The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-13
PAUL LEICESTER FORD KILLED
in HIS STUDY.
MURDERER THEN SUICIDES
Failure to Secure Money From His
Brother Said to Be the Cause
for the Crime.

New York, May paul Leicester
Ford, the novelist, was shot and kill
ed today by his brother, Malcolm
Webster Ford, writer and athlete who
Immediately sent a bullet into his own
breast, dying instantly. The shooting
occurred at 1920 a. M, in the hand
some new mansion which Paul Leices-
ter Ford had built at No. 81 East
Seventy-seventh street and had oc-
cupied for about a year.
At the time Of the shooting there
were in the house, besides the two
brothers, Mrs. Leicester Ford, Miss
Elizabeth r. Hall, the novelist's Sec
rotary, and the servants. Mr.. Ford
was sitting at his desk in a corner of
his library. 1t is supposed he vas
busily engaged at some literary task.
Miss Hall vas at her desk in another
corner of the ROOM, about 80 feet from
Mr.. Ford. Mrs. Paul Leicester Ford
was in her room at the front of the
house on the third floor.
Malcolm Ford called, as he had Of
ten done, and went to his brother at
his desk. Words were exchanged in
a tone SO low that Miss Hall could not
hear what was said. Suddenly there
was a revolver shot and Miss Hall,
jumping up, darted, from the
Then, according to the statement of
the police, Miss Hall said to herself
that she might act more bravely and
re-enter the library. Meanwhile, NAL
colin Ford had called her. AS she
turned toward him, he placed his re-
volver to his heart, fired and fell, dy-
ing instantly.
When Miss Hall turned to look at
Paul, he was still standing at his
desk, but rapidly losing strength. She
helped him to a sofa and then ran
next door for Mr.. Ford's physician,
DR.. Emanuel Barch. In less than
five minutes DR.. Barch arrived and the
dying man, still conscious, was carri-
ed to a room beside his wife's and
placed upon his bed. He spoke to his
wife and asked the doctor for his opin-
ion, showing that he expected death
and was going to meet it calmly and
bravely. A few moments later, about
20 minutes after he was shot, Mr..
Ford died.
The bullet which killed Paul Ford
just grazed the top of his heart and
passed through a large artery as
cending from it. The bullet which
killed Malcolm Ford was fired with
the same accuracy of aim, for it made
a wound scarcely an inch lower than
the one which killed his brother. In
fact, the wounds were almost identi.
cal.
Just what disposition of Malcolm
Ford's body was made Immediately
after the shooting could not be as
certained. But it appears from the
statement Of certain persons acquaint
ed with the details of the tragedy thai
the body lay where it fell, OF a rug
in the library, for some time, possibly
hours, so great was the excitement il
the house. The murder and suicide
were not known to the coroner unit
about 2:3O p. M, and to the police no
until 4:25 p. m. DR.. Barch said thai
the time between 1920 a. m. and 2:3(
p. M, passed so rapidly that no ont
in the house realized it Much of the
time was occupied in trying to tele
phone to the father of Mrs. Paul Ford
Edward H. Kidder of Brooklyn, wht
was the first person to arrive after thu
physician.
Mr.. Kidder refused to make any
statement in regard to the shooting
except a brief memorandum which
was given to the police. In this it il
said that the cause Of the shooting
could only be surmised. Information
from other sources makes it appea
that Malcolm Ford called to get mon
ey from his brother, and, meeting witt
D. d IOlu6dl, onOt Alll4. ~ DuA S~A
that the murder was the result o
temporary mental alteration on tn
part of Malcolm Ford, due to nervou
exhaustion. It is said that there wa
enmity between the two brothers, an
that it was of II years standing; tina
never since the death of their fathe
have they been on intimate term:
This alleged enmity on the part c
Malcolm is said to have been brough
about by the fact that the father {
the boys d~isinherited Malcolm, an
that this action on the fathers pal
was because he did not wish Malcoll
to devote himself to an athletic caree
Police Captain Brown said tonigf
that Malcolm Ford had for some tim