Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-22
KILLED IN STUDIO
Blaekmail Prompts Act of Ex-Gambler
Kings Wife.
CRIME FOLLOWS A QUARREL
Claims Prosecutor Followed Her to
California and Compelled Her to
Give Him Money.

=, CHICAGO, February 22-Mrs. Flora Nc
Donald the young and attractive wife of
Michael C. Mcdonald, once gambling king
| and democratic boss of Chicago, now cap
italist and real estate dealer, shot and
killed Webster s. Guerin, alias Louis Fish
| err, an artist, in his studio on the seventh
floor of the Omaha building yesterday.
| II had submitted to his blackmail until l
/ had to kill him or myself she shrieked
| to the policeman who took her into GUS
| toby. II am now sorry shot him, for 1
| love him. and If he dies want to die too
Mrs. Mcdonald is a Jewess, thirty-four
! years old, extremely blond and pretty.
Mike Mcdonald is siXty-eight. Million
aire with grown children by former mar
| riage.
Mrs. Mcdonald was incoherent hysterical
and ravfng when taken to the police sta
1 ton. Her husband was quickly notified.
| and after a short interview with her the
I iron nerve which had stood the strain OF
forty years Of fluctuating fortune on the
! She is crazy" he said, tears rolling
! down his cheeks. 81 have given my wife
| $500 in the last two weeks, and this morn
ing l asked her what she was doing with
| the money. I will tell you later, she said
| for 1 expect to settle in full today. This,
1 suppose, is the settlement
Followed Her to California.
To Herman Feldman, her brother, Mrs.
| Mcdonald said between sobs and means
| that Guerin recently followed her to Call
| fornia and compelled her to give him a
large sum of money by threats OF making
| certain disclosures to her husband. She said
she was afraid to tell her husband Of
GuerinS threats, lest Mcdonald kill the
artist.
It was a few minutes before II o'clock
when Mrs. Mcdonald drove up in her car
! riage to the Omaha building at Van Buren,
l the studio Guerin sent his Office boy away.
| A quarrel between Mrs. Mcdonald and
Guerin had already begun when the boy
left. The boy loitered about the corridor.
After fifteen minutes he was startled by
| two shots in the studio. He ran to the
| door, but found 1t locked
He summoned assistance. rhree men re-
they saw Mrs Mcdonald. revolver in hand,
| caught In the glass panel of the door. Her
head, face and hands were cut from the
broken glass. She was unable to release
| hAryelf and was breaking away the glass
| with the revolver. The men kicked in the
| glass and pulled her out into the corridor.
He struck me and shot him." she
,ncane .;,, If In he is going to die IN say
| When Mcdonald saw his wife in the cell
| she pulled him toward her.
f."You would be better OF If I were dead"
SIG Sdlu, pfdCll8 her dIIl6 aTOuQ0. ulS neck
Put your arms around me, papa; want
you near me-"
Guerin was shot through the neck and
| the body. The room showed evidence Of a
bles were overturned. Near the body on
worn by Mrs. Mcdonald. ~ ~
A Friend Of McDonald's.
| Guerin was tall. handsome man about
| thirty, and unmarried. His business con-
sisted largely of reproductions and enlarg-
ing. The police had received frequent COM
plants Of his business methods.
Mrs. Mcdonald has known Guerin ten
! years. He was a frequent visitor at the
Mcdonald home and was supposed to be
paying attention to niece Of Mcdonald.
Under this mask he called at the house for
! several years. Then he went to California,
| and in the year that he was there Mrs.
Mcdonald made two trips to the coast
| alone.
.Guerin returned and established his art
| business and was welcome caller at the
| Mcdonald home as late as New Year. He
was friend of Guy Mcdonald, the elder
son. The latter left home because of his
sending his stepmother threatening letters.
For years before he went west Guerin
was seen at theaters. receptions and
| had known him from boyhood and trusted
| him implicitly. -
"All / can say" said Mcdonald, last
| night, lis that II this man has been black
mailing my wife for years and in a quarrel
| over blackmail money she shot him, shall
| stand by her and make every effort In my
power to secure her release"
When Mcdonald was one Of the politi-
| chine he lived with his son and daughter
in luxurious Ashland avenue home. Near
him lived the Feldman family. Flora Field
mate of his son Guy. From the strenuous
| life in 1.-THE Store" the largest gambling
house and saloon in the city, Mcdonald
would go home with his pockets filed with
| sweetmeats for his children and Flora.
First Wife Eloped Twice.
| He watched Flora develop into woman
hood and marry. Mcdonald was divorced
at the time and had been for many years.
| The first Mrs Mcdonald eloped with Billy
Arlington, the minstrel, to California, IN
| 1875. She returned and Mcdonald condoned
her offense. Two years later she eloped
| to Paris with a priest. The latter was sent
I'by the church Into monastery. Mcdonald
| obtained a divorce. His wife came back to
Chicago and is now existing on the income
of a rooming house.
into a millionaire. He gave up the gam
bling business. He was one of the promo
,ters of the Lake street elevated, and with
the assistance Of Yerkes made a fortune.
/ He lost interest in politics and settled down
| as a conservative business man.
4, Miss Flora Feldman had married Sam
Barley, one-time famous second baseman
for Comiskey's champion st. Louis Browns.
| This was soon after the worlds fair. Bark
ley quit the diamond and became tough
| saloon keeper on North Clerk street. He
| called his place the Rag Shop"
| A year after her marriage Mrs. Barley
met her old friend Mcdonald. Then she
obtained q divorce.
| Mcdonald, married the young divorce. He
built a splendid home on Drexel boulevard
| and led a quiet life. His wife had a mania
| for carriage and automobile riding. She
| would drive all day long alone with her
| coachman, stopping in out-of-the-way res
| taurants for luncheon and then continuing
| the drive. One coachman quit because he
| said he could not stand the pace.
| NORTH RIVER SIGNALS.
| =