Mayor Thomas T. Crittenden, Jr., was calling on friends last night, when he received this telephone message:

"This is Whelan of the Post-Dispatch. I am at the Hotel Baltimore. Can you come down here a few minutes for a little conference in regard to Mr. Cowherd's candidacy?"

The mayor replied that it would be impossible for him to get away at that time, but that he might be able to get to the hotel by 10:45 o'clock.

"All right, that will do. Come down then. We will be here," Mr. Bernheimer said to the mayor.

"I see you are," said the mayor; "but why aren't you home in bed?"

"Home in bed? Why, your secretary called me up a while ago and said you wanted me to meet you here at the Baltimore hotel, as you wanted to discuss a very important matter with me."

"Well, that's the first I had heard of that. This is quit a surprise to me. I came down here to find a Mr. Whelan."

At this juncture a reporter for The Journal stepped up to Mayor Crittenden and asked:

"Mayor, what significance is there in the political conference held here tonight?"

"What political conference?" demanded the mayor.

"Why, between you and Joe Shannon and Mr. Bernheimer and others."

"I haven't seen Joe Shannon tonight. There was no political conference. Mr. Bernheimer is a Republican and -- say," and a light seemed to break in on the mayor, "let's get together here. How did you come to asked me about a political conference anyway?"

"The city editor sent me over. He said someone had telephoned to the office that a conference was on between you and some Shannon Democrats and so I came over to find out about it."

The mayor glanced around the hotel to see if he could discern a practical "joker" in the crowd.

"Somebody has been playing a joke," said his honor, "but I can't see any one in this crowd who looks like a joker."

"Nor can I," said Bernheimer, disgustedly.

Then the mayor and Bernheimer walked out in the lobby arm-in-arm.

At intervals for several years the "joker" who uses the telephone to further his humorous ideas has played pranks on public officials, newspaper men and others. Probably the most persistent case occurred during the campaign of 1904. A well known business man, who occasionally goes in for silk stocking politics, took an active part in the campaign that year. He established a Hearst headquarters at his own expense, published pamphlets and flooded the Western country with literature favorable to his candidate. One night, about 11 o'clock, he appeared in the office of the city editor of The Journal.

"Well, I'm here," he said, without any other introduction whatever.

"So I see," was the reply. "What can I do for you?"

"Don't you want to see me? Didn't you telephone my home for me to call at the office tonight?"

"I certainly did not," was the answer.

"Well, that's funny," and he pulled his stubby beard, perplexedly.

A few nights later this same man inquired of the clerk at the Hotel Baltimore if W. C. Whitney was in his room. He was told that Mr. Whitney was not registered at that hotel.

"Why, he telephoned out to my house for me to meet him here."

A week later this same man journeyed to the depot to meet Mr. Hearst, who was, according to a telephone message, laying over for an hour between train He couldn't find Mr Hearst anywhere. Finally he adopted the plan of making no appointments by telephone except with people whose voices he knew.

Death at the hands of a cousin of her fiance was the tragic ending of a summer vacation to Miss Edna Callaway, a young Kansas City society woman, at Denver, Col., Wednesday night. Witte Ellis, formerly of Kansas City, accidentally shot and killed her with an automatic pistol at the home of his mother in the presence of her sweetheart, W. Lysle Alderson, who with his mother and Miss Callaway were visiting at the Ellis home. The tragedy occurred on the evening Miss Callaway was to start upon her return trip to Kansas City.

The shooting occurred after the return of the party, composed of Mrs. J. M. Ellis, of Denver, the hostess; Mrs. D. P. Alderson, of Kansas City; W. Lysle Alderson, Miss Callaway, and young Ellis, from a dinner at the Shirley hotel.

It seems that for a prank the two women had gone into their sons' bedrooms and concealed some of their night clothing. When the boys discovered the joke they decided upon a reprisal which would turn the laugh the other way. Accordingly young Alderson produced an automatic pistol with which it was proposed to scare Miss Callaway, whom they believed responsible for the original joke.

The pistol was arranged to be loaded by placing a "clip" full of cartridges in a place provided for the insertion so that the top shell would be in position for firing. Ellis took the pistol and removed the "clip" containing the bullets.

Then the two ran into a hallway, where their mothers were awaiting the outcome of the joke. Miss Callaway,, hearing the commotion and knowing some prank was on, peeped from her door and then came out. They flourished the pistol some moments, Ellis exclaiming,

"Where's the fellow who stole my clothes? I want my clothes!"

He turned from his mother to Mrs. Alderson and then back again to his mother. At that moment Miss Callaway came out, laughing, and asked what the trouble was. Ellis told her that someone had gone into his room and stolen his night-clothes.

Then he turned to the young woman, accused her of stealing his clothes and ordered her to put up her hands. She was standing beside Mrs. Alderson, at the time, and both women raised their hands in mock terror. Ellis pulled the trigger and sent a bullet crushing into the young girl's brain. One shell had caught when the clip was removed and remained in position for its work of destruction.

Miss Callaway sank back in the arms of her sweetheart's mother. Death was instantaneous. Mrs. Alderson eased the body gently to the floor and then fainted. Mrs. Ellis also fainted, while her son stood for a moment dumbfounded. When the realization of what he had done came to him, he became frantic, sobbing and crying that he would kill himself. He was prevented from this by friends who heard the noise of the gunshot and went into the house.

When his sweetheart fell, young Alderson ran to her, took her into his arms and placed her upon a bed. It was some moments before he realized the awful truth, but when he discovered Miss Callaway was dead, his grief was pitiful In a few moments he became hysterican and had to be led away from his fiance's bedside.

Added sorrow in the tragedy comes from the fact that young Ellis' father, former Judge J. M. Ellis, perished in a hotel fire in Goldfield, Nev., less than a year ago. Mrs. Ellis' health was undermined by that occurrence and she came to Kansas City several months ago for rest and a change of climate. The visit of the party of Kansas City people to her home at this time was in return for the one Mrs. Ellis had made in Kansas City. Witte Ellis accompanied his mother while she was here in this city.

Immediately after the shooting word of the unfortunate affair was sent to Kansas City by telegraph. The first reports were badly garbled, one account having it that the shooting had been done by W. Lysle Alderson, fiance of Miss Callaway. The news created a profound sensation in social circles where both the young woman and Mr. Alderson are well known.

The body of the unfortunate young woman will be brought to Kansas City this morning, accompanied by Mrs. Alderson and her son. Mrs Robert Stone, the girl's mother, who had been spending the summer at Excelsior Springs, returned to her home at the Elsmere hotel last night. She was completely prostrated at the news of her daughter's death.

The first report was that young Alderson himself held the revolver which ended Miss Callaway's life in such a tragic manner. This report almost completely prostrated D. P. Alderson, the father of the young man, a member of the firm of Bradley-Alderson Company, but a private dispatch from young Alderson later stated that the revolver was held by Witte Ellis, the son of Mrs. J. M. Ellis, whom Mrs. Alderson and her son and Miss Callaway were visiting at the time. The knowledge that his son was not responsible for the death of his fiancee was a great relief to Mr. Alderson, and mitigated to some extent the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate affair.

Mrs. F. P. Neal, of 318 Walrond avenue, is an aunt of Miss Callaway. Mr. Neal, vice president of the Union National bank, received several telegrams during the day, one of which was from young Alderson, stating that the body of Miss Callaway would be brought to Kansas City at once. The entire party will leave Denver this morning, arriving tomorrow morning.

Mrs. L. F. Rieger, of 426 Gladstone boulevard, is a distant cousin of Miss Callaway.

Miss Callaway was the daughter of Mrs. Robert Stone, who was, before her marriage to Mr. Stone, Mrs. R. P. Callaway. The girl was 19 years old and was a graduate of the Central high school two years ago. She lived at the Elsmere hotel with her mother and stepfather, who were in Excelsior Springs yesterday when the affair occurred. Miss Callaway went to Denver last summer to visit her aunt, Mrs. J. M. Ellis. Two weeks ago young Alderson, to whom she was engaged, went to Denver with his mother to spend his vacation with his fiancee. Young Alderson is also 19 years of age and a graduate of the Central high school in the class of 1905. The two have been sweethearts for years and had been engaged for some time, though no definite time for their marriage had been set.

A specially unfortunate feature of the affair was that it occurred on the eve of the departure of the Kansas City party for home. They were expected to start last night.

D. P. Alderson received a dispatch yesterday from his son which read:

Edna shot tonight; Witte held revolver; death immediate; come at once.

Mr. Alderson had intended to leave for Denver to be with his sone but it was later decided that this would be unnecessary and the arrangements were made to bring the body to Kansas City immediately.

The coroner's inquest was held over the body of Miss Calloway in Denver yesterday. W. W. Ellis testified that he held the automatic revolver when it was discharged.

The jury decided that the killing was entirely accidental and did not recommend any disposition of young Ellis. The district attorney was present at the hearing, but gave no indication of any intention to hold Ellis for trial.