The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-05-20
Harry Crawford of -. Louis Fatal
iy Wounded W. y. Constant.
Who i.loped With His Wife.
FAD BEGGED HER TO RETURN.
She Made the Appointment Which
Brought the Two Face to Face
She Claimed to BE
Married TO Both.
EEFTTTIC Srf.5TATs

RErT-EIIC Srr.SIAT.
Chicago. H.. May "a fe.d. born Of
love and crime and marked by romantic
ard tragic Incidents eliminated al )
o'clock tonight in = revolver duel The
combatants were William y Constant and
Harry Crawford. husbands of the same
woman. and the fight took place at the for
ruer'S home No 2lJ5 state street.
Constant lies mor:aly wounded a Mercy
Hospital. and Crawford. whose body bears
the scars OF many bloody encounter. is a
prisoner at the Cottage Grove Avenue Po-
lice Station. THE immediate cause of the
shooting was a quarrel over the young
woman. who has married both men. and
who gave her name to the police as Mrs.
Barbara Constant.
In st. Louis. three months ago. she was
Mrs. Harry Crawford, but she deserted her
first husband 10 clop, with Constant. They
came 10 Chicago and took rooms in the
home OF Mrs. Edward Brigham. in State
street. where. in fear of being discovered
by the deserted husband. they introduced
IN ulseivcs AS Mr. and Mrs. William West.
\ few weeks ago Crawford came to Chi
CaGo To begin seaTcn for the missing
woman. He found her Friday and sent her
a
back to him. tie called upon her twice
4 few hours before the shooting. and. en-
ragged at her refusals 10 accompany him.
Crawford drew It revolver and threatened
10 shoot her she asked him to return At
) o'clock. when. she said. she would ne
ready.
Meantime. Constant came home. Months
aao hs. aud Crawford hat an afIray in St
Louis. and both had vowed that II they
ever met again one or the other must
die Both are de=p rate men II!e woman
told Constant wla; had happened.
About . o'clock Crawford vas heard
ascending the stairs. lie. raped upon the
door. Barbara admitted him and he stepped
into the hallway. In his hdrG WAS "A re
volver. The door of the room was half
open. No sooner had Crawford pushed 10y
the woman than Constant was upon Ais
feet. also holding a revolver.
The men. who were separated by less than
twenty feet, began shooting at once. Craw-
ford tired three times and Constant Only
twice Two bullets entered Constants alb
domen ana penetrated MS hlineys- ne iei!
to the f!oOr unconscious and crawford het
toward the kitchen
The fugitive seized the woman and thrust
his revolver against her head She screamed
and he refr1ined from firing. Crawford es-
capped down the rear stairs but was ar
rested three hours later.
Crawford was reared on a farm near
to St Louis and obtained employm He
visited Baden, Mo-. and met Barbara Ash
burn then only i3 years old. 1t was Il case
Of mutual love at first sight, and crawfprd
and the girl We're married. Crawford was
arrested for abduction. hut released.
Constants father is Il wealthy livery sta
BILE owner at Springfield. III. The son. WHO
was "A butcher. went to ST. Louis two years
ago. one of his nrSt acquaintance was
Crawford. and IL was no secret that the
ch!d-wife was bestowinG her affections
upon the newcomer. The former friends
became enemies. and violent street quar-
rel followed. They never met in ST. Louis
again. bu. three months ago Constant was
arrested near CrawfOrds home. Craw Words
wifi. rallied som" companions cf her hiS-
band and. leading them. attacked the pu-
lice and rescued Constant from the officer.
The young man and his resCuer fled and
until to-day Crawford saw his wife no
more. She and Constant came 10 Chicago.
whore they were married. the woman
claims, and have since been living in the
State street fiat.