The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-26
DESPERATE JEALOUSY
MCKEE WRECKED ENTIRE HOTEL
WITH DYNAMITE.
GUESTS MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
HE CHOSE EARLY HOUR BEFORE
BREAK OF DAY.

After the Explosion McKfe Blew Out
His Own Brains with a Revolver,
His Trunk Contained Large
Quantity of Dynamite-HenvyL Loss
es at the Race Track and Conse-
quent Dependency Believed to
Have Been Partly the Cause of
Young Mans Desperate Act.
Washington, Sept. 25.-The Golden
Eagle Hotel, on the corner of New Jer-
sey avenue and D street, was dyna-
mited this morning at 4:30 o'clock by
Frank McKie, one of the guests, who
subsequently committed suicide. Be-
tween twenty and thirty guests were
thrown from their beds by the explos-
ion. but only the proprietor, Louis
Brandt and his wife, were injured. The
roof of the building was blown off and
the falling wreckage crashed through
as If wrecked by a tornado. Every
pane of glass in the building and the
adjoining structures was broken. The
explosion called out the fire depart
ment.
The affair is involved in some mys-
terry. The proprietor gave a banquet
last night in honor of his wife, who
had just returned from Germany, and
McKie was a guest.
McKie had boarded at the hotel four
years and had been treated as a MEM
Der of the Brandt family, which in
cludes a daughter, Sophie, with whom
MCKEE is said to have been in love.
Brandt denies that there was any I'M
derstanding between the two. McKie
remarked last night that he was going
to wait until Sophie returned from Ger
many with her mother, and then he
was going to his old home in Phila-
delphia. Mrs. Brandt and her daugh-
ter returned about o'clock last night.
The attempt at wholesale murder fol-
lowed this morning. McKie with a pis-
tol in his hand was seen by an employee
of lunch room opposite the hotel just
before the shots were fired. When the
explosion occurred a slight blaze
sprang from the debris, but it was
quickly extinguished by the firemen.
Brandt and his wife We're quickly res
cued before many of the thirty guests
of the establishment had reached the
room was located. McKie, with
revolver in his hand was found lying
on the floor, with his head in a pool
of blood. bullet hole near the right
ear had caused instant DEATH Brandt
was bruised about the body and shak-
en- up badly and received a severe cut
on the leg. Mrs. Brandt sustained
bruises about the body and a cut hand.
When the wrecked building was
searched to-day enough dynamite was
found in McKie's trunk to wreck a
block of buildings. There were six
whole sticks and parts of two or three
broken sticks, together with box of
caps and a quantity of wire for long
distance explosion. He had had at
least nine sticks of dynamite in his
possession.
McKie was about % years old. He
was formerly of Philadelphia and had
relatives in Chicago. His brother,
Harry MCKEE. was killed in Chicago
last year, according to a telegram
found in the dead mans room to-day.
McKie was a machinist in the navy
yard here, but resigned on inheriting
upwards of $4,000 about four years
ago. This amount he is said to have
lost on the races, and his act is ac-
credited by some to this loss. Detec-
tiyeS are investigating the case TODAY