West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-05-15

Famous Author Killed bv His Own
Brother.

Last Thursday terrible tragedy
took place in New York City, at
No. 81 East Seventy.seventh street,
in magnificent mansion owned and
occupied by Paul Leicester Ford,
the we'll known writer of "Janice
Meredith" the "Hon. Peter Ster-
ling" and other books. That morn
ing Mr.. Ford was at his desk writ
ing, with his stenographer at another
desk, when his brother, Malcolm
Webster Ford, came in. as he did
frequently, and began talking to his
brother Paul in low tones, asking
for more money, as he had been
doing often of late. 1t seems that
Paul had been helping him till he
had gotten tired of it, and this time
refused. Malcolm then drew re-
volver and shot him just in the
upper part of the heart, then walked
out of the room and returned imme-
diately and shot himself in almost
exactly the same place, only little
lower down, dying instantly. The
young lady typewriter ran for help
and summoned physician living
next door. He came and they car
ried Paul upstairs to his bedroom,
but he was dead in twenty minutes
after the shooting. The brothers
lay side by side in room of the
house till Saturday, when they were
both buried together last Saturday.
The wife of Malcolm Ford was di-
vorced from him, and his little five
year old son, Malcolm Ford, IT,,
will be kept and cared for by the
Ford family. The most widely read
book of the dead author is "Janice
Meredith" which has had a phc-
nomenal sale. Another good story
was "The Great X. & A. Train
Robbery" which was published in
the ARGUS few years ago.
The sorrowing family issued a
statement in which they declared it
their belief that Malcolm killed his
brother during period of temporary
insanity, and then took his own life.
The statement is also made that
Malcolm's affairs recently had been
expressing him, and that he had
repeatedly asked material assistance
from his brother.
There is no doubt that financial
matters led TO the tragedy. The
trouble traces back to the will made
by their father, Gordon l.. Ford.
In II he disinheriied Malcolm,
dividing his estate, aggregating
several million dollars, among his
six other children. Malcolm's
fondncss for athletes was generally
supposed to be the cause. Malcolm
sued for one seventh of the estate
and lost. He has since supported
himself and his son by writing on
sporting topics for the newspapers.
Recently he had been employed as
the editor of monthly magazine
devoted to the interests of the
automobile.
Malcolm Ford lived, with his son,
in an apartment at No. rao7 West
Fifty seventh street. He had good
reputation there. He was quiet in
his habits and generally spent his
evenings with his little son. He
kissed his boy good by at the
elevator and went directly to his
brothers fine home. The murder
and suicide occurred in little over
half an hour after his departure
| from home.
The revolver with which he com
mitted the murder and suicide had
had been in his possession for man,
years. He was an expert shot with
the revolver. This was proved b,
the fact that he fred only one shot
at his brother Paul, striking him in
the left breast near the heart. The
bullet that ended his own life entered
his body in the same place.
Malcolm was so years old, stall
wart and fine looking, the yer,
antithesis of his brother Paul, who
was frail, short of stature and {
hunchback.
| Malcolm for years was one OF tn,
foremost athletes of the country
1t is said that Paul very mucf
admired the physical prowess Of hi.
brother, and gave to some of the
characters in his novels some Of ths
traits of his brother, whom he loved
Cripple as he was, Paul Leicester
Ford was an amazing worker. He
wrote in his 81 busy years nearly
100 volumes in all. These were
mostly historical, and some were
only pamphlets, but they represented
a tremendous amount Of research
and physical labor for the it'll,
hunchback. His best known books
are 'Janice Meredith" "The Hon
orable Peter Sterling" and "Thc
Story of An Untold Love"
Mrs. Paul Leicester Ford was il
| in he'd in the houso ,,her,. a. =, s.o,,s, 4 .