Arizona republican., 1912-05-08
His Mind Clouded By Fan cied Wrongs, Man Named Coffman Shoots Malcolm Gillette, and Then Him self
TWO MEN WERE
 ONLY WITNESSES
Coffman Left Several Let ters in One of Which He Said He Had Been Swim dled and Intended Going the Limit

Cherishing an insane delusion that he had been swindled in d real es- tate transaction. F. Coffman, semi invalid about 11:30 o'clock yesterday forenoon. passing through the office of Surveyor General Ingalls, in the capitol building. for the moment un- occupied. and through d narrow pas sageway that leads into the next apartment as he entered it, met Chiei Clerk Granville Malcolm Gillett. and shot him dead. inflictlng four wounds, of which either one of two would have necessarily proved fatal. Golf man turned, retraced his steps and as he emerged from General Ingalls, office into the lobby of the building shot himself through the heart and fell back in the doorway, dead. Char ence Craig and A. R. Cheevers. clerks in Gillett's office. witnessed the shoot ing ot their chief, Craig standing at a desk but four or five feet from Gillett and Cheevers sitting at d desk d little farther away. Both men say that Gillett uttered no sound as he turned and fell face downward on the floor and that if Coffman uttered any word it was while he retreated through the passageway. and was not heard by them.
 At the time and perhaps for an hour afterWard. the identity of Golf man was not discovered. Some who saw him lying where he fell awaiting the arrival Of the coroner, recognized Ia T the capitol several times. but always quiet and Unobtrusive. Some of the employees of the surveyor generals office fancied they recognized him as d man who had called there once or twice to see Mir Gillett. but their conferences had been private appar- entity dmicable and had attracted nJ attention. They were not even posi- tive that he was the same man.
 Jack Adams. draftsman in the of flee. said that several days ago Gil lett had told him of what seemed tc him a remarkable incident. He said he had sold 9 man a ten acre tract of ground. that later the buyer had declared the title was not good anC offered to sell il back to him at q greatly reduced price. which he Gil lett, said he would be agreeable to ii the man insisted. though the title was vouched for by a local abstractinl company Gillett in his conversation with Adams had remarked that thu man he was dealing with must b, crazy. though at the time it was sup posed the remark by Gillett wa' jocular. It was known that the req f1-.lf I,o c1,,x-,,,,, mated through the office of F. A Spauldirg and when MT. Spauldingi card was found in the dead man pocket. his identity was quickly es t8blished and letters in Coffman. pocket showed his act to have beci deliberate and it's motive as suggest cd by. Adams story.
 The coroner was notified and afte jury had been impaneled and tn bodies of the two men were vieWe, where they had fallen, that of NIT Gillett was removed to the undertak ing parlors of Moore & Mcclellan an' that of Coffman was taken to tn parlors of Easterling & Whitney. Tn weapon used was an automatic 3 calibre revolver There were five shot fired and all took effect
 Gillett was shot once through tn heart the bullet passing clear throug his body. once in the right side O the abdomen. that bullet also passin through his body, once across the alb domen evidently from right to left d he turned to the left, making dou hlC wound where the bullet entere and emerged. though this was bu slightly under the skin, and once i the left thigh.
 Strangely enough. though the leg islature was in session in the to story of the capitol building and tn offices on the second floor were d occupied. there being perhaps 15 people in the building a crowd wa slow in assembling. Almost every body heard the shots and though the sounded very like a revolver, even the legislative chambers, it wa thought so unlikely that there woul he shooting in such place. tn; most people assumed it was the e1 plosion of harmless bombs, explode by some practical joker. The sena had adjourned but d few minutes b fore and as the members descendt the stairways they were apprised
 what had taken place. Those in u house, though hearing the noise, q not at first make any investigatio their curiosity being quieted wht they saw others entering from u corridors, whence the sound of u shooting had come, apparently witt
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