Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-09-01
ACTOR KILLED BY
movie DIRECTOR
George F. Cline Shoots John
Bergen to Death After Wife
ConteSSeS.
SAYS HE ATTACKED SPOUSE
Slayer Declares Victim Admitted
Charge, and Asked Him What
He Was Going to Do About 1t
Claims Self-Defense.

New York, Aug. pa domestic tri.
angle in the motion picture world end
ed in the killing of John Bergen, NOV
ing picture actor. Bergen was shot
by George f. Cline, a motion picture
director, in the latter's home in Edge
water, n. J., while Mrs Cline looked
on.
Cline. arrested on the charge Of MUIR
der, told County Detective Nathan Al
Ign a remarkable story.
Cline made his statement in the
presence of his wife, Mary, and her
two brothers, who corroborated what
he said, both as to the relations be
tween Bergen and Mrs Cline and the
circumstances of the shooting.
According to Cline, he met Bergen
first in Salt Lake City year ago. Six
months later Bergen came East, and
Cline heard that he had been arrested
in Atlantic City on charge of grand
larceny. Cline said he got Bergen out
on bail, and the case was dropped.
Cline said that he got Bergen a job
with the Fox Film corporation and
took him to Saranac Lake with COM
pany for which he, Cline, was location
manager, six weeks ago. Mrs. Cline
also went on the trip. In his absence,
according to Cline, Bergen attacked
Mrs Cline.
According to Cline's statement, his
wife told him Of the Saranac incident.
He said that she had brooded over it
and finally had decided to confess.
Cline said he telephoned to Bergen to
come to his house, and then invited his
two brothers-in-law to be present at the
meeting.
Bergen had no sooner entered the
Cline home than Cline repeated what
his wife had told him.
eyes, I did it." Bergen said, accord
ing to Cline, what are you going to
do about it?"
Cline went out of the room without
saying a word. Bergen was smiling.
When Cline came back he had two re
volvers.
"As long as you feel that way about
it." said Cline, according to his state
ment, 'let's settle this thing like two
men. Take this gun. Wen go up
stairs. There's a big empty room up
there and we can have it out.
81 handed him a revolver, keeping
one for myself. I told him to follow
me up to the upper room, but half
way up the stairs I saw him trying
to get the drop on me and I fred"
The story told by Cline had it that
Bergen ran out of the house and fell
dead in the street a block away. Prose
cutor A. G. Hart of Bergen county
pointed out that this part of Clfne's
story disagreed with the statements
made by the Edgewater police, who
said they had found Bergen on the
sidewalk in front of Cline's house.
According to the police, Bergen was
still alive, although unable to talk,
and did not die until he was taken
to the police station.
When found, Bergen raised his
hands feebly and indicated that he
meant the policemen should search
him. Following his hint, they looked
through his pockets and found piece
of paper, stained with his blood, on
which he had written the words
George Cline killed me-"
A policeman read the words aloud,
and the dying man appeared to nod
his head in confirmation Of what ne
had written.
Cline was arrested III his home,
which was on Undercliffe avenue. He
was taken to the Edgewater police
station together with Mrs. Cline and
her two brothers, Lawrence and
Thomas Scullion. owen Langdon, an
Edgewater taxicab driver, also was
held as a witness.
Langdon said he had been called to
the house to pick up passenger.
While waiting, he said, he heard two
shots and FASTENED away to get a
policeman.
Prosecutor Hart said that threats
had been made against Bergen's life
during the afternoon, but refused to
oo,,co Of