The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-26
A DOOR FLEW OPEN
The Man Entering GIimpsed That
Horrid Face at the Window, Then
the CIinging Hands Gave Way and
Down it Went, Deaths Black Cur
tain Dropping Over the Last Act in
Drama of Guilty Love.
(By the Associated Press


private office in suite on the eleventh
floor of the Chamber of Commerce
building, the corner of Griswold ana
State streets, was today the scene of
q most thrilling tragedy, when Chas.
A. Swayse, an INSURANCE agent, fought
with Miss Effie Alvord for several min
utes 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, be-
ing almost instantly killed.
Miss Avord was shot twice i'm the neck
and badly beaten about the head and
face, but her physician said tonight
that she is not dangerously hurt Every
bone in Swayses body below his neck
was broken by his fall of 165 feet. De-
spite 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.
THE Woman Tempted Me-
Back of the tragedy lies tale of III
timacy between Miss AlVord and
SwaySe, who was fifty-one years of age
married and the father of two young
daughters. Both Miss Alvord and
Swayse We're for several years, prior
to Nocember, 1902, employed at the
House of Correction here, Swayse as {,
deputy superintendent and the woman
as a matron. In a letter found OH
Swayses body he charged that the
woman tempted him while they were
at the house of correction and he fell.
Their intimacy resulted, Superntend-
ent Mcdonald, of the institution says,
i'll neglect of their work and both
We're discharged. Swayse then enter
ed the employ of the life insurance
company, in whose office the tragedy
occurred.
Miss Alvord had several positions
and then entered the employ of a sew
ing machine company. Today she
drove up in an automobile to the
Chamber of Commerce building with
j. ID. 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 q small private office at the
front of the building, Swayse locking
the door after them.
Angry words We're then heard, fol-
lowed by a struggle and screams. Next
several shots were fired, and employees
Of the office broke in the door.
The woman's screams were heard on
the street, and her companion, Terry
hurried up in the elevator and arrived
in time to be the first man to rush in
to 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 dishelveled.
A Picture for Victor Hugo.
The window was open and through
it could be seen Swayse's face above
the window ledge to which he was
clinging with his hands. The face
was there only a moment then the
hands slipped across the ledge and
Swayse was hurting down through the
air to his death. 1t is not clear
whether or not Swayse deliberately
climbed out on the ledge to commit
suicide or had crawled out and drop
ped his legs and body over in an at
tempt to work his way down the front
of the building and escape into an
Office on the floor below.
A Horrible Struggle.
Miss Alberta Burns. who is employ
ed in a building block below the
Chamber of Commerce, saw the deS-
perate 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 succeed
ed 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 and
shooting her. Swayse then crawled
upon the window and Miss Burns says,
let his body down until his feet seem
ed to rest on something, possibly a
narrow ledge n 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 i'm the heart of the business por-
ton of the city and hundreds of peo-
pie on the streets heard Miss Alvord' s
cries for help rs she struggled with
the Infatuated man. They also saw
Swayses body strike the pavement.
Elements of Mystery.
There are still some elements of
mystery in the case. At Miss Alvord's
boarding house it is stated that she
and j. b. Terry are married. This,
Miss Alvord denied to a physician
who attended her. Reporters have
not been permitted to question her at
the hospital. One of the letters found
on Swayse was addressed to Mrs. A.
r. Seeney, of Saginaw, Mich, warning
her not to let her son marry Miss
Alvord, whom Swayse bitterly excori-
ated in the letter. charging her with
wrecking his home. :.
At Miss Alvord's boarding house 1t
was stated that Swayse had been
threatening her for some time. and
that she went to his office today to
tell him that she way married and
finally to break off with him. 1t is