The Penn's Grove record., 1907-07-26
WANTON SLAYER KILLS GIRL
Charles F. Warner Commits Two
C0WardIy Crimes in New York.
Pursued From Scene of First Murder
G. Wilson, Millionaire Halter.

New York City.--Cowardice, cou-
pied with almost unbelievable stupid
1ty on the part of a group of police
men. made it possible for Charles
Frank Warner, fifty-six years old, for
mer convict, pros :ous hat mer-
chant, drunkard and cheap gambler,
to shoot John G. wilson, of the firm
OF John G. Wilson & Co., hat manu-
facturers, of No. rs Waverley place,
after Warner had murdered Miss
Esther Norling, twenty-three years
old, a bookkeeper employed in the
haberdashery store of William G..
White, in No. 3 West Forty-second
street. Almost three hours inter
vened between the two shootings.
From F~orty-second street Warner
walked leisurely down to Waverley
place and Greene street, entered Will
sons place and asked for the loan of
SO. 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
q oICCA Ddl0 HUN DIS he was TuIlllS
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
flight of stairs, invisible to the DO
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.
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 real of a
garage in West F~orty-second street.
Warner calmly walked through the
auto room, where men were working
went over to Broadway, returned to
Forty-second street and Sixth aye
nue., stopping in the store of a friend
to announce he was going to kill Will
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, fir
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; BRAY
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
truckman. 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 depfty sheriff under
Grover CleyelanA -