The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-25
THRILLING TRAGEDY
IN ELEVENTH STORY
WOMAN BEATEN AND SHOT
AND MAN JUMPED TO THE PAVE
MENT FAR BELOW.

innate In Their RelatiOnship-In
Small Private once They Quarrel
ed-De Tried to Throw Her From
the Window-FaiIing In This, He
Shot Her and Then Went out OF
the window Himself.
Detroit, Mich. June PA small
private Office in a suite on the eleventh
floor of the Chamber of Commerce
building, at the corner of Griswold and
State streets. was to-day the scene of
a most thrilling tragedy when Charles
A. Swayse, an insurance agent. fought
with Miss Effie Alvord for several
minutes in an attempt to throw her
out of the window, then shot her
twice. and plunged himself from the
window to the brick pavement of
State street, being almost instantly
killed.
Miss Alvord was shot twice in the
neck and badly beaten about the head
and face by Swayse, but her physician
said tonight that she is not danger
ously hurt
Every bone in Swayse's body below
his neck was broken by his fall of 1865
feet. Despite the terrific fall, a faint
flicker of life remained when he was
picked up. but it went out as his
broken body was being carried into the
lobby of the building.
Back of the Tragedy.
Back of the tragedy lies tale of
intimacy between Miss Alvord and
Swayse, who was 81 years old. married
and the father of two young daugh-
ters. Both Miss Alvord and Swayse
were for several years, prior to No
vember, 1902. employed at the House
of Correction here, Swayse as deputy
superintendent and the woman as
matron.
In a letter found on Swayses body,
he charged that the woman tempted
him while they were at the House Of
Correction and he fell. Their inti-
macy resulted, Supt Mcdonald of the
institution says, in neglect of their
work and both were discharged.
Swayse then entered the employ of
the life insurance company in whose
offices the tragedy occurred.
Miss Alvord had several positions
and then entered the employ of sew
ing machine company. To-day She
drove up in an automobile to the
Chamber of Commerce building with
j. d. Terry, also employed by the
same sewing machine company. She
went up to the insurance Office on
the eleventh floor where she and
Swayse entered a small private Of
five at the front of the building,
Swayse locking the door after them.
Angry words were heard, then
struggle and screams. Next several
shots were fired and employees of the
office broke in the door
Screams Heard on the street.
The woman's screams were heard on
the street, and her companion, Terry
had hurried up in the elevator and ar
rived in time to be the first man to
rush into the room. Miss Alvord lay
on the floor, her clothing torn, blood
running from the bullet wounds in her
neck and her hair down and hisheveled
The window was open and through 1t
could be seen SwaYse's face above the
window ledge, to which he was cling
ing with his hands. The face was
there only a moment. Then the hands
slipped across the ledge and SN'ayse
was hurling down through the air to
his death.
IT is not clear whether Swayse de-
liberately climbed out on the ledge to
commit suicide or had crawled out and
dropped his legs and body over in an
attempt to work his wav down the
front of the building and escape in
to an Office on the floor below.
Woman Saw the Struggle.
Miss Alberta Burns, who is employed
in building a block below the Cham
ber of Commerce. saw the desperate
struggle between the couple from her
Office window. Swayse, she says, made
two attempts to throw the woman from
the window Once he lifted her by her
feet and succeeded in getting part OF
her body through the window. when
she broke away from him. Then he
grabbed her about the waist and again
tried to throw her to the street. Again
she broke away. Then he attacked the
woman and pounded her about the
head. finally drawing his revolver end
shooting her.
Swayse then crawled upon the win
dow and, Miss Burns says, let his body
down until his feet seemed to rest on
something, possibly a narrow ledge a
few feet below the window. Here he
hung for a few seconds then his head
fell back his hands lost their grip and
he whirled through the air out Of Miss
Burns range Of vision.
The Chamber of Commerce IS sit
uated in the heart of the business por-
tion of the city. and hundreds of peo-
pie on the street heard Miss Alvord's s
cries for help as she struggled with
the infuristed man. They also saw
Swayse's body strike the pavement.
Are Elements of Mystery.
There are still elements OF mystery
in the case. At Miss Alvord's board
p. Terry are married. This Miss AL
vord denied to a physician who at
tended her. Reporters have not been
permitted to question her at the hospi-
tai.
one of the letters found on Swayse
was addressed TO Mrs A. E. Zeney OF
Saginaw, Mich, warning her not to
let her son marry Miss Alvord, whom
swayze bitterly excorlated in the let
ter. charging her with wrecking his
home.
Al Miss Alvord's boarding house II
was stated that Swayse had been
threatening her for some time. and that
she went 70 his Office to-day 70 tell
him that she was married and 70 ANAL
ly break with him. n is also stated
that Hwayse had Threatened 70 write
10 her sweetheart IN the West. sup
posed 20 be George Zeney. and tell him
~ her intimacy and that she went 10
f,da Office to-day - defy him - DO a.
A letter 40 HzEavae'a wife WaA fssaI4lf