The New York herald., 1922-01-04
KILLS HER GUARDIAN
With 'UNLOADED GUN
Mary Allyn, 33, Absolved by
MacMasters Family in
Death of Mother.
FINDS HIDDEN PISTOL
Removes All Shells She
Could Find, Believing the
Weapon Dangerous.
WOUND IN LEG rs FATAL
Funeral To-day for Wife Of
Financial Backer of
Brokerage.
WOUND IN LEG rs FATAL

One of the families that provided
themselves with household weapons
last spring when burglars were raiding
In Flatbush was that of ]. F. MacMas-
ters of 1876 Argyle road. His son. Roy
Fl. MacMasters, a stock broker, bought
two automatic pistols and tucked them
away in places where they might be
handy. No burglars came and tho
pistols lay unused.
Last Saturday morning Miss Mary
X. Allyn, who had lived in the house
several years, going there as a COM
panion for Mrs. ]. r. MacMasters, who
was elderly and not in good health,
and becoming sort of ward, found
one Of the automatics while tidying a
drawer OF a dresser in Mrs. MacMas-
ter's bedroom. It occurred to her that
1t was dangerous to have a loaded pis-
tol lying around and that she ought
to extract the shells.
Miss Allyn took the pistol to the liv-
ing room on the ground floor. She had
never handled weapons before, but she
found the spring releasing the magazine
and withdrew the magazine and the clip
of loaded .3S caliber cartridges. Sha
did not know that in this type OF pistol
one cartridge remains in the firing
chamber.
The young woman had separated the
magazine from the pistol when Mrs.
MacMasters. who had been out mailing
letters, returned. The older woman, see-
ing what Miss Allyn was doing, ex-
claimed:
MARY. you shouldn't fool with a
thing like that"
Hidden Bullet ExpIodes.
Miss Allyn had the magazine in her
left hand and the pistol In her right
To show Mrs. MacMasters that the pis-
toi was not dangerous she held the two
hands out for inspection. Just then the
cartridge hidden in the barrel exploded
and bullet, entering the right leg of
Mrs MacMasters broke the thigh bone
In Mrs MacMasterss diabetic condition
the wound caused blood poisoning On
Monday morning, two days after she
was shot. she died Meanwhile. she had
told every one who had went to the
house that the shooting was accidental.
and Mary Is In no way TO blame" Not
long before her death she made a will.
leaving all her property. which was con-
siderable. to her son Roy.
Mrs. MacMasters was shot at 8 O'Clock
on Saturday morning. The police were
notified at o'clock, after the family
had been told by a friend. Joseph A.
Waterman. former New York county de-
tective. now with the New York Life
Insurance Company. that even accidents
must be reported. Detective Giesler OF the
Parkville station made an investigation.
The law says that any occurrences
which may result In death must be
reported by the police to the District At
torney. No such report was made to
Nicholas Selvaggi, chief OF the Homicide
Bureau of the Kings County District At
torney's office, until yesterday morning.
day after Mrs. MacMasters's death
and three days after the shooting.
Miss Allyn visited Mr.. Selvaggi yes
terday morning and told her story. She
said Mrs. MacMasters and herself had
been as mother and daughter and that
Mrs. MacMasters had talked of legally
adopting her. She wept throughout the
nara tive and tainted four times. She
was the only witness of the shooting
Her statement on other matters. in
cluding that of her complete exoneration
by Mrs MacMasters. was corroborated
by many persons. These included Dr.
Cameron Duncan of 4s2 Ocean avenue.
who attended Mrs. MacMasters Theo-
dore +. Won Dorm OF 14f Broadway,
counsel for the MacMasters brokerage
firm: Mrs. T. y. Patterson of 100 Argyle
road. a neighbor to whose home Miss
Allyn ran for help after Mrs. MacMas-
ters fell: James II. Luke the MacMas-
20 huf xrff ,,lxo a..
cook: J. j.. MacMasters. the son. Roy,
and Detective Geisler
called RegrettabIe Accident.
When his visitors had gone Mr. Sell
vaggi had a talk with his chief, the new
District Attorney. John Ruston. Mr..
Selvaggi said he was convinced that the
shooting was nothing more than re-
grettable accident Later he said that
while he still held the same opinion he
would ask Miss Allyn to call again
after the funeral. as he wished to com.
plete the questioning. He found on try
Ing the pistol himself. he said, that Il
could not be fired except by stimuli
faneous pressure on the trigger and on
q spring at the back of the handle, and
for the formal record he wished to have
a fuller account OF just how Miss Allyn !
handled the weapon and why she took
AZ from the bedroom TO the living |
room.
Roy MacMasters told the District At |
torney that Miss Allyn is 3s years old |
and has lived In his fathers household |
several years: also that she was born |
IN New York and that her parents now |
live In Connecticut. He promised to |
|give other details later. Mr.. Won Dorm, |
the lawyer. said Miss Allyn had known |
the MacMasterses thirteen or fourteen |
|years and lived with them "more than |
1.-TWO years" Miss Allyn called Mrs. |
|MacMasters mother"
The funeral of Mrs. MacMasters will |
be held to-day. J. II. MacMasters Is q |
Financial backer. and his son. who Is |
unmarried is a partner In the brokerage
|firm of n. II. MacMasters e. Co, of 81 |
Broad street. Manhattan IL has |
| br" nches In several other cities. Roy
|hacMasbers is a member OF the Con-
Boldated Stock EXCHANGE