dug one of
the bullets out Of the wall and brought it
with them as evidence.
Mrs. Flood said last night that she could
not understand what was the matter with
Lent except that he must have been crazy. !
Il never saw him act that way before"
she said. II felt sick last night /
and was in bed when Mr.. Patter- |
son called, and that was why |
be happened to be in my bedroom, thing
that never happened before. | cannot see |
I. L u. 5
as never gave him the slightest cause to |
think l cared for him. He and Mr.. Pat !
terson were friends, and spent the Fourth /
with me and lady friend"
Lent says he went home last night so /
drunk that be scarcely knew what he was /
doing. He had been drinking with Ed !
LLOYD, another actor, and both were iollv
81 remember" he said, "when | got up- /
stairs speaking to the old man. Heath. in /
the hall, and then some one hit me in !
the face. | do not know who il was. Then |
we had scrap, and | remember nothing
more till the policemen dragged me out Of |
bed. | couldn't have fired any shots, as l |
never carried a pistol in my life. l have /
sent a message TO Ed Lloyd, and he can |
prove what | say"
When told that one of the bullets. had
struck Patterson on the forehead he an. /
peared to be amazed and declared he cOnId |
not have fired the shot. He was told !
that Lloyd, to whom he had sent !
the message. was in the prison having |
been arrested about Z o'clock for drunken !
ness, and this com pletely phaSed MIN. |
Patterson in the tussel with him man |
aged to backen one of his eyes He de- /
MED that he had ever made love to Mrs. !
Flood, and, therefore, could not be jealous |
Of Patterson.
Against Lents statement there is the |
evidence OF Mrs. Flood. Patterson, Heath |
anu MIS- rloOu OTOlDels besides some |
residents in the vicinity who saw him hit |
Heath with the butt end of the pistol, run |
down Grove street and return.
Patterson lives at the Marechal Mel |
corner of Taylor and Ellis streets, and is |
booked as the complaining witness against |
Lent.
Patterson had his injuries attended to at
the Receiving Hospital. Beside The wound
In his forehead his skull was confused and |
one OF his fi0gers had been severely bitten. |