The San Francisco call., 1904-06-25
GRIM TRAGEDY
IN SKYSCRAPE
Detroit Clerk Drops From
Window on Eleventh Floor
After Shooting a Woman
DIES SOON AFTERWARD
Hundreds of HOrrified Pc
deStrianS Watch the Body
Whirling Through the Air

DETROIT, Mich, June 24.-Charles
Swayze. employed by a life insurance
company and former assistant superin-
tendcnt of the Detroit House of Cor
rection. to-day shot Miss Efie Alvord
twice while the couple were in pri-
vate Office Of the company's suite on
the eleventh floor of the Chamber of
Commercs building and then dropped
from the window himself. He was
picked up unconscious and died as he
was being carried into the lobby of
the building. Miss Alvord was shot
in the neck and wrist, but not serious
~ hurt.
Miss Alvord went to the Office OF the
life insurance company about IL o'clock
and asked to have a private interview
with Swayze. She was shown into a
small private Office fronting on the
State-street side OF the building, where
Swayze Joined her, shutting and lock-
ing the door. In a few moments other
persons in the office heard a struggle.
then screams, which were followed in
quick succession by several pistol
shots. Manager Mccall of the agency
broke in the door and found Miss AL
word PROSTATE on the floor, her hair
disheveled, her waist torn and blood
pouring from wounds in her neck and
wrist. Through the open window Nc
Call could see Swayze's hands clutch
ing the window ledge. They were in
view for only a moment Then Swayze
let go and his body went whirling
down through the air. 1t hit several
wires and turned over twice, striking
on the face and chest.
LETTER EXPLAINS TRAGEDY.
A bullet wound in his nose showed
that he had shot himself. There was
just a breath of life in Swayzes body
when he was picked UP, and he died
while being carried into the Chamber
Of Commerce lobby.
Meantime physicians in the build
ing had been summoned to the insur-
ance office to attend Miss Alyord. They
found that her wounds are not fatal.
Occupants of a building across the
street from the Chamber of Commerce
say that Swayze attempted to throw
Miss Alvord out of the window. Her
head and shoulders were seen across
the ledge, and she was fighting desper-
ately.
Then the couple disappeared from the
window and the shots rang out, fol-
lowed by Swayze's mad plunge.
A letter written by Swayze was
found, which explains the tragedy.
The letter says Miss Alvord was re-
sponsihle for Swayze losing his posi-
tion at the House of Correction.
Miss Alvord is an employe of a sew
ing machine company, but worked at
the House of Correction when Swayze
was there Her home is said to be at
Saginaw, Mich.
PEDESTRIANS ARE HORRIFTED.
Miss Alvord told the physician at
tending her to tell the reporters that
Swayze sent her a telephone message
thet he was going to shoot her as a
birthday present. She said she went
to Swayze's Office to-day to talk with
him. He had been threatening, she
said, TO write to the mother Of her
sweetheart and tell her that Miss AL
word was not the kind of a girl her
son should marry.
1t is not certain that Swayze delib-
erately jumped from the window. 1t
is thought by many that when he
heard the door of the private office
being opened he crawled out on the
window ledge and endeavored to hang
by his hands in mad attempt to es-
cape detection. Marks in the dust ON
the window ledge show wnere his fin
gers gradually dragged across it until
his hold was lost. This is taken to in
dicate that he did not intend to jump.
The Chamber of Commerce building
is at the corner of Griswold and State
streets. one block from the busiest
shopping districts.
Before Swayze's body whiried
through the afr, the attention of people
had been attracted to the building by
the cries Of Miss Alvord as she fought
at the window against being hurled to
the street and by the pistol shots.
Scores saw Swayze fall and hundreds
Of men, women and children were on
the scene almost before the body was
picked up.
Swayze was SO years of age and
leaves a wife and two children.
WOMAN RELIEVED TO HAVE