Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-10
James MGregor, Stage Hand,
Takes This Means of Ending
His Career.
PRELUDE TO BONNIE BRIER BUSH
Almost LifeleSs Body Found Dangling
AT the End of a Rope Between
The Flies.

stage of the Salt Lake Theater last
evening shortly before the time set for
the curtain to rise on the performance
of the Bonnie Brier Bush" when
James McGregor, better known as
James Livingston, hanged himself.
The mans rash act was due to jeal-
ousy because another man was paying
attention to McGregors sweetheart
Miss Lena Hall. He has been em-
ployed at the Theater for many years
as a fly man and engineer lie went
up in the flies, made a hangman's
the other end to beam and leaped
off. His neck was broken by the fall,
but he did not die until after he had
been cut down. McGregors body,
first seen by Miss Mabel Brownell, who
plays the part of Flora Campbell, the
leading female role in the play She
wa.f on her way to her dressing room
when she saw the form swaying above
her. She screamed and called TO sew
eral of the stage hands.
Frank Sugden, the stage door ten
der, said that II was only dummy and
that 1t had been placed there for joke.
The dressing room doors were quickly
closed and Treasurer George Dcrr was
sent for. "Why, that's jim he ex-
claimed, hurry and cut him down.
BODY CUT DOWN.
Some OF the stage hands quickly
climbed to the flies and tried TO raise
the body, but found the task too much
for them. One Of the men then cut
the rope and the body fell probably
twenty feet Although the neck was
broken, life was not yet extinct, and
MIR. Derr and several employees worked
over him for some time, A messenger
was sent to the drug store for whisky
and another was dispatched for Dr.
], S, Richards, but McGregor was be-
yond human aid, and at 7:i5 he was
pronounced dead.
AS the time was rapidly drawing
near for the curtain to rise, every effort
was made to keep the frightful affair
from the players, but the news spread
quickly and caused quite a connection.
j. II. Stoddart, the star. was not in
formed of It, and the audience little
dreamed of the tragedy that had been
enacted on the stage. Quiet was soon
restored and the performance went on
as usual
DECKER's STORY.
r. V. Decker, chief usher at the
Theater this morning in speaking
about the tragedy said
II believe that | was the last man
to see McGregor alive. II was about
80 when | noticed that the house was
- 4 lat hA
Office to find Mr.. Piper, He was not
there. but Mr.. Derr went to the back
to look into the trouble | passed Me-
Gregor and spoke to him and he gave
q very short answer II is my belief
that he had everything fixed for the
suicide and when he saw Mr.. Derr go
down to the furnace he ran up stairs
placed the moose he had In readiness
around his neck and jumped off, |
saw him run up stairs and the next
minute ! heard woman scream.
ran in her direction and saw her star
ing at what | thought was a dummy.
] said The fellow who played that
trick will not do so again In this thea
ter ! pushed the lady into her room
and slammed the door As / looked
again at that dummy ] began TO think
that II was man. We called the
others and soon cut II down, There
was life In the body when 1t reached
the stage, but he was dead before we
got him to the green room,
1.-THE talk among the boys today is
that McGregor was to have been mar
riod this week. but at the last moment
broke 1t off on account of the girl GO
Ing out with someone else. The boys
say that Jim was looking for the fellow
yesterday but was unable to find him,
nj ~ ka
on his mind until he concluded TO do
away with himself instead"
MISS HALL HISTORICAL.
Miss Hall was at the Theater and
became hysterical. Several times she
came near fainting, and Officer Bert
Seager escorted her To the drug store
whore she was given stlmulants.
The body OF the suicide was removed
to the undertaking parlors Of Joseph
y. Taylor. whore Il was prepared for
burial The relatives have not de-
clded the time fer the funeral.
McGREGoRs HISTORY.
McGregor was about 20 years of age
and was born in this city. When "A
child he was adopted by man named
Livingston, and assumed that name.
He has been employed almost constant
~ for the past ten years at the Salt
Lake Theater He held the position
of vice president Of the local branch
Of the International Association of
Stage Employees. For about fifteen
months he has been paying attentions
to Miss Han, and It was understood
among their friends that they were
TO have been married soon. A short
time, ago he learned that he had
rival and the discovery seemed to take
all the courage out Of him. Carl
Reynolds, n stage hand was the last
person to see him alive McGregor
remarked that he could not heat up the