New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-12
.BEHEADED BY ELEVATOR
AS Gagged GIRLS LOOK
Operator Killed When Giving In
struCtIons to Novice in
Apartment House.
CAR SHOOTS TO THE ROOF
Father of Imprisoned Ones Makes
Frantic Efforts to Release
Them-Cool Old Man
Stops Machine.

Two Young girls, daughters Of the Rev.
George Heber Jones, a missionary tn.
Cores. had a shocking experience last
night in the elevator OF a Harlem apart
ment house. After seeing the elevator
mans head cut almost off, they were
whizzed TO the top floor and down again
at racing speed. helpless IN the steel
cage. Their frantic father tried TO reach
them by breaking through the shaft
gates but this was hopeless. All that
he could do was TO dash down stairs
while the ca passed him, and then 70
bourd up again. two and three steps at
a time.
The house was In an uproar, and the
tenants ran out to the openings of the
shaft. but all were helpless. 1t remained
for Felix Try. q sixty-year old man, TO
stop the car by thrustins his hand
through the grille Of the shaft and grab
hing 2 cable. Had the car gone foot
further the girls might have been
seriously ir ed
I ! Handray, the elevator man who
was killed, was a Cingalese. He was
thirty wears old. Yesterday afternoon
no was teaching a friend 10 run the ele-
vator in The Duchess, as the house
which is at No. 81 West 124th street e
named. and so confident was he that the
man could run the car tat he let him
go.Sn with It when the bell rang last
night At the sixth floor. which is also
the top. the Misses Margaret and kath-
crime Jones, sixteen and nine years old'
got on, starting for the cellar TO see the
ianitor about ice that had not been de-
,ivered The substitute got the cage past
the ground floor, but two feet of the top
of II still remained in sight. Handray
lav down. stuck his head under the roof
of the car and called to the man to come
ont The Jones girl did not catch the
name.
ne man unce out. Handray, lying on
the ground floor reached down for the
lever of the car. He must have jerked IL
700 swiftly, for the car shot up, with the
elevator man clinging 10 the edge. lie
tried to wriggle his body off and drop TO
the ground floor, but the cage was going
foo fast. His head was jammed between
the ceiling Of the first floor and the floor
Of the car.
The two girls began screaming. ana
their father rushed downstairs, but he
nsssed the car as II was ascending.
safety device at the roof sent ii down
again, and in desperation Mr.. Jones
seized the gates OF the fourth floor and
shook them with all his might. Try
who lives in the Duchess, had more head
than any one else. for he stopped the car
I'm the manner described just before IL
got to the bottom of the shaft.
The girls were taken out with ladders.
They were weak from fright, and were
taken 10 their apartment, where Dr. Don
rcIlv. of the Harlem Hospital. attended
,bem. He said that they were not ply
sicalIv injured but that their nerves
were I'm a bad way. Their father Is a
member of the Board Of Foreign Mis-
s,ons of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and has lately been in Corea. He is
also ex-secretary of Corcan Quarter
Centennial Commission
Handray died instantly. His head Was
,ashed and his neck was almost sew
cred. His friend disappeared. and the
bodv was identified at the East l26th
street police station by q letter found In
q coat pocket.
q