The San Francisco call., 1896-05-17
FELL DOWN AN ELEVATOR
Ben Harris, the Messenger.Boy,
Dies at the Receiving
Hospital.
An Investigation by the Po ice Shows
That It Was the Result of an
Accident.

Ben Harris, the messenger-boy, who fell
down an elevator shaft in the Ottlngton
House, 80 Stockton street, early yesterday
morning. died at the Receiving Hospital
few hours later, and his body was re-
moved to the Morgue.
There was rumor that the boy was the
victim of foul play. and Captain Lees de-
tailed Detective Cody to make an investiga-
ton. He did so, and his report is a.
follows, which shows that the boys death
was the result of an accident, due to the
carelessness of the employees of the Taylor
Furniture Company:
Mr.. Bettis states that he is the landlord at
the Ottington House, 80 Stockton street. and
that he left the house last night at 10 o'clock
and did not return until II o'clock, when he
learned that a boy had fallen down the ele-
vator. He went downstairs and found the boy
lying on the floor of one of the rooms and had
him removed to the Receiving Hospital. He
also stated that the Taylor Furniture Com
pany occupied the top floor, where the boy fell
from. as wareroom. and that the janilor
sleeps there and lady by the name OF Davis
occupies room on that floor alongside of the
elevator.
The elevator door is on the left of Mrs Davis
and the janitor's door is on the right. The
three doors are only seven feet apart and there
is n o light on that floor in the night time. He
further says that the boy must have made q
mistake and taken the elevator door for the
janitor's door. Finding 1t unlocked he opened
it and walked in and fell The doors are not
sliding, they open west and close east and the
bar that goes across was up instead of being
down so as to prevent any one from falling, for
Mr.. Belts examined it after the accident and
II was up.
Mrs. Davis, the lady who sleeps next to the
elevator, heard the boy open the door of the
elevator and neard him fall against the sides
of the walls going down.
Charles Babcock, who rooms IN the same
house and has an undertaking establishment
on Geary and Stockton streets, states that the
boy came to the door of the landlord and
knocked three or four times.
He told the boy the landlord was not in and
to go upstairs and find the janitor, which he
did. Mr.. Babcock got up then and went to
the toilet-room and while there he heard some
one fall down the elevator. He went and
found it was the boy. Mr.. Martin, who sleeps
next TO Babcock, heard the boy say he wanted
to get key, and also heard Mr.. Babcock tell
him to go and see the janitor.
Mr.. Martin and Mr.. Babcock then went to-
gether and worked around the elevator until
they got the boy out and laid him on one of
the room floors. They did not hear any other
person In the house but the boy at the time he
asked for the landlord. Mr.. Babcock also went
with the boy TO the Receiving Hospital and
went in carriage and brought his parents to
see him. Mr.. Martin and Mr.. Babcock say that
ii was an accident and blame the furniture
company for not having the doors leading to
the elevator locked.
George Reed q messenger boy, states that he
met Ben Harris last night (May 15) about
II 80 o'clock on Sutter street and Harris said !:
and / will divide with YOU" They went to
80 Stockton street, Reed waiting outside
while Harris went in to get the room. Reed
got tired waiting and went home. Reed says
the man Harris was to get the room for was
named Louie, and Harris told Reed he always
got his room for him.
Mr.. Curtis, who works for the furniture CON-
pany, was unable to say whether he put the
ssbar on or not.
/ viewed the premises upstairs and found it
is a rough place, with furniture scattered ell
around and no light up there. A person could
easily by mistake take the elevator-door for
the janltor's door, for they are not far apart.
From my Investigations, am satisfied il was
accident, and that 1t happen ed at the
Ottington House, not the Rossmore House.