Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-12-23

of Ohio, recently a discussing clerk N
the treasury, in the formers Office il
the Winder building on Seventeenth
street Macdonald afterwards 5h t
himself, and also slashed his thrCa5
with pen-knife
Auditor Morris was closeted alone
with Macdonald. when the shooting
occurred and in trying to make his
escape, he also assaulted the Waterman,
Thomas Cusick, with The rutt of his
revolver. He was arrested While leav
ing the building. Before being taken
into custody, however, he shot himself
in the stomach. and also made an ugiy
cash in his throat with a small PEN
knife. When the officers arrested him.
he was heard to exclaim:
Il did it. know I'm done for.
An eyewitness to the I%!ier part
al the encounter between the Two
men stated that upon ..earlng The
sound of the shot he ran in5o the ahi-
itor's office, which he had just !eft. CE-
on entering the room he saw the two
men struggling in each others arms,
Macdonald holding his revolver close
up to Morris breast.
Macdonald, after firing again at
tempted to get out of the room, but
encountered a number of clerks and
employees which the sound of the fir
ing had brought to the doors, and then
turned and fired again. This is believ-
ed to have been the fatal shot. The
employee, who knew Macdonald, said
he had a grievance against Morris,
who, he claimed, was responsible for
having his pay reduced, Others who
knew him said they could not attrib-
ute his deed to anything but diseas-
ed brain from over indulgence in
liquor.
Frank H. Morris was a native of
Cleveland, Ohio. He was forty-nine
years of age, and leaves a widow and
two sons. He entered the government
service at the beginning of the pres
ent administration as auditor for the
Navy Department. During the first
two years he made an exceptionally
good record for efficiency, bringing the
delayed work up to date and putting
the Office in better shape than ever
before. year and more ago Morris
W DIS llduc duulIOl VI AAAC w 81 DNP'NA
ment, changing places with Auditor
Brown. In his new place he maintain
ed his record as an executive officer,
and soon had the work which was
much behind, up to date. He was well
regarded by the treasury officials, but
was not popular with some of the
subordinateS in his office, who COM
planned that he was unnecessarily
harsh in his treatment of them, and
often exacted more work than they
could do 1t also is said that in order
to keep the work up to date, he would
require them to work over time, and
lose a part of their annual vacation.
The treasury officials, however, do not
agree with these statements, and say
that the auditor required from each
clerk good days work, ana ho
more.
Mcdonald is brother of William H.
Macdonald, the well-known baritone
singer of the "Bostonians,' who is
said to have educated him for the OPP
cratic stage.
He is unmarried So years of age,
and is tall AID iinc- looking. He i"
also from Ohio, and has been in the
government since soon after the civil
war. In 1869 he was removed from
his position as chief of division in the
Office of the commissioner of customs.
In 1890 he was re-appointed clerk in
the Office of the auditor for the War
Department, and in 1897 he was made
disbursing officer in that office, in ad-
dition to his other duties, receiving
In all $4,000 a year.
In February, 1900, his accounts were
found short 81 eco, and upon being re-
CURED to make an explanation he
claimed that on one occasion lie had
forgotten to close his safe on leaving
his Office, and that it had been robbed
of 81 900. He produced evidence which
tended to exonerate him from the
charge Of taking the money, and as he
Immediately MADE good the amount
nothing further was done except TO re-
duce his salary to 81 400 and transfer
him to the Office OF the auditor for the
postoffice, where he was employed at
the time of the tragedy. 1t is stated
that Mcdonald had been hard drink
er at times and that many of his mis-
fortunes can be traced to this source
He has many friends, however. VINO re-
gard him as a man Of many excellent
qualities.
Macdonald was removed to the
Emergency hospital, where the doc
tors have been Dusty engaged in try
Ing to save his life. He was bleeding
profdsoly from the gashes ne had made
across his throat, but it was found. on
examination, that the jugular vein has
not been pierced and that the wound
was not likely to endanger his life.
The bullet wound in the breast proved
TO be more serious The bullet en-
tered the breast below the heart and
lodged in the back between the ribs.
m operation was performed and the
ball removed. The doctors were hope
! full that the man would pull through
unless blood poisoning or other un-
SSrable symptoms developed.
Macdonald was in the hands
OF the $ eons police officer sat near
him and Kept him under constant sur
veilhnce. Technically he is under ar
rest and in the custody of the porice.
but while the fight for his life is going
on there will be no restraint beyond
surveillance. Owing to the critical ma
ture of his wounds the doctors have
not permitted MIN to be seen for the
purpose of getting statement.
Inc desperate character of the strus-
gle between Norris and Macdonald is
disclosed by the stories OF the officials
! OF the auditors Office. who were near
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