The sun., 1901-06-02
SHAKESPEARE MURDER KEY
FOUND IN A HOUsEwIFE's JEWEL BOX
AT CRAWFORD. N. j.

n, Frank-Key to Murdered Woman's
Room Found .. His After He vanished.
Another attempt to secure the liberation
OF "Frenchy." otherwise the Algerian
Ameer Ben Ali. who was sent to prison
for life as the murderer Of odd Shake
speare- in the East River Hotel. Is now
being carried forward by persons actuated
only by the desire for what they believe
to be justice. This Is the third attempt
to secure the pardon OF the Algerian.
Eight affidavits were sent to the Gov
ernor at Albany yesterday by lawyer
Ovide Robillard. An effort was made to
induce Gov. Black to pardon "Frenchy."
but the Governor did not. feel called upon
to act When Gov. Roosevelt was asked
TO grant a pardon to the Algerian he de-
clined on the ground that there was no
evidence to show that -Frenchy" was not
guilty. This objection OF Gov Roose-
velt's Is met In the papers sent to Albany
by Mr.. RobiIlard. as the prisoners friends
who are altogether unknown to the pris-
oner himself been fortunate enough
to secure evidence that "Frenchy" did not
commit the murder and evidence that
another man, Dane. did kill odd Shake
speare.- As tangible evidence they have
the key to the room where the murder was
committed, which the murderer carried
away with him on the night Of the murder
and which has been missing, 80 far as the
authorities are concerned. for ten years.
but the whereabouts of which during that
time Is not known.
The key comes to light through George
Damon, dealer in printers materials at
a Beekman street, who lives at Crawford,
n. j., with the history Of its finding and
retention at his home on account Of an
unwilingness to face the publicity Of COM
ing forward with it at that time. belief
that "Frenchy" was OF character such
that he should be in Jail anyway. and n
fear OF the big, ugly Dane who. Mr.. Damon
believes, committed the murder.
Mr.. Damon says that about month
before the murder Of "Old Shakespeare"
on April %. 1891. having some grading to
do at his place in New Jersey, he went to
Castle Garden and hired big foreigner
whom he knew only as Frank and whom he
took 10 be Dane. After the grading was
finished the Dane was retained as an assist
ant about the stable and grounds. Mr..
Damon's regular man being partly in
capacitated by reason Of an accident. On
the morning of April "A, about 8 o'clock,
Damon went out to his stable and, not seeing
the Dane about asked his other man where
Frank was His man told him that the
Dane was upstairs asleep. that be had been
ugly. and that Mr.. Damon would be likely
10 have trouble II he disturbed him. Mr..
Damon therefore didn't disturb him, but
came to the city as usual about s. o'clock
Between five and ten days later. Mr..
Damon say. Frank left his employ abruptly.
He disappeared in the night and Mr. Da-
mon has never heard of him since, When he
came TO Mr.. Damon's he brought with him
only small bundle of clothes. When he
went away he took this with him. When
Mrs. Damon sent one Of her maid servants
10 the barn to clean out the room Frank
shirt and brass key. the only articles the
Dane had left in the room. The key was
attached to a brass tag on which was
stamped the number 81. This was the
number OF the room In which Shake
speare- was murdered, and the key (Which
had been taken away by the man who occu-
pied the room with her. The newspapers
had told all about the missing key. The
sun had published picture OF another
key belonging to the same hotel just like
the missing one.
The maid told Mrs Damon of tho finding
of the bloody shirt and the key in the barn
room and remarked that the number on the
tag attached to the key was the same as the
number Of the room in which "Old Shake
speare" had been murdered. When Mr..
Damon came homo he was informed OF
what had been found and the next day
when he came to the city he took one OF
his employees and went around to the
saloon-hotel where the murder was done
and sitting down at table ordered some
cigars. From the table they studied the
keys to the other rooms OF the hotel hang
ing on the keyboard and saw that they
were like the one found at Crawford
While they were smoking man came
downstairs from the hotel and laying
key down on the bar went out. Damon
and his employee walked up TO the bar
and ordered some beer and while there
compared the key just laid down with
the one they had brought with them, and
found that the two were exactly alike.
Mr.. Damon says that his familiarity with
type enables him TO say that the number
81 on his key was stamped on the brass
tag with the same die which had made
the numbers on the tag attached TO the
other key and the numbers also on the
rest Of the keys hanging up. The two
men left the MOTEL ana Tor the reasons al
ready mentioned Mr. Damon refrained
from coming forward and informing the au-
thorilies Of what he had found out. Heidi
trll his discoveries. however. to a friend,
John Lee. the well-Snown contractor. and il
was partly on Mr.. Lees advice. he SAYS.
that he kept his information to himself
after that. An AFFIDAVIT by Mr.. Lee say
ing that Mr. Damon told him Of this ten
years ago has been sent with Mr. Damon,
To GOV Odell. and there Is among the PAPERS
also an affidavit by Mr.. Damon's employee,
Charles Brennan. corroborating Mr.. Damon
Brennan works for Mr.. Damon as truck
man.
After making his affldavit Mr.. Damon
went home and asked his wife II she could
swear 10 the number which the key her
maid found had borne. and she replied
that she could and that the key was up
IN her jewel box. where II had been ever
since II was found So the key was pro-
duced and that too was sent on 10 Albany
Yesterday The =" Of the 81" didn't
make good mark when II was first stamped
On the brass tag, and a second impression
had 10 be- mad" The iirst blur and the cor
iecllon are both clear now
Ever since the trial and conviction OF
fr'nchy" there has been widespread
'ohvcton In this town that the Algerian
was rallroad"d' 10 prison as means 10