Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-19
KILLED HIS FIANCEE.
Nr. James B. Gentry Murders Miss
Mad6e Yorke In a Philadelphia Hotel.
JEALOUSY THE ALLEGED cArsE.
He Was Richmond boy. Hut Went
Upon the stngc % Few Years Ago
The Victim mn Actress-Thc h""""
Mnu Escnpcs-FcRrful Details

Mr. James Il. Gentry. the young come
dian who on Sunday night shot ana
murdered Miss Madge Yorke, MS ac'ress
s,osths.rt I'm the Ziess Hotel, Philadel-
mia. wa.aborn and reared III 'his c"y'
and lived here until he was y years o'
age. He was a cigar-maker by tfaue' anu
=, ponular. honest fellow. who made
friends because Of his conViViai ma
ture and his open-heartedness. lie "
son Of the late James b. Gentry, a'pias-
,erer who was we'll known here. ana
h,s mother WAS n Miss Danella. Spanish
woman.
Ten years ago Mr.. Gentry 'r'' anu
another well-known young man iei' hich-
mond with n minstrel troupe. lie soon
landed In New York and went upon the
stage of Minors Theatre. on the bo"ery'
He gradually rose In his CHOSEN proies-
s,ou and IL regarded as exceedingly clever
| in the comedy parts that he mas re-
Gently essayed. Mr. Gentry has visited
,oro many times since ne went off with
tho AGGREGATION Of "burnt-cork artists.
and he stu has a large circle OF irieh"S
! I'm this city, who were shocKen 10 ieaIn
NJ bis mad act. He was regarded as "A
vorv temperate man. His best friends
claim that they never knew him 10 us
| play a violent temper. ana are NJ loss
| ia explain his conduct. Mr.. GENTRY ~
| nephew of Mr.. Alexander Gentry, klch-
| mond compositor, and this relative was
| shocked when he first learned the dredn-
mi news The details OF IN" shootihS
| az Miss Yorke by the young man are Ter
1 al
| rible. and evidence Jealousy VI ''e '"'''
| consuming character
! FAILED TO MEET.
| Miss yorke and Mr.. Gentry were to
have met In Jersey cry on inc morning
before the shooting. but had missed each
| other The young woman returned 10
| PhIladelphia and had dned with her
| friend Miss Clarke. another actress, ana
ACCOMPANIED by that lady had gone To
| her room They were singing when MI.
| Gentry. who had also come to Phiiadei-
| mia. tapped upon the door. and. without
! awaiting a response. bolted In. He imrne-
| diatelv and in excited tones asked the
Young lady why she had not met him
according to her promise. and Miss forke
| demanded TO know OF him why he had
failed 10 meet her Mr.. Gentry then
asked Miss Yorke II she would not KISS
him. and she declared that she would
not DO so until he had made an explana-
ton 10 her.
SHOT HER AT ONCE.
In moment then. according to the
story as published In the Philadelphia
Press of yesterday, Mr. Gentry pulled
revolver and fired. He had placed the
weapon so close to Miss Yorke's head that
the skin was burned by the powder. In
close succession he fired two more shots.
Miss Clarke attempted to dash out or
the room, but Gentry threatened to XIII
her If she left After shooting the wo-
mar Gentry at once made good his es-
cape.
The discharge of three bullets re-
sounded through the entire house, ana al
once several persons started IN the III
rection from which the sound came. Lam
son Ziesse was on an upper floor, and
as soon AS he heard the shots he started
down. When he reached the foot of the
stairs servant told him the number OF
the room. He rushed directly there and
found the door open With her body
resting against a table and on her knees,
Mr. Ziesse discovered the woman. He
saw at once that she was either DEAD or
diving Directly over the left eye there
was an ugly wound. from which the
brains were oozing out. Mr. Ziesse spoke
to the woman, but received no reply.
With the assistance OF several others who
had entered the room he laid her out on
the floor. In doing this he discovered
that in her hat were holes where two
other bullets had entered.
MISS YORKE'S DEATH.
The police we're notified AT once, and an
ambulance was sent for. II arrived from
the Pennsylvania Hospital at 9:l5 The
woman reached the hospital at $780, and
while Special Officer Schobert. Of the Nine
teenth District, was carrying her in she
died.
Detectives Bond. Mauray. and Gcyer
Lieutenant Mitchell Sergeant Lukens.
and Special-Officer Schobert went to work
on the case Immediately in hunt FOR
the murderer.
IL is thought that Gentry had endeav-
ored to keep the appointment with Miss
Yorke In Jersey City. but for some reason
they had failed TO see each other.
Miss Yorke and Mr.. Gentry met three
years ago. when both were playing In
the "Hoss and Hoss" Company They be-
came very intimate. and all their friends
say that they were deeply in love with
each other Gentry was OF an exceed
ingly jealous disposition. Manager
Blaney. Of the Baggage Check" Com
pany. by whom he was employed until
six weeks ago, says he was very eccentric. |
Both played together in various com
panies, and this year they went out with
the Baggage Check" Company, which
appears in this city this week. Miss
Yorke took minor parts. being little more
than a chorus girl. Gentry was a low |
comedian. Manager Blaney six weeks ago |
decided 10 discharge Gentry. He said last |
night that the only reason for this was |
that he wanted a better man for the |
place. Mr.. Gentry left the company. but |
secured an engagement with a company |
which is playing an engagement in Jersey |
City.
SEPARATED SIX WEEKS.
From the time he left the company |
until Sunday he had not seen Miss Yorke, |
and, according to her story to Miss
Clarke, they were to have met yesterday. |
Failing in finding Gentry at the station |
Miss Yorke returned TO this city. Mr.. |
Gentry, not finding her. evidently followed |
on another train.
The first known OF him in this city was |
his appearance at a professional board |
inghouse" on Walnut street. He APP |
peared there about s o'clock and inquired |
If Miss Yorke was there. lie was told |
by one Of the servants that she was not |
but this did not satisfy him. He asked |
that he be permitted to go through the |
house and search for her. This privilege |
was accorded him. He knocked at every |
door in the house. and not until it was |
opened and he looked in was he satisfied. |
lie seemed to be in high state of ex-
of the house suggested to him that Miss |
Yorke might be at Ziesse's Hotel He at |
once went there
Wet became OF him after the shooting |
Is an unsolved problem. The room where
the shooting took place Is at the end OF |
the hallway on the third floor. Standing |
at the time half-open. were two win
dows that led out OF the fire-escape
II Is believed by the police that Mr..
Gentry at once made for the fire-escape
once In It, II was an easy matter TO reach |
a blind alley that leads into Duponceau
street, as the bottom OF the escape was
not over eight feet from the ground
MISS YORKES CAREER.
The murdered woman was said to be q
years OF age. Yorke Is not believed to
be her right name. Her parents reside
in New York. She was a decidedly hand
some brunette. somewhat under the or
binary height. and Of plump build She
began her theatrical career as a chorus l.
girl with the Casino Company. where she |
remained for four or five years She was
afterward with the Natural Gas" Com
pany, "Hoss and Moss and two years
ago Joined the Reed and Collier forces.
Manager Blaney said last night that she
was one OF the most highly-respected
t. he |