Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-05-14
PAUL |. FORD MURDERED
Novelist Slain by His Brother, Who
Then Killed Himself.
DEMANDS FOR MONEY REFUSED

u fCeltnS
Author Shot while Sitting a. His
Desk in His Library-Brave in Face
ofDcath-Sole Witness to the Tragedy.
New York City.-Paul Leicester Ford,
the doformed author of Janice Mere
dith" and The Honorable Peter Ster-
ling" never conceived n climax in any
of the novels that have made him fa-
nous so dramatic as that which has
brought his cvcntful life to an abrupt
end. In the library of his home, sur
rounded by the books he loved, he was
shot TO death by his brother. Malcolm
Webster Ford. Il tall, stalwart man.
scarcely less famous for his athletic
achievements than was Paul for his;
writings.
Before he had fallen from the chair
where he sat when the shot was fired
Paul saw his brother shoot himself and
/ fan lifelesS, Tho tragedy was the re-
suit OF Il feud growing out of the recent
cccentricticS of the father of both NOV.
/ the father who had disinhcritcd Mall
colin and who had given the lions
share Of his 81 100000 estate to the de-
formed son. Paul.
Z
working on tho notes of Il new novel,
and Miss Hall was also occupied in an
other part of the room. when Malcolm
| Ford who had been admitted into the
! honSr by Il servant. entered the library
lie paid no attention to Miss Hall,
but walked directly to his brothers
desk. Paul, looking up, said: Good
morning, Malcolm" Miss Hall did not
hear MalcolHa return the salutation,
bat she did hear him say: Il am at the
end of my rnpe. want you TO-
Miss Hall did not hear the conclusion
of the sentence. They then engaged
| m whispered conversation of a few
minutes.
The last words that Miss Hall heard
came from Paul. They were: No;
cannot"
Miss Hall heard step back of her
and saw Malcolm back away and raise
+. his arm. Then she heard the report OF
| revolver. Miss Hall leaped from her
chair ana looked around in an agony
or fear She saw Malcolm standing
tall and erect. within two feet of the
chair where Paul Ford was crouched
She dashed through the portieres
with scream of fright Then she
heard Malcolm call: Miss Hall, Miss
Hall; come backbone back and see
i4N i'iNt my pNu lllt.
Looking through the curtains Miss
Hall. with blanched eyes. watched him
deliberately raise Il revolver to his left
breast, and, with his face turned to-
ward the window. press his finger on
the trigger. She heard rather than saw
the body of the athlete as il swung
around toward her and dropped heav-
lily to the floor Miss Hall then reached
the chair just as Paul Ford was about
slipping from the seat to the floor. Put
ting her two arms around the frail
body she half lifted and half led him
to couch that stood on the other side
of her desk
Her screams for frelp had attracted
the servants, and one of them was sent
for the family physician nearby, DR..
Baruch, who arrived five minutes after
the shooting. He Immediately exam
ined the dying author upon the couch
and discovered that the bullet had Ell
tered the left breast. and had pene-
! tratcd one of the larger arteries, in
hicting surely fatal wound DR.. Ba-
! ruch administered Il stimulant under
which Mr.. Ford regaineh conscious
ness, and asked: How am l, Doctor?"
! The doctor made no response Mr.
! Ford looked UP mt him again. with n
| feeble smile. and asked once more:
How am l. Doctor? How am II"
J He read his fate in the face of the
physician, for. with n strong effort to
keep up, he said: Il will try to die
bravely. How am L now .Doctor?"
The doctor assured him that he was
acting bravcly. With the assistance of
the women servants the doctor carried
| the body of the novelist into IN adj
| joining apartment and placed il on a
bed.
DR.. Raruch had an exciting quarter
OF an hour between trying to retain life
In the feeble body OF Paul Ford and
| to prevent the servants from advising
Mrs. Ford of the tragedy that had
robbed her of her husband. He sue
ceedcd I'm retaining life in the body of
Paul Ford for fifteen minues. He was
leaning over the dwarfed figure when
| the end came
| DR.. Rosenburg. who also had been
summoned. had made an examination
OF the body of Malcolm Ford. He had
| been shot in precisely the same spot
as had his brother. whom he had mur
dered. ard his death was almost instan-
| tancOus
The physicians proceeded to the
apartments of Mrs. Ford, who is short
ly To become mother. They learned
that Mrs. Ford had demanded of one
OF the servants the cause of the noise
ana confusion down stairs and had
been told that Mr.. Ford had been shot
The physicians found her hysterical
and in urgent need Of their skill. So
critical was her condition that neither
physician dared leave the room for
iour hours after the tragedy occurred
faul Leicester Ford was born in
brooklyn in 1860. III health i'm child
hood and early manhood prevented the
! haltormcd Paul from going TO school
or college. but he found Il real mivcr-
SitY i'll his fathers library Paul Ford's