The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-25
BODY FALLS
II STORIES
Charles A. SWaySe'S Fear
full Tumble.
DIED In FEW MOMENTS
Had Attempted to Kill a
Young Woman.
Insurance Man Of Detroit shoots Of
ne Alvord and Crawls Out Of
window when Door is
Brokea Open.

Detroit, Mich. June 24.-Charles A.
Swalse, employed by life insurance
company and for some time assistant
superintendent of the Detroit House OF
Correction today shot Miss Effie Alvord
twice, while the couple were In
private office in the company's suit on
eleventh floor of the Chamber OF
Commerce building. and then jumped
from the window himself.
He was picked up on the brick pave
ment of State Street and died as he
was carried in the lobby of the build
ing.
Miss Aivord was shot is the neck
and wrist but Is not fatally hurt. IT
lis reported at Harper Hospital.
Miss Alvord arrived at the Chamber
of Commerce building In an automo-
bile about IL o'clock, accompanied by
a man. She went to the eleventh floor
land entering the office of the life In
surance company asked to have a pri-
vate interview with Mr.. Swayse She
was shown into a small private office
fronting on State Street side of the
building, where Swayse Joined her,
shutting and locking the door.
/ Burst Open Door.
In a few moments the other persons
/ in the Office heard a struggle, and then
screams which were followed in quick
succession by several pistol shots.
Manager Mccall. of the agency. rushed
against the door OF the private room
and broke it open. Miss Alvord was
PROSTATE on the floor, her hair dis
lheveled, her waist torn and blood
pouring from the wounds in her neck
and wrist.
Through the open window Mr.. Mccall
lcouId see Swayse's hands clutching the
window. ledge. They were in view
only moment, then Swayse let 90 and
his body went whirling down through
1.-THE air. II struck several wires and
turned over twice, striking on the face
II and chest A bullet wound In his nose
showed he had also shot himself be-
fore taking the awful plunge. There
was just a breath of life IN the body
when II was picked up and that flick
cred out before 1t had been carried
into the Chamber of Commerce lobby.
Meanwhile physicians In the build
, ing had been summoned to the insur-
ance office to attend Miss Alvord.
They found her wounds are not fatal.
Miss AIvord is an employe of a
sewing machine company, but work
, | ed at the house of correction when
Swayse was assistant superintendent
there. Her home is said to be at Sag
NAV, Mich.
Saw Desperate Struggle.
, Occupants of a building across the
street from the Chamber of Commerce.
, said they heard agonizing screams
) | from the Chamber of Commerce build
! ing/ and looking cut saw Swayse at.
tempt to throw Miss Alvord out of tnt
window. Her head and shoulders were
5 across the ledge and she was fighting
desperately. Then the couple disap
{ peared from the window and the shot
rang out, followed by Swayses mac
, plunge.
3 A letter written by swayse wal
e found. which it is said explains thu
tragedy. It is alleged the letter say
that Miss Alvord and Swayse had beer
IL timate; that the intimacy was re-
( sI.onsible for Swayse losing his posi-
0 | ton at the house of correction, anS
Q that Miss Alvord had been bounding
= him
n the man with whom Miss AlvorC
e drove up to the building was j. B
Terry, an employee of the same sewing
e machine company that employed Mis-
> Alvord. At Miss Alvord's boarding
: house 1t was stated she and Terry HAD
s bnon married for several months Oh
= the contrary Miss Alvord sent word Il
n the reporters through the physician
: who dressed her wound that she wal
g net married to Terry, but was engag
G ed to him.
: Death ms Birthday Present.
. Yesterday was the young womani
e 2sth birthday, and she told the physi
= ciar to tell the reporters that Sways'
Il SAINT her a telephone message that HI
= IVES going to shoot her as a birthda!
: prs sent. She says she went to Swaysei
o office to-day to break with him. HI
had been threatening, she said, L
d write to the mother of her sweethear
d the kind of a girl her son should mar
e nv. She says she went to the Office to
e day to tell him to go ahead with hi
o letter If he pleased to do so and Il
IT finally break with him.
: Superintendent Mcdonnell OF tn
House of Correction, stated 1t was tn
Il intimacy between Swayse and Mis-
II AIvord that cause him to discharg
d them both.
= It is not certain that swayse DELHI
Il erately jumped from the eleventh stor
d window. 1t is thought by many thd
l. when he heard the door of the privat
IS Office being broken in he crawled ou
on the window ledge and endeavore
to hang by his hand in an attempt I
escape detection.
Did Not Intend to Jump.
l., Marks in the dust on the windoV
ledge show where his fingers gradual
N dragged across it until his hold wa
v lost. This is taken TO indicate that D
. did not intend to jump.
- The Chamber of Commerce buildin
r is at the corner of Griswold and Stat
n Streets, one short block from tn
n busiest shopping district on Woodwar
Avenue. Even before his body whirle
T. through the air, the attention of peopl
4 had been attracted to the building b
Is the cries of Miss Alvord as she tough
"a at the window against being hurle
n into the street and by pistol shots
n Scores saw the mans body fall an
n thousands of men, women and childre
were on the scere almost before tn
body was picked up Swayse was
years of age and leaves a widow an
C. two children.
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