The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-11
BULLET ENDS HALL SCANDAL.
ACCUSED CLUBMiN ESCAPES
TRIAL or SUIT BY SUICIDE.
Might Have Been Arrested when the Evts
dence was All In Ycsterday-shss
Himself With Old Pistol IN HE Room
letter. Of sympathy From Friends
His Accmcrs' Lawyers suppress
Alleged Proof OF His Guilt When
Tragedy stops Court Proceedings.


Tragedy Stops Court Proeeedinss.
Frank dc Peyster Hall, who was suing
three clubmen Of New York for Islander,
involving serious charges, killed himself
yesterday morning just as the first Of his
suits was about to be brought up In the
City Court. His body was found in his
rooms at l2e Lexington avenue with bullet
hole behind the ear. With this act no
ended a case which gave promise OF being
painful and sensational.
After his resignation from the Calumet
Club last year, resignation rendered by
request, the circle Of Mr.. Halls acquaint-
ances had narrowed. He was asked to re-
sign from his firm, most Of his former
friends had cut him, and at the time last
week when he filed his suits against Alfred
H. Bond, George A. Carmack and Ernest
Staples, only his attorneys knew his i'd
dress. He was living in seclusion.
Hall dropped in to see his attorneys.
Morgan & Seabury, on Saturday afternoon,
in order to make final arrangements for the
first of his suits, that against Ernest Staples
for 5000. He was in his rooms that night,
and was seen early Sunday morning, but
all day Sunday he was not seen.
otI1luy diueThoOli, I-dul isiler, a JdhieeHb
met Hall in the back room Of a saloon.
Fisher had worked in the lodgings which
the onetime clubman occupied Just after
he left the Calumet Club. Hall sat de-
jectedly at table. An empty whiskey
glass stood before him, and he was not
quite sober. The janitor spoke to him
several times before he answered. Then
he began to talk bitterly about the acousa-
tons against him.
I'm all broken up" said Hall. They're
trying to ruin me-
THE TRAGEDY.
No one knows when he went back to his
room. His landlady did not hear him come
in Sunday night. But Monday morning
about $50 Malvina Morse, the oolored
servant, brought his breakfast to his door.
She knocked several times. There was no
answer. She tried the door; II was unlocked.
She went inside and almost stepped on the
body Of Hall. She dropped the tray and
ran.
Mrs. H. C. Totten, the landlady, got up
courage to enter.
Halls body lay beside the bad, face
downward By his head was a plate glass
mirror. before which he stood when he
shot himself. A table near by was stained
with his blood. Hts right hand, doubled
under him, held an old fashioned revolver.
Except for bis coat, waistooat and collar,
he was fully dressed, and the bed had NOT
been slept In.
Policeman Powers got there almost as
soon as Mrs. Totten, and DR.. Parce Of Belle
vue followed. The body was stu warm
Although no one had heard the shot, Hall
could not have been dead moro than an
hour. The revolver was q curious old side
loading trap, patented in 1873. It was very
rusty, and the FIVE unfred cartridges must
have been in the chamber for years, be-
cause they were rusted tight. But the
chamber under the hammer had been
fred, and there was hole behind Halls
left ear.
On the table were two open letters nom
sympathetic friends, assuring him that
they believed In him. No one could ind
q line left by the suicide. but on the table
we're pens and paper, indicating that Hall
might have written and posted letters
the night before he died.
RUMoR m COURT.
At about the time when the Coroner
was removing the corpse, attorneys and
witnesses were gathering In Judge Palmleri's
branch OF the City Court for the suit against
Staples. This was for $4,000. the limit OF
Jurisdiction OF the court. and 1t was assigned
for immediate trial, while the $4,000 cults
against Bond and Carmack were liable 70
much slower advancement. Nioon, AnAbIe
and Lindsay, attorneys for Staples, ware
represented by Cornelius Sullivan, and
Assistant District Attorney Corrigan was
present with a detective. It Is underwood
that he intended to make an arrest IN oaso
evidence to warrant it was developed, thus
following the precedent OF the EnsliAh
courts In the Oscar Wilde case.
Before the Staples suit had been called
a rumor ran through the court thae Hall
was dead. It reached Attorney Seabry.
one of his counsel
Il don't believe it, he said. Han YIN
be here."
But the rumor grew. At last rsprtar
came with positive news, and afterward q
messenger from the Coroner.
Still, Seabury asked that the case 70
forward since the death was not proved,
so counsel for Staples went through the
form Of filing supplemental answer, thAy
having received the complaint only last
Friday. Taking cognizanoe OF the report
OF Halls death, Judge Palmieri transferred
tho case TO Judge ODwyer's court. There
II was laid over and practically ended
A mass OF unspeakable charges and
testimony contained in the answers will
be suppressed The defence had nine
witnesses in court, including bellboys
and hallboys at the Calumet Club. and .
private detective.
See the papersi' said one Of tho attor.
neys yesterday. Not on your life Hes
dead The case Is dropped. and tho papers
should be kept from the public. We had
all the evidence against him that We needed
LAST PLEA.
Morgan 4 Seabury. attorneys for Han.
gave out this statement;
On behalf Of Mr.. F. de Peyster Hall. we de.
sire, at the request OF the press. to make
the following brief statement;
That Mr.. Hall was In consultation with W
as recently as Saturday. Oct. 8. with refer
epce to the action which had been instituted
against Mr.. Staples. and expressed gratinoa.
ton that this action was to be tried ana dis.
posed OF on Monday. Oct. 10. We knew OF
no IA eta leading us to suppose that Mr.. Hall
would not be prepared to go on with the trial
Of the action on Monday morning. His
death has come as great shock to Us. and