The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-28
SUICIDE after
ATTEMPT TO KILL,
John Esson Shot Harold Stridiron
and Himself in Hotel Ven
dome, New York.
THERE'S A WOMAN IN 1T.
All Three Are From Chicago
Shooting Occurred After a
Dcbauch and Automobile
Ride by Night.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

IectS OF protTdcted debducH anu
mentally depressed by business troubles
as 1t is alleged, John H. Esson
| a prominent contractor of Chi
cago. tried to kill his friend Harold H
! stridiron of No. 119 Seeley avenue. Chicago
| by shooting him twice. and then committed
suicide by shooting himself through the
| head. Esson died instantly. Stridiron Is
| lying in the New York Hospital and his re-
| covery is doubtful.
The tragedy occurred few minutes after
9 o'clock this morning in room No. 307. in
! the Hotel Vendome, Broadway and Forty
| first street.
Had Esson carried out his first intention.
his victim would have been Miss Lillian
Hayes. handsome young woman, who
| came here from Chicago about the middle
of June. The scene of the killing would
have been Mrs. Coleman's boarding house,
No. 2l1 West Fortieth street. and the time
Sunday afternoon Miss Hayes fled when
Esson pointed his revolver at her and es-
capped. That murder or suicide. or both.
was intended is evidenced by this letter.
| which was found in Essons pocket. 1t was
unsigned and unaddressed, and read:
The better the day the better the deed.
The world and my friends Will be we'll rid
OF me. Those who have been kind will
i 4
failure"
The letter had been written Sunday.
Escape of Miss Hayes.
Esson went to Miss Hayess boarding
mouse Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock. He
ilad been drinking. and throwing himself
on lounge. brandlshed a revolver He
talked Of suicide, and once thrust the bar-
rel OF the revolver in his mouth Miss
Hayes pulled the weapon away Then. at
Essons request, she started to unfasten his
SHOES. She happened to glance up and saw
that Esson had leveled the pistol at her
back.
Miss Hayes knocked the revolver upward
and rushed downstairs to Mrs. Coleman.
ealing for help. Esson shortly afterwards
left the house
According to Miss Hayes, Esson had asked
hsr 10 marry him. but she declined until he
mad become sober. Then he said she would
never marry another man. Miss Hayes saws
She had known Esson in Chicago two or
three years. and that they were to have
been married in a few weeks.
Harold Stridiron came to this ctty from
Chicago several weeks ago to see the Fitx-
slmmons-Ruhlin fight. He met Esson, who
mad arrived here July 1 and was staying
at the Imperial Hotel. The men had known
each other in Chicago, and started to On
joy themselves
Stridiron registered at the Hotel Vendome
Friday evening. and was assigned to room
NO. 3v7 on the eighth floor His window
locked out on Forty-frpt street Stridfrop
lad registered as from Baltimore. Stridiron
was with Esson during Sunday evening,
when both had apparently been drinking
heavily. and finally took him to the Hotel
Vendome, whore Esson registered as H. ].
Ford OF Boston. and was assigned to room
NO. 2oS. Both men left the hotel at o'clock
this morning and went to q restaurant In
Broadway. There an automobile was hired
and the men returned to the restauran mt
about o'clock. 1t was just before 8 o'clock
when the men entered the Hotel Vendome
and went to Stridirons room.
Shooting at the Hotel.
Richard Bradley, col0red bellboy heard
the men quarreling in the room q few min
utcs later and hurried to the office, where
he notified William E. Whelan, the clerk.
An instant later pistol shots were heard.
WEelan hurried to the scene Of the trouble.
Both men were without their coats. Esson
was lying on the floor, dead. Stridiron was
In the hall in a daZed condition. He was
conscious, but very weak from loss of blood.
He had been shot in the back of the head
and over one eye. Esson had been shot
through the mouth The pistol with which
the double shooting had been done was
found on the street below, having been
thro wn from the window.
II Esson shot himself. Acting Chief Burns
OF the West Thirtieth Street Police Staten
Is puzzled by the fact that the revolver
was thrown to the street. inasmuch as the
ambulance surgeon says Esson's death was
instantaneous.
Coroner yucca hurried to the hotel, and,
after viewing the body of Esson. ordered it
removed to the morgue, where later in he
afternoon CorOrer's Physician Williams per
formed an autopsy. The bullet had passed
through Essons brain. The body was -e-
70, -in,n rHo,t ,r1a III Inc
tablishment in Sixth avenue.
Coroner yucca went to the New York hos
pital. where he took stridiron's ante-mor-
tenn statement about o'clock this evening.
He said he lived at No. 119 Seely avenue.
Chicago, and was lumber salesman. He
told OF going to his room in the Hotel Ven
dome after the automobile ride with Esson
and said the latter threw himself on the
bed while Stridiron stood In front OF the
glass changing his collar.
StridirOn's story.
while was standing there" Stridiron's 8
statement continues. he shot me. The shot
could do anything he fired again. ran out
of the room and into room No. 800. After
firing two shots at me, Esson fired another
shot and 1 saw him stagger toward the win
dow. He then staggered back and fell to-
ward the door. 1t was then ran out into
the hall.
had attempted suicide and been stopped. He
did not tell me when or how. He had been
drinking heavily for the last month. He
also asked me to telephone to a girl In
that he had attempted suicide. Shortly
after had telephoned. the girl came to the
side door % OF dMeGoys saloon where we we
she went out together.
While in the automobile this morning he
said he expected $3.50 to be given to him by
mobile with rs. A week ago l took a re-
volver from him and gave it to Tom
ORourke to keep
Before the Coroner arrived, two friends
of Stridiron had called on him. One Of
these took Strdirons money and valuables
To one of the visitors Stridiron said he was
standing in front Of the mirror when Es-
son asked Where's Lillie?' evidently
Stridiron said he assured Esson that he
knew nothing of the whereabouts of the
Stridiron did not make this statement to
the Coroner.
While Esson was lying dead and strid-
iron was in the hospital, Miss Hayes was
searching, for the former. She said that
Esson, while at her house on Sunday, had
taken rings valued at s1.oCO.
n|,I upper Broadway. aH and especially at Kid"
Hayes went to the former place. and was
sa of the to ,S Hotel into
quired about her diamond rings. She was
told they had not been found in either
Stridiron's room or Esson's In the latter's
clothes but Is cents had been found
Miss Hayes's Statement.
When seen this evening. Miss Hayes said
Esson was 81 years old and unmarried.
II have known him about three years."
she sonsnued sids II live in Chicago on the
weeks ago. | was introduced TO him by
Chamber of Commerce building In Chicago.
I came here about the middle of June and
f,GSOr "a