The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-03
FATAL DUEL
AT DENVER
Three "CroOkS" Engage
in a Battle in a
Room.
One Is Shot Dead and the
Other Is MortaIIy
Wounded.
1t Would Seem That They Quar-
relied Over a Division of
Plumber.

DENVER, CoLo., Aug. "A sensational
duel between two San Francisco Crooks"
resulting in the instant death OF one man
and the fatal injuring of another, occurred
late this afternoon in room % of the
Carleton block. swell rooming-house at
the corner of Fifteenth and Curtis streets.
An air of mystery surrounds the affair,
and as yet the identity of the dead man
has not been established. The one who is
dying at the hospital goes under the name
of S. FL. Edgar, while third member OF
the party, who is now in jail, gives his
name as John Sheldon.
On Saturday of last week Edgar and
Sheldon appeared at the Carleton and
rented one of the finest rooms in the
house, Both displayed considerable
money, being possessed of big rolls of
bills. Several times since they arrived
the pair had been visited by another man,
the one now lying dead at the morgue.
On one of these occasions neighboring ten
ants heard loud quarreling in room %.
This again occurred this forenoon.
This afternoon the third man returned
and stepping suddenly into the room be-
gan firing at Edgar the first shot entering
LuSdI AEuiCIAuS q tdi TOuuu
Before the intruder could shoot again Ed
gar had drawn gun and fired. At the
same instant the other man snapped his
pistol again. Edgar's aim was the better,
his bullet speeding its way through his
antagonists body just below the heart
death resulting instantly. Edgar himself
was struck in the wrist by the second bull
let. Sheldon, who was in the room at the
time of the shooting, made his escape
into the street and fed, but was later cap
tured by the police.
Edgar crawled into the hallway scream
ing for help. He was removed to the
County Hospital, where at A. NJ. he was
said to be rapidly sinking. He knows
that death is about to claim him, but, like
Sheldon, refused to divulge anything re-
garding the history of himself or his COM
panions or of their history or the cause of
the quarrel.
The Chief of Police has learned that the
dead man was commonly called Billy"
and Sheldon dropped remark that
Flossie O'Brien of the Hotel Whitney,
San Francisco, could tell something about
him. He says she can tell considerable
about him.
At first 1t was thought that the woman
was the dead mans wife, but this idea has
now been given up. One thing seems to
be fairly well established, and that Is that
the trio are all-around ''crooks," and the
supposition that they quarreled over a
division OF the swag seems to be well
founded. A search of the criminal records
reveals the fact that Edgar served
a term at Folsom in 1892 A partIv
written letter found in the room where the
tragedy occurred is addressed to a man
supposed to be convict in the Utah PEN
itenliary. 1t says that the writer has
gotten the worst of it from former part
ner in "divvy"; that he had only made
SIS since he came here, and that he would
have sent the watch only it would spoil a
good money trick. Another letter was
addressed to a man in San Diego. ALI the
letters found were unsigned.