The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-09-23
FRANK !. FRAYNE'S FATAL SHOT,

OduhS CLOSE at three. -DeLrOlL Free
Press.
FRANK l. FRAYNE'S FATAL SHOT,
American Parallel to Recent Fatal
Shooting ON the Stage in Germany.
The conviction of German expert
1narksman in Berlin court of the
crime of "pandering to the public lust
for excitement" was the result of all
accident almost Identical in every de-
tail with tragedy that occurred some
years ago in this country. About six
weeks ago in Berlin music hall a
marksman attempted to shoot an apple
from the head of a young girl. He had
frequently accomplished the feat before
with success. But through some in
accuracy in aim the bullet, instead of
passing through the apple, struck the
woman in the head and killed her in
stantly. He was sentenced for this to
six months imprisonment. There was
no charge of negligence or criminal in
tent. So the charge that he had at
tempted to ''pander to the public lust
for EXCITEMENT was invented to fit his
case.
The victim. of the American tragedy
was Annie Won Behren, and the man
who shot her was Frank Frayne, who,
when he retired from the stage, had
made fortune through his experiences
as marksman. For many years he had
travelled through the United States act
ing in play called Isl Slocum." 1t
was a rough-and-ready piece, devised
chiefly to exhibit his skill in shooting
and in the management of wild ami
mails. He carried whole menagerie
about with him, and this method Of
exhibiting his talents had been adopted
after an unsuccessful career as an actor.
His wife, Clara Butler; who used to
sing in his plays and act the part OF
Mrs. Slocllm, was for a long time the
woman on whom his feats of shooting
were tried. One of the best-known
of these was that in which, standing
with his back to her, he shot an apple
from her head, and, as in the story OF
William Tell, this incident was crucial
one in the play. When his wife died,
young Brooklyn, girl named Annie
Won Behren took her place in the com.
pany. The apple shooting feat was sue.
cessfully continued for three years. II
was done every night, and frequently
twice at the many matinees given in
the cheap theaters at which Frayne
appeared.
Toward the end of November, 1882.
the company reached theater in Gin.
cinnati known as the Coliseum. II
had been opened only two weeks when
Isl Slocum" was acted there. On
Thanksgiving day there were more than
1000 persons at the theater at the extra
matinee. The play progressed to the
scene in which the apple was to be
shot from Mrs. Slocum's head. The
apple was placed on the girls head and
Frayne took aim and fired. AS they
heard the crack of the rifle, the specta-
tors saw Miss Won Behren fall to the
stage with spot of blood on her fore
head. The actor turned, and, seeing
what had occurred, ran to the spot
where the girl lay and fell fainting by
her side. The curtain dropped sudden
~, and the manager appeared before
the curtain to announce that the play
would be brought to an end Immediately.
Some of the audience had supposed that
the scene was part of the play. But
it was soon whispered about that the
girl had been killed. The holiday crowd
in the street heard the report, and be-
fore long several thousand people had
gathered in front of the building, al
though nobody knew certainly of the
largely inside.
The girl died within few minutes
after the bullet struck her over the left
Leye. Frayne, who was frantic with ex-
element, was locked up. The apple
was four inches above her head, and on
a hat, and the accidental use of a de-
fective cartridge was the cause of her
death. Frayne protested that there
was no danger in the backward shot, as
it had repeatedly been done without
serious results. The coroner's jury re-
leased him, and he declared he would
never shoot again. But after brief re-
tirement he returned to the stage and
acted in his drama for nine years long
er, although he neverrepeated the back
ward shot with a woman, and indeed
abandoned the play in which the acci-
dent occurred. r.,g-
It is said of the German that he was
about to marry the girl he killed, and
the same story was told of F,rayne and
Miss Won Behren.: He died about six
years ago, and the shock he received
when he killed the girl is said to have
Unmarried his health serinns1v