New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-09

HE LOVES AND THEN RUsHEs MADLY
TOWARD srxTH-AvE.. DIsCHARG-
ING HIS REVOLVER AT THE
cRowD-oNE MAN SHOT
SUICIDE TO Es-
CAPE ARREST
For a few minutes after o'clock yesterday
afternoon there was tremendous excitement at
Broadway and Twentieth-st. and In that part OF
Twentieth-st from Broadway to Sixth-ave. In
a brief interval Of time man. who was said 10
be William Johnson. of Chicago. and looked as II
he might have been laborer In the cattle yards
gave an exhibition Of the effects OF unrequited
love. hopeless jealousy. nurderous rage and the
frenzy Of despair.
William ii. Sutton. travelling salesman OF
Chicago, was shot down in front Of Lord &
Taylor's drygoods store by johnson, when tnen
tried to kill a young woman who had run away
from her home in Chicago to join sutton in this
city After desperate attempt to escape in
which he fired more shots and accidentally
wounded an Armenian fruit pedler near tho
PRESBYTERIAN Building at Fifth-ave and Twen-
tieth-st. Johnson snuffed out his own existence
with a bullet i'm Twentieth St. near Sixth-ove.
The shooting the pursuit of the shooter and Ills
suicide attracted great crowds of people. who re-
mained for time to make inquiries. Then am
balances carried the wounded men to the hos
pital and policemen carried the body of Johnson
to the station in West Thirtieth-st. followed by
the frantic woman who had been the Gauss OF az
the trouble. and soon the crowds dissolved ana
the tides Of humanity in Broadway and IN
Twentieth-st moved or in their accustomed
ways. Indifferent TO ths tragedy which FOR
time had made so great commotion
LOOKED LIKE A LABORER.
When the attention of people In Broadway was
first attracted to Johnson. he was in the act of
stopping Sutton and the young woman on the
sidewalk in front Of Lord & Taylor's store
few minutes after 1 o'clock. He was much ex-
cited. and his manner was that Of a man who
had been on somebody's trail. He was man or
medium height and build. and apparently about
thirty years DID, with brown hair. lean, and
beerdless face prominent nose and large mouth
He wore a black soft hat dark sack coat. with
out wastcoat, an outing shirt. threadbare
striped trousers and large tan shoes, which were
muddy His hands were large and coarse-look-
ing hardened and Drowned by work out or
doors His appearance was In marked contrast
with Sutton and the young woman who had just
emerged from the broadway store.
Sutton was a slender man. twenty-five years
old a little below the medium height, with light
hair and a blond mustache. He was good-look-
ing. fashionably dressed, and had the look OF a
ctv man. The young woman with him ap-
reared to be under twenty years old she was
nretty and had blond hair and blue eyes. She
was well dressed. too, and did not appear 70 DO
stranger TO city ways. She was chatting
gayiy with sutton moment before they were
stopped on the sidewalk by the man who looked
like a countryman
Tho three talked together on the sidewalk for
minute or two. but what they said was heard py
,oh,dv c,se until Johnson said with emphasis: Il
or. that watch give yer" lie was talking to
.h younp woman then ard his attitude had be-
oorre threatening sutton said something ap-
narently trying 20 bring the unpleasant inter-
,a,v ~ = termination What he said had the
oefect of further enraging Johnson. who thrust
one OF his big RED hands into his pocket ana
nu,led ont a revolver Of large calibre. Johnson
faro was rvid with rage. ard his eyes were AL
most starting from their sockets as ne glared at
tho couple before him. Everybody who saw him
nro,v that he meant murder. but there was no
time for interference.
THE YOUNG wOMAN's TERROR
A. s,yh, Of the weapon the young woman ut
,ored q scream Of terror. Then she threw up her
,,o,as haforc her face and started to run across
roadwav Sutton made a move as " to follow
har but before he had time to take step there
,,as IA sh and a report. and he fell senseless on
the sidewalk with a bullet in his head Johnson
ered at Sutton point blank. at such close quar-
,ars that the muzzle Of the revolver was only
oo,,r,o of feet away from the young mans head
pefore Suttons body had time to drop on the
r;davalk Johnson turned and fired shot al the
young woman who was running across BROAD
,vav She was not far away from him. e'ther'
hut the bullet sped wide Of the mark. and hit no
body else although there were many persons i'll
that part of Broadway then.
r,a Young woman screamed again and again
&C she fed and as the shots rang out behlnd her
-,. ran to the entrance Of the Continental Hotel
and rushed through the open doorway WIN s"'n
,ror,ic haste that she dashed against a man
,bera and sent him sprawing on his back Even
hon she did not pause. but ran on until she was
IN tho reading-room Of the hotel. where she cow
,red behind q chair and cried out to some men In
Tho room: Don't let him come In here. He'll
kill me-
DID NOT PURSUE THE GIRL
1obnson apparently had no intention Of pursu-
nr the Young woman after his shot at her had
failed 70 hit the mark. His thought then was 10
.scane With the revolver in his hand. ne star'ed
~ q full run along Twentieth-st. toward fifth-
va Instantly there were cries OF Stop him.
.Nurder,' "Policer' and a dozen men started
n nur.uit Of Johnson. At that time In the after
,oor there were many women In Broadway |
sone of them were leaving the drysoods stores
md some were about 10 enter the stores when the |
shooting began number Of the women were
and running to cover when Johnson
,,ortad through Twentieth-st. The sound OF the |
bots followed by the screams and shouts. |
.aused great crowd to collect at the corner |
oeople ran out Of the hotel and out OF the Dry
,oods stores and other buildings to see what was
,ong on. Some OF the clerks from the drygoods
torres found Sutton. bleeding and senseless' on