The Dolores star., 1905-03-17
THE DENVER TRAGEDY
oerAILs Of rne AWFUL cN.Ms
Murdered Man and Murderer Had Been
Bosom Friends-Two innoesns
Families Bereft-Deed Done In ~
Insane Passion Of Rage.

Denver, Colo, March 14.-tOliOWtns
are some Of the incidents OF the terri
BILE tragedy in Denver Sunday when
George Shissler shot and killed Kay
Sill and his wife and wounded Police
Captain William Bohanna, Police Sur
geon Frank Dulin and Frank Kelly.
driver for Sill.
Shissler and Sill had worked to-
gether in the Denver & Rio Grand-
shops and had been close friends.
Some three years ago they Jointly pur
chased FIVE acres of land in what If
known as the Park Hill addition. IL
the eastern suburbs of the city. Both
had been careful and their Investments
had proved to be successful Two
small but comfortable brick houses
were built. two barns were added to
the joint estate and gardens and COW
pastures contributed to the content
ment of the two families.
Sill lived with his family, consist
ing of wife and two daughters. Fran
ces. aged ten, and Josephine. aged
fourteen. ShissIer seemed to be equally
contented in his new home with his
wife and five children, Spencer. a
baby of four years: Charles, aged ten;
Blanche. aged thirteen; Frank. aged
fifteen. and Harry. aged eighteen.
Finally an estrangement grew up be-
tween the two men. They agreed to
divide the property and quarreled over
division fence. becoming involved in
a law suit in which the decision was
in favor of Sill.
About 10 o'clock Sunday morning
Shissler telephoned to his attorney.
Mr. Hilliard, and is said to have been
advised to pay the judgment against
him. He went back home and came
out into his front yard with shot
gun.
Sill was talking with David Bald.
ridge and William Brannen, who were
in front of his house with carriage.
Shissler called out to Sill and i'm
mediately shot him. Baldridge's horse
started to run and Shissler fired at
Baldridge and Brannen. Then he shot
| Sill again, inflicting wound that
must have been instantly fatal.
Frank Kelly. who was in Sills barn,
started on horseback to summon help.
! and Shissler shot at him. infiicting a
| flesh wound in his left leg.
Shissier then went to the barn,
| where he found Charles and John
Lundeen, who live in the neighbor-
hood and who testified for Mr.. Sill in
tie uihCiCht 10" Suito Ou6hS ~
| Shissler.
He put the muzzle of his rife agains:
| the temple of Charles Lundeen, boy
of twenty. and made him get down
on his knees ald beg for mercy.
| When the shooting began Mrs. Sill
| ran around in front of her home and
| her daughter, Josephine, aged four
teen, ran diagonally across the street
to the home of James H. Fitzpatrick
| 2SS2 Monroe street, 100 yards away
screaming that Shissler had killed her
| father
Josephine Fitzpatrick, young lady
| of twenty-five. who Is teacher N
Wallace's business college. ran quickly
I to the Sill home. Shissler turned his
gun on the woman and said, Get into
the house. you scabs.
Shissler fred into the different
! rooms of the house and Miss Fitzpat
| rick and Frances Sill crawled under 6
bed to hide.
| Mrs. Sill tried to run to the Fitzpat
| rick home and Shissler ordered her tt
stop.
Dropping on her knees, Mrs. Sill
raised her hands pleadingly towart
| Shissler and begged that her life bs
spared.
Spare my life, Please spare it! fol
the sake of my childrenp sobbed the
woman pitifully. "You have killed my
| husband, and they will have no one te
care for them if you kill me. o. please
spa"
A bullet punctuated the sentence
Cruelty it sped on its terrible mission
shattering the bone in the woman.
! right leg Immediately below the knee
Mrs. Sill staggered a few steps ant
dropped to the ground.
Shissler went back and broke into
the room where the two girls were hid
ing. Not finding them. though ht
poked his gun under the bed, he car
ried Goals and set the bed on fire. Ht
left the room and they ran to the Fitz
patrick house. The fire caused the de
struction of the building.
Shissler went out and shot Mrs. Sill
second time with a revolver. which
he placed against her head, killing hel
Instantly.
Meanwhile Messrs. Baldridge ant
Brannen had driven to where they
could telephone to police headquarters
Captain Bohanna Immediately ordered
out the police ambulance. DIR. Franl
Dulin, police surgeon, and PatrolmeI
j
detailed to go with Captain Bohanna
Patrolman C. T. Power, who had beer
on house duty during the forenoon
and who was Just departing for hi.
home, volunteered his services. The
ambulance was driven by Sydney Nc
Clanathan, the regular driver.
When they arrived at the scene ol
the tragedy Shissler retreated into hi,
/ ward Dlaced tho rifle barrel on the
fence, took careful aim and fired at the
men on the seat. The first bullet cul
hole across the top Of Captain Bo
hanna's felt hat
About" commanded Captain Bo
hanna.
=. Before McClanathan could respond
there came fusillade from Shissler
dozen shots must have been firet
before the horses were finally turned
The second shot caught Captain Bo
1 tv hn vfo Ill tI~,