Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-13
Imp ALED ON A KNIFE
Actor Employs Unusual Means
in Attempting Suicide.
ONCE LIVED IN ALTIM0RE
Sets Twelve Inch Blade on Floor and
Falls Upon It.
CHANCES FOR LIFE SMALL
First Tried to Throw Himself in Front
of Car Son Of Tobacco Ware
houseman in Monumental City.
CHANCES FOR LIFE SMALL
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. December 13.-Rankin Du-
val, the actor, who played for two seasons
tn the Darling of the Gods Under the
management of David Belasco. and who is
said to be the son of Baltimore mer-
chant, tried to end his life in a 9th avenue
saloon this morning. A knife with twelve.
inch blade was the weapon he chose. He
did not die. although the chances of his
living are not very good. He is in Roose-
welt Hospital. Duval lived at the Players
Club. 16 Gramercy Park. He spent great
deal OF his time at the home of DR.. Paul
Allen, a cousin. at 3 East 4Sth street
Duvai walked into the saloon of McQuIl-
IAN Brothers, at S67 9th avenue, this morn
ing. James McQuillan was behind the bar
as the actor called for whisky and slid a
bottle over to him. While his lips twitched
and his fingers shook nervously, Duyal
poured out about four fingers of LIQUOR
Then he drained 1t at a guIp and turned
toward the free lunch counter with its mis-
S S array of cheese, hverwur5t and
bologna In the cheese stuck the knife
with which the cook had been slicing the
eatables but brief time before.
May l use that knife?" asked Duval
OF McQulllan, who. never dreaming but
that the man meant only to cut a slice OF
cheese, replied. Yes
His Second Attempt.
Duval took the knife and then, before
the big clock on the wall had licked three
times, he tore open his gray ulster, jacket
and waistcoat and placing the knife point
upward on the floor fell on it. McQuillan
ran out from behind the bar, and he and
Charles Ball. who happened to be in the
place, took the knife from Duval. A police
man was called In and he summoned an
ambulance. While the police and a sur
geon from Roosevelt Hospital were work.
ing over their charge Eugene Dalton, a
motorman, happened along. He said that
he recognized Duva1 as the man who had
thrown himself in front Of his car short
time before near the car barns at 50th
street. Dalton avoided running over the
would-be suicide by the narrowest of mar
gins.
In Duval's pockets were a number of let
tiers and check book, the stubs of which
had been nearly used up The check book
bore the name of Wagner & Schalk, bank
ers at % Broad street. From one of the
letters the police got the name of JOSEPH
A. StetSon, a lawyer residing in the Royal.
ton, at Al West ADD street. All that Stet.
son would say when asked If he was ac-
quainted with Duval was:
Il met him by chance, and he had agreed
to help in plans for dinner. His contri
button was to be So
Believed in Hari-Kari.
When DR.. Aliens wife was seen this
morning she said Duval was the son OF
Charles Duval, a weA-to-do Baltimore
merchant. Duval, she said, had been or
the stage for twenty years and his last en-.
gagement was with Blanche Bates in the
Darling of the Gods He played one OF
the principal roles and was a believer in
the hari-kari method of death.
Mrs. Allen said that her cousin drank con-
siderably and was addicted to drugs She
said he was related to Harry Duval Sena-
tor Depew's confidential man.
Last night Duval. according to Mrs Allen,
had a talk with DR.. Allen and left him at
1890 o clock. He returned at 1890 o'clock
this morning and had another talk with
DR.. Allen. At Z o'clock, when DR.. Aliens
butler went down into the dining room, he
found the gas burning and a carving knife.
point upward. on the table. Duval enjoyed
q modest weekly income