Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-26
EMPLOYMENT
AGENT SHOT,:
HE WILL DIE
DISGRUNTLED EMPL0YE FIRES
FATAL BULLET
WOMAN NARROWLY ESCAPES
DEATH
Eli H. Crowley and Wife Attacked
by Enraeed Man While
Seated at Desks In
Office

Ell IL. CIONlty, plOpiiCIpi VI eeh SAA-
ployment agency at Ill East Second
street, was shot and fatally wounded in
his office late yesterday afternoon by
an employe supposed to be j. L. Perry,
Letter known as Tom Perry, man OF
so years of ago and an expert linguist.
Crowley was shot through the stom-
ach, the bullet penetrating the intes-
tines and the liver, and the wound was
of such nature surgeons in charge OF
the receiving hospital when he was
taken there pronounced it fatal.
Immediately after the shot had been
fred the man who did the shooting
turned the Bun on Mrs. Crowley, who
was present in the office, and fired
shot al her. which narrowly missed the
woman, cutting a lace collar from her
Lcck.
The sound of the two shots and the
screams of the woman brought a, great
crowd to the scene of the shooting,
and in the excitement Perry lodged
through the crowd and disappeared.
Within few minutes after the
shooting the wounded man was re-
moved to the receiving hospital and
there he demanded a private doctor and
that he be sent to a hospital where
he could be taken care Of after the
operation.
Sent to Hospital
In accordance with his request an
ambulance was telephoned for and he
was sent to the California hospital In
charge of DR.. W. w. Richardson,
where an hour later the operation of
laparotomy was performed without re-
covering the bullet.
The shooting occurred shortly before
S O'Clock In the office of the employ
ment agency. The man who did the
shooting had been employed at the
agency for several days as hustler
in other words, an agent who drummed
up men to apply at the agency for jobs.
He began work Friday and was en-
ployed steadily up to Sunday night.
During that time he had been able to
secure but few men for his employers.
and Monday when he did not appear
Tor work another man was put in his
Place.
Yesterday morning Perry appeared at
the employment agency and asked for
Crowley He was informed he was out
and would not be back until late In
the afternoon. He left the office with
the statement that he would return
later.
Shortly before o'clock he walked
into the private office of the establish
n,ent and walking to desk where
Crowley was seated remarked, II un-
z derstand you have placed another man
en- my job
Work Not Satisfactory
Crowley replied. 'Well, you never got
,ls any men, So I had to get some one
en- the work"
Without another word and without
any warning the man pulled revolt
yer from his coat pocket and pointing
1t directly at Crowley fired.
AS the muZzle of the pistol con-
fronted him Crowley threw his hand
in front of him as if to protect his
body
The bullet ploughed it's way through
the muscles of his right hand and en-
tered the abdomen four inches below
and an inch to the right of the right
nipple, penetrating the stomach, the
liver and the intestines.
whirling in his tracks the man then
turned the pistol on Mrs. Crowley,
who was seated at a desk on the OPP
posite side of the room.
The woman had jumped to her feet
at the sound of the first shot and she
screamed for help at the report.
AS she started forward the man
turned his pistol directly in line with
her face and fired second shot. the
bullet whistled by her neck, binding
her with powder smoke.
The man then turned and ran from
the office and disappeared.
general alarm was sent out by the
police for the apprehension of the man
who did the shooting. Crowley and
his wife were not certain OF the name
of the man, but said he had been en-
poyed from time to time in securing
laborers for different jobs.
Trouble with the Police
Crowley has been thorn in the side
of the police commissioners Tor some
months.
on the report of police heads that the
methods of Crowley's agency resulted
in many complaints at headquarters
and at the prosecutors office, it was
finally decided four months ago 10
make an issue of the complaints OF q
half dozen Italians who were sent TO
San Diego and stranded there.
Italy's consul, since deceased. ap-
peared before the board. saying that
the men were told they would find
Jobs awaiting them at some nearby
water company's plant.
The agency sent a guide with the
party. who went south by steamer, and
it is claimed he deserted them leaving
them hungry and pepniless. Crowley
claimed the guide had gone away to
get papers signed and the men merely
Imagined they had been deserted
Nevertheless the board revoked the Ii
cense
TIE prosecutor himself testified
against the firm, saying that Iona
list of men who had paid fees and
claimed they failed to get steady jobs
had piled up his files with COM
plants.
Crowley took his case into court and
despite the boards order of revoca-
tion he was able to keep his place
open.
Why this was possible has been q
three months mystery at the city hall