The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-28
SAID IT WAS A BLONDE WOMAN
BUT THE POLICE ARE UNABLE Tdi
FIND A TRACE OF
HER
MUCH MYSTERY IN THE CASE
Theory Is Advanced That the shoohL
ing May Have Been Done by =.
the Wounded Man
Himself.

liam II. Smythe, secretary of the grand
masonic lodge Of the state, was shot in
the head in his Office in the Masonic
puilolng shortly after noon today.
Mr. Smythe claims woman did the
shooting, bat the police have so far been
unable to locate her. 1t is thought he
cannot live
Lewis Coleman, an attorney, found Mr..
Smythe shortly after he was shot He
went to Nh. Smythe's office, in the Ma
sonic building, shortly after noon, for the
purpose of transacting business, and
found Mr.. Smythe lying in pool of
blood on the floor.
Mr.. Coleman said he detected the smell
OF gunpowder the moment he stepped
into the room
Immediately after finding Mr.. Smythe,
Mr.. Coleman telephoned the police de-
partment. There was intense excite
ment and reports that a murder had
been committed were rife Several po-
lice and Capt. Kinney, with detectives,
soon after arrived.
The wounded man was in a semi-con-
sctous condition, but was able at inter-
walls to utter few coherent words.
The police asked Mr.. Smythe to tell
who did the shooting. He told them his
son would give them the information.
SAYS WOMAN SHOT HIM.
He was able to say, however, that he
was seated at his desk when a blonde
woman entered his office and asked to
use the telephone. He said she had
been in several times before and the last
call irritated him and he refused her re-
quest. He claimed that after he refused
her the use of the telephone she drew
a revolver from the bosom of her dress
and fired. He said his son would give
all the information desired.
Shortly after the tragedy DR.. Elmer
fI1o f1oo
When he was told that his father had
said that he would give information as
to the woman who did the shooting, he
insisted that he knew nothing of her
DR.. Hodges was called Immediately
after the shooting, and when he arrived
he at once began probing for the bull
let. The wound was directly behind the
right ear, and in a short time a piece
Of the bullet was found and extracted.
Another piece, found in the same place.
was taken out and soon afterwaTd a
third piece was found.
DR.. Joseph w. Robb has an Office di-
rectly above that of Smythe, in the Ma
sonic building. He said Mr.. Smythe told
him that he had been annoyed by a
blonde woman who came into his office
several times and asked to Use the tee
phone, saying that she wanted to te1e-
phone across the street to the Lorraine
hotel, where she had a room. Mr.. Smythe
said he refused to grant her request and
that she left the room in a huff Mr.
Smythe related the story with unusual
interest
MYSTERIOUS BLONDE.
DR.. Robb said: 'Dr. Elmer Smythe
said also that his father has been an
noyed by a woman who called and ask
ed permission to use the telephone. He
said his father ordered her out of the
room in rather a grun manner. He sad
he knew nothing about the woman ex-
cept that she was blonde. Soon after
the shooting Mr.. Smythe asked for his
son Elmer, and requested that all leave
the room for few minutes, which was
DONE
Later, when the police questioned Mr..
Smythc about the affair, he told his .ques-
name Of the woman and all about her.
The son persisted in his statement that
he knew nothing of her
An attempt was made to locate the
woman at the Lorraine, but inquiry de-
veloped the fact that there has been
no woman connected with the hotel who
could have been the one who did the
shooting.
MAY HAVE BEEN SUICIDE.
When a search for the woman who is
said to have done the shooting failed to
reveal any trace of her. the theory was
advanced that Mr.. Smythe had attempted
to take his own Rfe The persons who
advanced the theory say it is strength
ened by the fact that within the last
year Mr.. Smythe had threatened to take
his life. His sons said that while their
father had been very desponuent at times
during the past year, they were unwilling
to believe that he had attempted his own
life. They said that until It was proved
to be otherwise they would adhere to the
story told by their father that a strange
woman had fred the shot
At the home of Mr.. Smythe it was i'm
possible to find any clew to TIE woman
whom he said did the shooting Members
of the family said they knew nothing In
Mr.. Smythes life that would lead to
such a tragedy, and that he had never
received any threatening letter to their
knowledge.
MIR. Smythe is widely known in In
diana. He came to this city twenty-five
years ago, from Greencastle, to take the
position Of secretary of TIVE Masonic
grand lodge of Indiana, position which
he has filed to tfe present time. He is
one of the best known Masons in the
state, and is highly esteemed by all who
know him.
Early in the summer Mr.. Smythe re-
ceived a sunstroke which incapacitated
nim for work for several months. In
fact he had never recovered from it.