The Tragedy at the Drug Store

In the rooms above a Tacoma drug store, a sensational tragedy occurred involving an employee and a woman. The drug clerk, identified as Clark, was found with a bullet in his brain. The dead woman was identified as Hattie Cass, a woman of the 'sporting' type. According to A. B. Stewart, proprietor of the drug store, he went to the room out of curiosity after failing to find Clark at his post. He discovered the two in a corner; Hattie was dead, and Clark was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. A vial labeled 'Atropia' was found on his person, which is believed to be the poison he used in a failed attempt to commit suicide. Clark, who was unconscious when discovered, was initially accused of the killing by an acquaintance who claimed Clark shot the woman after a confrontation, though the lack of powder marks on the woman and the strange circumstances left investigators skeptical. The tragedy has cast a pall over the business community, as the drug store was a well-known fixture on Pacific Avenue.