The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-18
WIPED OUT IN BLOOD
BUSINESS DIFFERENCES END IN
FEARFUL DEED OF DEATH.
TURNER MURDERS TWO MEN.
THEN, WITH SAME WEAPON, DE-
sTROYS HIS OWN LIFE.

Tragedy in Wall street. at Busy
Noon Hour, startIes New Workers.
w. c. Turner, DefauIting Treas
urer of BottlinG Works, Kills
President and Secretary-Robcr
Hamilton and w. j. MnlIard His
VictimS-Parties Had Met tn Adjust
Differences, when Disagreement
Aroused Turner's EVIL Passions.
New York, Oct. 17.-Using a new au-
| tomato magazine pistol. William c.
Turner, former president and treasurer
of the Climax Bottling Company. to-
day shot and killed w. j. Mallard. sec
rotary and treasurer of the company,
and Robert Hamilton. it's president,
and then killed himself with the same
weapon.
A second revolver, loaded in every
| chamber, was found in Turner's peck
ct. and it is believed he planned to
take more lives than he did.
The shooting was caused by a quar-
rel between the three men over an al
! legged shortage in Turner's accounts,
for which he was threatened with
| criminal prosecution. The tragedy oc-
Cured in the Offices of the law firm of
Cantor, Adams & Mcintyre. in the
heart of the Wall street district, dur
ing the busy noon hour.
Principals All Prominent.
| Turner who was As years of age and
| lived at Mount Vernon, N. Y. sub
urb of this city, was a cousin of Gov
| Odell of this state and the head Of
the law firm in whose offices the shoot
ing occurred is President Cantor OF the
borough of Manhattan. Soon after the
shots rang out in the office building a
wild rumor was started that the bor-
! ough president had been killed.
All of the principals in the tragedy
were married. Mallard was &c years
| old, a native of Atlanta, Ga, where
he was well known in business and
| social circles. He was president OF
| the Young Mems Democratic Club
| there. He had been in this city about
four years and lived with his wife and
| two children in an uptown fiat. Mr.
| Hamilton lived in Pittsburg, where he
was president Of the J. T. g. A. Ham
| ilton glass factories. He was about
60 years old. He arrived in this city
yesterday in response to telegram
from Turner, received at Pittsburg,
which said:
Meet me in New York and I will
settle with you"
Men Met by Appointment.
| The three men met in the law Of
| fees by appointment to allow Turner
to make a partial settlement and he
was asked for certified check.
II have it," he said, and then he clos
ed the door of the room. An instant
I1f No. q.
| ing. Mallard fell. shot through the
heart and Hamilton lived only few
moments. A number of other persons
| who were in the room, clerks and
| members of the firm, fled in a panic.
! After killing Hamilton and Malard,
| Turner shot himself in the head. Some
moments later, hearing no more shots,
the persons who fled ventured back
| into the room and found the three bod
| les.
Turner retired as president of the
| Climax Bottling Company last April,
| when he was bought out by Hamil-
| ton. After the safe 1t was discovered
! in examining the books Of the concern
! that there was a shortage of $500 in
| Turner's accounts. The Climax com
| pany engaged John F. Mcintyre, for
mer assistant district attorney, and Mr..
| Goodman both of the firm in whose
| offices the shooting occurred to-day, to
! effect a settlement with Turner and he
| engaged Edgar Leventritt to represent
| his interests.
Agreement Had Been Reached.
Some difficulty had been met with in
| the negotiations which followed be-
! tween the lawyers, but it was finally
| agreed to accept $1,000, and give Turner
a release in full. Last night 1t was
agreed that the settlement should take
place in the offices of Cantor. Adams
and Mcintyre to-day at II O'Clock.
| Before he left the conference last
| night Turner anxiously asked that Mr..
| Mcintyre be present at to-day's meet
| ing, and Mr.. Mcintyre has said since
| the shooting that he did not like Tur-
ner's manner yesterday, as the latter
seemed, in his opinion, to bear himself
recklessly, and with the demeanor of
a man who might do almost any des-
perate act
At the appointed hour to-day Tur-
ner, with his lawyer. entered the law
offices. Mr.. Goodman ushered Turner
and his lawyer into the private office
OF Mr.. Adams. Leventritt, ii is said,
told Turner to remain outside. Turner
refused. saying that he wanted to close
the matter at once. Turner Immediate
ly, after entering asked for Mr.. McIn-
tyre, and showed anger when told he
From BUSINESS to Sudden Death.
Negotiations for settlement began
at once. Messrs. Hamilton, Mallard,
Goodman and Adams being present be-
side Turner and his attorney. The con-
ference at first was in the firms general
Office. but later Mallard asked to see
Mr.. Adams and Mr.. Hamilton in
Adams private office, Turner having
refused certain propositions. While
the conference in the private office was
going on Turner walked in. His lawyer
asked him for his check to be used in
the settlement, and Turner said: Eyes,
III let you have It,"
Then Turner closed the door of the
office. He was facing Mr.. Ma1lard,
who had asked him for the certified
check. An instant after he had shut
the door, ne drew revolver, and point
ing II at Mallard, said:
II win kill you, you -
-"
Then he fired two shots at Mallard.