Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-14
CAUSED BY JEALOUSY
William Seton Attempts Muir
der, Then Kills Himself.
QUICKLY FIRES 3 SHOTS
Two at His Sweetheart, the Other at
Himself.
BULLET THROUGH HIS HEAD
Death Occurs in Emergency Hospital
In Less Than an Hour After
the Shooting.
BULLET THROUGH HIS HEAD

Firing two shots at his sweetheart, Miss
| Josephine Kicker. without either of them
| taking effect. William Seton, a photog-
| fapher. blew out his own brains this morn
| ing. The tragedy was enacted In front of
| the Harvard laundry, 731 9th street north
west where the young woman was em-
| ployed.
few minutes before o'clock the young
| man reached the front of the laundry from
his home at 1887 14th street and called Miss
Kicker to the door. They conversed a few
seconds and the man then drew the weapon
from his pocket. He had threatened her
life and she was trying to get out Of his
way, whereupon he fired twice at her back.
Both bullets struck the door and one Of
them passed through into the laundry. mar
rowly escaping the head of the young wom-
an who was working on the books at the
desk. Believing. evidently. that he had
killed his sweetheart, Seton turned the
weapon toward his own head and fired tho
fatal shot. His dying form fell upon the
iron covering of the opening to the cellar
and in a remarkably short time largo
crowd of clerks on their way to the govern-
ment departments gathered about the front
Of the laundry.
Crowd Prevented From Entering.
Miss Kicker was soon inside the laundry
and out of sight of the curious crowd and
the locking OF the door by the other young
| woman who had narrowly escaped death.
prevented them from entering the business
place.
The sight of the dying man lying across
the cellar covering, with brains oozing from
the wound and the smoking weapon at his
side. was a CHASTITY one Mr.. T. Hil Mar
shall, owner of the laundry. was summoned
but did not reach there until after the dying
man had been removed to the Emergency
Hospital. Sefton's death occurred just flfty-
hye minutes after the shot was fred.
Coroner hewitt. who had heard of the
shooting, reached the hospital about ten
minutes after sefton died. He heard state-
ments of the affair and gave the necessary
certificate of death, showing the wound had
been self-inflicted.
Did Not Love Him.
Miss Kicker who is about twenty-five
years old, has been employed at the Har-
ward laundry for raarly four years. She
knew Seton before she went there to work.
but 1t was not until about two years ego
that they became lovers. and she consented
to become his wife.
I'VE were to get married next Septeu.-
ber," Miss Kicker told Star reporter 'Ttut
l didn't love him and It was all Off,
Seton called at the house of Miss Kicker
121 9th street northeast, last night. The
young woman had seen him at a dance the
night before. but paid attention to him,
she stated, because he was very much un-
was notified that he had called last night
she had him told that she was not at
home.
But was in the parlor all the time he was
in the dining room talking to my mother
the young lady said this morning. ''HQ
had the pistol with him last night and
with 1t. He was cleaning the pistol and
putting bullets in 1t, and my mother asked
him what he was going to do with II. He
told her nothing, but said a member of our
family would be dead by tonight"
Miss Kicker said she was not afraid OF
Seton, and was very much surprised to find
him dt the door of the laundry this morns
ing. She said she was working at one OF
the machines when one of the other young
women in the laundry called to her: "Wilr1
out there"
Was Not Surprise.
There was nothing surprising about his
being there, Miss Kicker stated, for he
had frequently called at the laundry to
see her. Almost every Friday evening
he called there and walked home with her.
and sometimes he called on other
days Although she knew of the pfs-
tol incident of the previous night she
was not nervous or frightened when
she went to the door and met Kicker.
I'm going away. now" the young man
told her during the brief conversation he
had with her on the sidewalk.
Don't go away she said TO him. Stay
and come out to the house tonight"
Then he told her he was going to blow
out her brains and she turned and started
to run into the laundry. The two shots
We're fired in rapid succession and after g.
slight pause Seton fired the third shot
When she reached her friends In the laun-
dry, Miss Kicker became nervous and ex-
cited, but did not faint She remained
there until after the unconscious form Of
her lover had been taken away and the
crowd of curious ones had disappeared,
and then she went home.
lis he dead?' her anxious inquiry
before she went home.
Not yet she was told.
I'm so glad. she said, II hope he viii
live. He was very, very nice fellow;
well. We were engaged to be married, but
had changed my mind because i did not
love him"
An Excellent Workman.
Seton. who was well known to local
photogra pliers. was employed IN an estab-
lishment on f street. He was an excellent
photographer and had been employed In the
street establishment for several years
His home was with his mother at the 18th
street house. He left there this morning
about the usual hour, and went to the VI
cinity OF the laundry instead OF to his place
Of employment. Several persons about the
neighborhood of the laundry noticed him
pacing the side walk. 1t Is said he passed
the laundry several times before he finally
stopped and made an effort to execute the
threat he had made last night. Seton, 1t
is stated. had not been in the habit OF
drinking to excess. but was under the In
fiuence of liquor Monday night when he at
tended the dance. and his Jealous nature
was probably aroused by seeing Miss
Kicker dancing with other young men.
message was sent to his home notifying
his mother and other relatives OF the shoot
ing but none of them reached there until
o<& 11ot had II ali 7aA Inn Gle
called shortly after he died and identified
his body. She made arrangements for ali
undertaken TO take charge OF the remains
and prepare them for burial. The funeral
will nrohably take place from the hamn