A Morphine Death at the Concord House

FOUND DEAD IN BED.

The body of Allan McDonald, a young man who had wealthy parents in Toronto, Canada, but who had come down through the use of morphine to be a piano player in a house of prostitution, and the companion of Lillie Vann, a young mixed-race woman, was found in room 31 of the Concord House on Front street, near Pike, late yesterday afternoon. Coroner Askam is of the opinion that death was due to an overdose of morphine, but he had not been able to determine whether it was taken with suicidal intent.

In the room was found a morphine powder and a letter addressed by McDonald to his companion, Lillie Vann, in which he told her that if she did not leave Harry Clark, of Tacoma, alone, he would have nothing more to do with her.

Allan McDonald was about 23 years old, rather tall, well built and had beautiful brown eyes. His features were regular and indicated more than ordinary intelligence. He had a fine head of brown hair and a small, nicely curled mustache of the same color. It was his misfortune to become a morphine addict, and as he drifted down in the scale of life he finally had to fall on his ability as a musician to earn his livelihood among his associates. Eventually he became a player in the houses in Tacoma. While in that city five years ago he met Lillie Vann, a young woman whose skin was nearly white and who is beautiful now only in form. They became infatuated with one another and have ever since lived together the greater part of the time. They were both given to the morphine habit, and this caused them to be put in the Pierce county jail some time during January, where they were kept until about the first of March. After being released they came to this city and lived at the Chicago, 211 Washington alley. McDonald played the piano and Lillie Vann was a resident of the house.

A week ago Miss Vann went over to Tacoma, where she is well acquainted and has an admirer named Harry Clark. Clark is a Japanese who has worked at different resorts. There is nothing to show that she went over to see Clark, but McDonald lost no time in going to Tacoma and bringing her back to Seattle on the steamer Flyer. On the way over she cried. This attracted the attention of Fred Manotta, and subsequently led to identification.

Although Miss Vann says she had no words with her lover, she left the Chicago last Wednesday night and took a room at the Concord House with Alma Fikes, who is now at Franklin or Black Diamond. McDonald still remained at the Chicago and was so accommodating last Thursday night as to show Harry Clark, who had come over from Tacoma, where Miss Vann was staying.

Friday, according to the woman's story, McDonald and Clark were out at Lake Washington. During the day they drank considerable liquor. Clark returned to Tacoma and McDonald went to the Chicago, where he had supper, and left the house again at 7:30 o'clock, remarking that he would be back in time to go to work and that he would not go near his mistress under any consideration. The first thing he did, however, was to go direct to her room at the Concord House and remain a few minutes, after which he went down town, giving her to understand that he was going back to the Chicago to do his night's work.

Miss Vann says he returned to her room between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning very much under the influence of liquor. She took off his clothes and put him to bed. About 8 o'clock in the morning she dressed and went down town, leaving McDonald asleep and breathing heavily. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon Mrs. Andrew Robel, wife of the proprietor of the house, went to the room to make up the bed. As she opened the door she saw the form of a man on his back in the bed and his head resting on two pillows. The face was the appearance of the dead and Mrs. Robel called her husband, who pronounced the man dead. Mr. Robel ran across the alley to Butterworth's undertaking rooms. From there Coroner Askam was called.

The coroner found McDonald well covered with bed clothes and the body still warm. The pupils of the eyes were contracted, and when a three-grain morphine powder was discovered in a pocket of a vest at the foot of the bed the cause of death seemed well established.

The worldly possessions of the dead man consisted of 85 cents and three buttons. At the head of the bed, however, on a little stand was a glass of water and a letter addressed to Miss Lillie Vann, room 31, Concord House, Seattle. It read as follows:

"Seattle, Wash., April 13.

"My dear Lillie: As you may know, I think a great deal of you, but my disposition calls for these remarks. That your companionship or even communication with Harry must be at an end or our friendship ceases. Hoping you will give this your favorable consideration, I am yours truly, ALLAN McDONALD.

Washington alley, Seattle."

"One cannot be friendly with two men and I be one of them, so take your choice and let me hear your decision. MACK."

There were no signs of violence and the room was not disturbed in the least. The people at the hotel said they had no knowledge of the dead man, as the room was engaged by Lillie Vann. Mr. Robel said he remembered having seen the man going down the front stairs Friday evening, but did not know that he had returned to the house.

After the body was removed to Butterworth's morgue Fred Manotta said he had seen him on the steamer Flyer with the woman, and that the woman was crying. Coroner Askam conducted his investigation with the assistance of Officer Phillips. In the meantime Miss Vann, having heard of the death of Mr. McDonald, came to the morgue. The moment she saw her dead lover she broke out crying as if she meant it.

When seen by a Post-Intelligencer reporter last night she said that she knew nothing about the letter and had had no quarrel with McDonald. She gave Clark's name herself and said she had been acquainted with him in Tacoma. She was under the impression that McDonald had not used morphine since he got out of the Pierce county jail.

His father is James McDonald, a wealthy man of Toronto, Canada, whose residence is on [—] avenue. He has not seen his son from 15 to 20 years. Coroner Askam telegraphed to the chief of police at Toronto to notify Mr. McDonald of his death.