The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-02

Special Dispatch to the Post-Intelligencer
TACOMA. Sept. Lone Of the mast
mysterious shooting ARRAYS IN the history
Of Tacoma took place tonight IN the Peo-
pies restaurant and hotel = few minutes
before 2 o'clock. Two reports we're heard
about that hour by Miss Eva McCgllum.
q young lady who. with her sister con-
ducts the place. and upon running 10 the
hall from her room on the second floor
she saw the forms of two men stretched
on the floor. The noise of the shooting
also attracted Joe Burnett. night waiter.
10 the spot. Officer Denny Dwyer also
appeared on the scene about this time.
Stretched on the floor within few feet
OF each other were the forms OF two men.
both apparently in the last threes OF
death. One was lying on his face and
the other on his back, with smoking
revolver lying between his legs. glance
convinced Burnett that one OF the men
was a boarder named Max Doebli, Of sew
erai weeks standing az the place, while
the other was a stranger who had eaten
dinner during the evening with him be-
tween and O'Clock. They laughed and
chatted during the meal. Doehli settled
the bill. aud about oclock the two men
went TO Doeblfs room on the second floor.
The shots Are Heard.
Soon after they went up a muffled re-
port was heard by Miss McCullum, follow
ed soon after by another. much louder.
Upon investigation il was found that ooth
men had been struck IN the right breast IN
the vicinity OF the nipple.
Here the information stops and baifies
the police officers as neither Of the actors
in the silent tragedy had an Intelligent
word TO say regarding the affair. Doeph
was heard 10 remark something ABOUT an
accident. and once or twice made an eHoft'
as If trying 10 reach the form OF his pros
trate companion. while the two were lying
in the hall. Miss McCullum states she
heard DoebH say something about assist
ing the other before the second shot was
fred She heard nothing after this. the
shots having frightened her almost TO
Scene of the shooting.
The room in which the first shot was
fired is situated in the front part of the
building and is separated from the hall
by a vacant room. 1t is here that Doebh
has resided for a couple of weeks. His
clothes. carefully pressed and placed on
racks. adorned the wall, a large trunk TAX
ing up the space on the opposite side Of
the bed In the corner stands bureau.
About four inches from the bottom was a
bullet hole which shows that it was here
that the first shot was fired. This hole
puzzles the officers and Coroner Hoska,
as only two shots were fired from the gun.
1t mas DeSn pretty lnOrOuenly sSltlSu since
the shooting that the first shot struck the
strange man in the right breast, passing
through the body and penetrating the mir
ror. IL is thought that he then staggered
across the room and out into the hall,
where he fell on his face. Seeing that he
had shot his friend. without a doubt acei-
dentally. Doebli turned the gun on him
self, sending a bullet crashing through his
right breast.
The stranger died within twenty min
utes after the shots We're heard. and was
taken TO Hoska's undertaking parlors.
Doebli was conveyed 10 the Fanny Pad
dock hospital where his wound was at
tended 10 by the physicians in charge. At
q late hour he was in a precarious condi-
tion.
Theory of tho Police
Chief Hoge. Capt. King and Detectives
Concannon and Thompson investigated the