Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-24
TRAGEDY IN DETROIT
Young Woman's Exciting
Struggle for Life.
SHOT, BUT NOT FATALLY
WAS LOCKED IN AN OFFICE
ROOM WITH HER ASsAILANT.
He Strove to Throw Her From q Win
dow and Failing Plunged Him
self to Death.
SHOT, BUT NOT FATALLY

DETROIT Mich, June 24.-Charles A.
Swayse, employed by a life insurance COM
pany and former assistant superintendent
of the Detroit house of correction, today
shot Miss Efie Alvord twice while the
couple were in private. Office in the COM
pany's suite on the eleventh floor of the
Chamber of Commerce building, and then
jumped from the window himself. He was
picked up on the brick pavement of State
street and died as he was carried into the
lobby of the building. Miss Alvord was
shot in the neck and wrist, but is not ia
tally hurt, it Is reported at Harper Hospi
tai.
Miss Alvord rode up to the Chamber of
Commerce building in an automobile about
IL o'clock accompanied by man. She
went to the eleventh floor and entering the
office of the life insurance company asked
to have private Interview with Mr..
Swayse. She was shown into small prf-
vate office fronting on the State street side
of the building, where Swayse Joined her.
shutting and locking the door. In a few
moments the other persons In the office
heard a struggle, then screams, which were
followed in quick succession by several pis-
toll shots
Manager Breaks Into Room.
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 disheveled, her wrist
torn and blood pouring from the wounds
in her neck and wrist
Through the open window Mr.. Mccall
could see Swayse's hands clutching the
window ledge. They were in view for only
a moment. Then Swayse let go and his
body went whrlng down through the air.
1t hit several wires and turned over twice.
striking on the face and chest. bullet
wound In his nose showed that he had also
shot himself before taking the awful
Plunge. There was just breath of life In
the body when 1t was picked up and that
1ickered out before it had been carried
into the chamber of commerce loddy.
Wounds Not Fatal.
Meanwhile physicians in the building had
been summoned to the insurance office to
attend Miss Alvord. They found that her
wounds are not fatal. Miss Alvord Is an
employee of sewing machine company, but
worked at the house of correction when
Swayse was assistant superintendent there.
Her home is said to be at Saginaw. Mich.
Occupants OF building across the street
from the chamber of commerce say that
they heard agonized screams from the
chamber of commerce building, and looking
out saw Swayse attempt to throw MISS
Alvord from the window. Her head and
shoulders were across the ledge and she
was fighting desperately. Then the couple
disappeared from the window and the shots
rang out, followed by Swayse's mad plunge.
Letter Explains Tragedy.
A letter written by Swayse was found,
which, 1t is said explains the tragedy 1t
is alleged that the letter says that Miss
Alvord and Swayse had been intimate; that
the intimacy was responsible for Swayse's
losing his position at the house of correc-
ton, and that Miss Alvord had been
he undng him.
The man with whom Miss Alvord drove
up to the building was j. b. Terry, an EN-
ploye Of the same sewing machine company
that employed Miss Alvord.
At Miss Alvord's boarding house on
Erskine street 1t was stated that Miss Al
word and Terry had been married for sew
eral months. On the contrary Miss Alvord
sent word to the reporters through the ply
stefan who dressed her wounds at the hos
pital that she was not married to Terry,
but was engaged to him.
Her Birthday Yesterday.
Yesterday was the young lady's twenty
eighth birthday, and she told the physician
to tell the reporters that Swayse sent her
a phone message that he was going to
shoot her birthday present She said
she went to Swayses Office today to break
with him. He had been threatening, she
said, to write to the mother of her sweet
heart and tell her that Miss Alvord was not
the kind of girl her son should marry.
She says that she went to the office today
to tell him to go ahead with his letter If he
pleased to do SO, and to finally break with
him.
Superintendent Mcdonnell of the house of
correction stated this afternoon that it was
the intimacy between Swayse and Miss
Alvord that caused him to discharge them
both. The intimacy, he said, gradually
grew while they were fellow employees at
the institution and while Miss Alvord was
visiting Swayse's home, frequently as a
friend of his wife s.
Did Not Intend to Jump.
1t is not certain that Swayse deliberately
jumped from the eleventh story window 1t
is thought by many that when he heard
the door of the private office being broken
open he crawled out on the window ledge
and endeavored to hang by his handds in
a mad attempt to escape detection. Marks
in the dust on the window ledge show
where his fingers gradually dragged across
1t until his hold was lost This is taken to
indicate that he did not intend to jump
The chamber of commerce building is at
the corner of Griswold and State streets,
one short block from the busiest shop
ping district of the city on Woodward
avenue. Even before Swayse's body
whirled through the air 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 the mans body fall, and thousands
of men, women and children were on the
scene almost before the body was picked
up.
Swayse was fifty three years of age and
leaves widow and two children
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