The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-04-28
Double Tragedy at URiontDSn'
TWO BODIES FOUND HOTEL
Looks Like Murder and suieide.-Qusrrsl-
ed Over an Unpaid Note.

T
les Of Joshua McFadden. Of that place.
and Frank Brown. OF Fairchanee. in a
room on the third floor Of the Lafayette
Hotel.
Both men are well known; Brown has
been a civil engineer in the employ Of the
II. {. Prick Coke Company for seven
years. and McFadden is a clerk in large
department store. and is a son OF james
Mcfaaien, a butcher.
only one revolver was found in the
room and the SIX chambers were empiy,
pointing TO the plausipilily Of the theory
Of murder and suicide. but the question
as to which man committed the crime Il
not known and viii probably never lie
answered.
There was no evidence OF a scuifie-
Both men were lying on the floor. The
empty revolver lay two feet away from
the bodies and from its position It cannot
be told which man fired it. McFadden
was shot through the chest, while Browns
fatal wound was in the head. He was
also sho; through the lefl hand
When discovered the bodies were cold
and stiff. indicating that The men had
been dead several hours. The discovery
was made by chambermaid at the hO-
tel, who forced her way into the room
through a set of folding doors from an
adjoining room.
The alarm was Immediately given and
the police summoned, a. it was at first
supposed the men were murdered by a
] 4 l..
house, even at that time.
| Coroner p. F. Smith was also sent for.
and upon his arrival summoned jury
! and began to take testimony. The only
| evidence was circumstantial and very in
/ complete.
II was developed that Brown and Ne
Fadden had been in partnership in the
/ grocery business in Fairchance. They
/ dissolved partnership last September,
and when the books were balancedBrown
/ was indebted to the firm. and he gave
/ McFa5den a note FOR So
QUARREL OVER THE NOTE POSSIBLE
The note was due Thursday, and their
/ meeting at the hotel was for the purpose
/ Of effeciing settlement. The note was
/ found Oh the floor. 1t was torn in two
and badly crumpled, which gives evil
/ dence to the theory that there had been at
! least a slight scramble for it.
! \ check for the amount Of the note,
written in Browns handwriting. was al
50 found. Ii was not signed. All thepa-
! pers were blood stained.
The testimony also showed that the
: men had gone to the room shortly after
( o'clock in the evening. Brown walked
% Cniontown from Leith Works. a mile
south. where he had been surveying dur
/ ing the day.
He had brought with him books con-
tanning :heir partnership accounts and
told some Of his friends that there were
some mistakes which McFadden would
have TO rectify before the note would be
I paid. McFadden told some Of his friends
that he could explain the disputed ac-
counts.
| II is possible the men quarreled over
these accounts and got into an alteration
y hich eliminated the tragedy.
The coroner's inquest was resumed
| Friday when additional circumstances
which confirm the theory that MeFadden
shot Brown and then took his own life,
were brought to light.
This is borne out by the positions Of the
mems bodies when found. and the loca-
tions Of the wounds. One bullet, which
evidently missed its mark, lodged in the
/ door back Of Brown, and could not have
/ been fired by him from the position oc-
I cupied by him. There are three bullet
wounds in Brown which do not seem To
lie those Of a suicide. One Is in the left
/ hand, another flesh wound on the left
! side Of the forehead; while the third and
fatal shot entered the head Oh the left
side, back Of and above the ear. Me
Fadden has only one wound, which is on
the right temple. The flesh about it
i scoiched with powder, showing that
the weapon was close when it was dis
charged.
The strongest evidence which goes to
fix the crime on McFadden is some notes
which he wrote in a memorandum book.
presumably after the killing of Brown,
Ia these McFadden stated that he did not
owe any one, but that several persons Of
the town, whom he named, owed him.
He also stated that be had a ring at Bal
ley's jewelry store, being repaired. which
he requested should be returned 10 a
young lady miiliner Of this place Ray
Barton, who worked with MeFadden in
Rnth's store, testified that the latter bor-
ioxed a revolver wednesday which re
sembled the one found beside the bodies.
The cause of the tragedy will probably
never be known.
one theory of the shooting is that Nc
Fadden and Brown quarreled over the
young lady to whom the ring was to be
returned. Both had been paying her at
tentions, and it seems Brown gave her
the ring which McFadden was having re-
paired Another theory is that McFad-
den tried to force Brown to sign the note
and check. and upon the latter's refusal
the shooting followed.
BROWN WAS THE VICTIM.
UNIoNTowN, Pa. April 23-Joshua
McFadden has been decla-ed a murderer
and suicide by the corOner's jury inves
tigating the double tragedy here yester-
day. in the Hotel lafayette. where Me
fadden and Frank Brown were found
dead in room, both shot. and an empty
revolver near them. The jury found that
Brown was murdered by McFadden.
who :hen took his own life.
IL was shown c1nclusively that the men
had been on bad terms for some time.
and that they never spoke except when
settling up .heir business affairs. Their
meeting yester lay was for the purpose of
settling mp note which McFadden held
against Brown, and which WAS given
when they elosed'Out their grocery busi-
ness at Fairchance last October. Brown
disputed the note on the ground that Nc
| Fadden had agreed not 20 collect il till
Brown could collect certain bills of the
old firm which were outstanding. Brown
coniended that some of those bills were
uncollectable and that he should not have
10 pay the note. Their hatred for each
other was also increased by a love affair.
They both paid attention to the same girl.
Brown gave her a ring. which she
let McFadden have. This is the ring of
which McFadden spoke in his note writ
ten before he suicided, and which was
found by his side
Judge and Jury.
The one juryman who stand out against
the eleven has been for a long time the
subject from which wits drew inspiration
Z frnr lngHr r.