San Francisco County CA Archives News.....Slain on the Stage January 10, 1893
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Linda Blum-Barton http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000645 September 6, 2006, 9:50 pm

The Weekly Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. January 10, 1893
An Amateur Acress Stabs the Leading Man Through the Heart.
San Francisco, Cal., January 3 -- The old year was closed by a unique and 
terrible tragedy, by which Sidney McCoy, a young lawyer, aged thirty-three lost 
his life, and Miss Grace King, aged nineteen, is in an unconscious condition.  
A party of about fifty friends assembled last night at McCoy's house, on 
Guerrero street, to watch the old year out and the new year in.  The feature of 
the evening's entertainment was the production of a short play written by 
McCoy, and performed by amateurs.  The plot of the play was the betrayal of a 
band of Russian nihilists by one of their number.  The nihilists discover their 
traitor and condemn her to death.  They decide by lot who shall perform the 
execution and the number fell to the character portrayed by McCoy, Miss King 
playing the part of the traitor.  She is given the choice of being killed or 
stabbing herself, and chooses the latter alternative.  McCoy handed her a 
dagger which had been in his family for many years.  In the play the girl 
instead of killing herself was to stab her executioner, and as Miss King 
received the knife she reached forward to touch McCoy ont he breast with the 
knife.

At the same instant McCoy started toward the girl, when she stumbled, and 
falling forward with the dagger in her hand, drove it through McCoy's heart.  
McCoy showed wonderful vitality and presence of mind.  He walked into the next 
room and asked for a doctor, and then fell dead.  The girl knew that there had 
been an accident of some kind, but did not know McCoy was killed.  She was 
taken home and afterward, on advice of friends, gave herself up to the police.  
She was taken to the city prison at 3 o'clock in the morning, and when she 
entered the prison fainted, and has since remained unconscious.  This morning 
McCoy's two brothers secured her release by giving bonds for $10,000 for her 
appearance.  The girl was then taken home and is in a critical condition.  The 
accident was explained by the fact that recently Miss King suffered from a 
sprained ankle and she had been using crutches to walk with, but had laid them 
aside to practice the part in the play.

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