The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-08-01
NANTON SLAYER KILLS GIRL
Charles F. Warner Commits Two
CoWardIy Crimes in New York
Pursued From Scene of First Murder
Three Hours Later He Shoots John
C. Wilson, Millionaire Halter.

New York City.4Cowardice, cou-
pied with almost unbelievable stupid
ry on the part of a group of 5olice-
men, made it possible for Charles
Frank Warner, ffty-six years old. for
mer convict, prosperous hat mer-
chant, drunkard and cheap gambler
to shoot John G.. Wilson, of the frm
of John G.. Wilson Z Co, hat manu-
facturers, of No. &c Waverle? place,
after Warner had murdered Miss
Esther Norling, twenty-three years
old, a ~bookkeeper employed in the
haberdashery store Of William Co
White. il No. 8 West Forty-second
street. Almost three hours inter-
vened between the two shootiligs.
From F~orty-second street Warner.
walked leisurely down to AWaverley
place and Greene street, entered Will
sons place and asked for the loan OF
$40. Wilson was walking toward
the safe to get the money when War
ner shot him.
The final capture of the murderer
was due to the quick action of a.
truckman, who struck him down with
a steel bale hook as he was running :
away. For his capture of Warner
the truckman, Jacob Rose, who is
known in the business section as
big jake was arrested. He was
discharged honorable as soon as. he
was arraigned before a magistrate.
Had the police acted with celebrity,
it was said, Warner would not have
been able to have committed the Sec
ond shooting. He had been cornered
in the Spalding building, at No. 20
West ~Forty-second street, where he
had taken refuge after numbering
the young woman. Three policemen
started up the stairs after him, but a
shot from Warmers pistol drove them
back, and they ran into the street.
One bluecoat telephoned for the re-
serves and when they arrived they
held a meeting in front of the build
ing.
For three-Quarters of an hour the
murderer stood at the top of the. first
fight of stairs, invisible to the POI
licemen below, but evidently ready to-
shoot any n trying to arrest him..
No effort toward capture was made.
Instead, the police stood lined in front
of the building with clubs drawn,
ready to jump on Warner should he
come out meekly and surrender. .Agt
The fugitive, however, was not in
an obliging mood. After waiting al
most an hour for the policemen TO
try to get him and seeing that no eff
fort was being made to do So, he
looked about. for a means of escape.
He found it easy to get away. Climb
ing down a fire escape, he reached
the yard, which faces the rear 9of a.
garage in West Forty-second street.
Warner calmly walked through the
auto room, where men working
won't 0unr RI Draolwou rnf11~no6 IN
F~orty-second street and Sixth ave-
nue., stopping in the store of a friend
to announce he was going to kill Wis
son, went down town and shot the
second object of his rage.
Crowned with incidents were the
three hours that elapsed between the
time Warner murdered the girl and
the moment he shot Wilson. There
were chases after the murderer, mr.
ing of pistol shots in Forty-second
street, a fight for the possession OF
the murderer's weapon, which he had
hurled at one of his pursuers; braV-
cry on the part of a boy who tried to
capture Wilson, and the stupidity OF
the police. who finally let Warner
escape. After the shooting of the
hat manufacturer there was a second
chase in the street, more shooting
and the capture of the fugitive by the
truekman. After Rose had borne the
murderer to the ground the crowd
that had kept carefully out of range
of Warmers pistol set upon him and
almost kicked and beat him to death
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
He came to New York about thirty
years ago from Buffalo, where he
had been a deputy sheriff under
Grover Cleveland.