Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-08
BRUCE WILL SHOOT NO MORE.
SUDDEN DEATH OF A FAMOUS DE
TEcrIyE.
A Man who Was Handy with N Gun,
hut Who Killed One Man Who Was
Wen out OF the wny--Hnd Good
Points.

was AouHu ueau IN pea ut lGo Idohllt
street at o'clock. Death was probably
due to alcoholism. as Bruce had been
on a spree for nearly month, and
twenty-hours before he was found dead
he had to be assisted TO his roon.
About 7 o'clock the evening before
Bruce was in the basement saloon of
the block in which he lived anl was
assisted up the stairs and to bed en-
the third floor Ky E. +. Heating and
the bartender. Last evening hrs.
Celia Larson, who has charge Of the
rooms in the Empire block. entered
Bruces room with pass key and
found him dead, in the same position
in which Kca,lng and the bartender
had placed him the night before. Death
probably came early in the night. The
body was taken to II Adams s>>aet,
where an inquest was held ~ 10 o'clock
this morning.
Bruce was born in Cincinnati. OHIO,
in lS47, and learned the trade of printer.
AS tramp" member of the fraternity
he was known In the larger towns
between Cincinnati and st. Louis and
north OF the Ohio river AT the latter
end of the war he served u year with
the 1Slst Ohio Infantry and was honor
ably discharged in South Carolina.
Thereafter he began his career as a
bohemian printer and was generally
feared as a tough character. At the
time OF the printers strike IN Indian
apolis early in the '70s. Bruce went to
that city and became notorious by FIR
ing at Henry Keenan,, editor Of the
Sentinel. as Keenan, sat ut his desk
in the third story OF the Sentinel buid-
ing. Bruce fired from Il doorway On
the opposite side of the street, end
the bullet just missed Keenan,. During
the trouble Bruce went ab)1t with
bottles Of vltriol in his pocket. and
threw the fluid several times al The
non-union employees. almost binding
one man. He was arrested several
times, but the chief OF police was an
ex-union printer and nothing was done
with Bruce.
From Indianapolis he came to CHI
cago. He worked at his trade here
but short time. He first gained
notorlety here for his connection with
the Street Gazette, run by "Sbang"
Andrews. His connection with the
sheet brought him great deal OF
trouble, in connection with the fact
that about the same time he began TO
prletor OF small club room on Clark
street, where poker was played.
In 1888 Bruce shot and killed An
thony Connolly, and for this he is
still held in kindly remembrance about
police headquarters, Connolly ran
saloon at Fourth avenue and Harrison
street, one Of the worst places In that
section. even in It's palmicst days of
lawlessness. Connolly had "pull' and
defied the officers He had n pleasant
habit of giving change For 81 no mat
ter what denomination of bill the gus
toner placed on the bar. II tho Gus
toner protested he was beaten and
thrown out. Bruce entered the place
with "Tom' Cody. ordered drink
and laid down a $50 gold piece. Con
molly gave him change for 81. Bruce
put down another $40 ple,e and again
received change for 81, He aid after
ward that he thought he might have
been mistaken in the amount he save
Connolly and tried again. Whcz the
trick was repeated he knew he had
not been mistaken in the amount FIRST
put down and he protested. Connolly
seized n big revolver, and us ne. raised
his hand with the weapon Ecuse shot
and killed him. Before Connolly fell
dead he fired twice, hitting Bruce in
the thigh and giving Cody flesh
wound. Bruce was tried and acquitted.
Shortly thereafter Bruce had a street
fight with BILLY" Whalen, in STATE
near where Whalen was afte-ward
murdered. and was terribly beaten by
the politician. Thereafter Bruce de-
voted himself exclusively to his detec-
tive business In 1885 he was pass
ing along Washington street and when
near Fifth avenue he heard a woman
screaming murder. Bruce ran up the
stairway to the rooms and found Ed
die" Devine beating his wife. woman
now known as Lilly Vail and in the
county jail under a sentence for lar
ceny. Bruce said Devlne drew a pistol,
but that he was too quick for him
and shot Devine through the chest.
Devine lived and Is now in the Fort
Madison. Iowa. penltentiary, serving a
17-year sentence for burglary. Devine
had a pull" and upon the strength
of the testimony OF Devine and the
woman Bruce served year In Joliet
for the shooting.
After serving his term Bruce re-
turned to Chicago and founded Bruce's
Private Detective agency, with an of
flee at the southwest corner OF LaSalle
and Randolph streets, where his sign
OF huge eye surrounded by the let
tiers. Death to All Thieves was long
familiar Three years ago he moved
TO room IL, Empire block, in an alcove
OF which he slept.
A year ago he walked into Central
station and reported to Detective Ro-
wan as he laid down a huge re-
volver that he had killed James Ho-
ban, a characser well known to the
police. Rowan went to the detectives
office and found Hobnn covered with
blood, but not fatally hurt. Bruce said
he had caught Hoban trying to break
into his rooms and had beaten him
with his pistol. Each was fined S.
Bruce was a short, thick-set man,
witt. piercing black eyes and black
mustache. He wore wide-brimmed
white hat and was frequently seen
about the cigar store next TO the Chi
cago opera house, together with a small
spaniel, his inseparable companion dur
ing his leisure hours. OF late years
he has done some good work In the
detective line. He was an intelligent
man, liked by those who We're well
acquainted with him. quiet at all times
but exceedingly sensitive when drink
ing and at such times HANDY with
his gun" Innumerable stories are told
OF his earlier and moro tempestuous