The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-03-12
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY At SYRACUSE, N. r.
a Uusba nd P0isOns Himself and Two
itement Of the Popalace.

| 4 Husband Poisons Himself and Two
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF the Porulace,
| &C. Jas
| A tragedy of a most terrible nature has lust
caused the greatest excitement at Syracuse. n
Y. On Wednesday last, Peter Tinker, whose
! wife had abandoned him for DR.. Searles
| committed suicide by taking poison, after
having first poisoned his two little daueht ters
| with ssrychnine He was seen staggering in
| the streets that evening from the effects OF
| laudanum and was carried TO the Park Hotel
! by his friends, who supposed he was drunk
! He died next morning about 0 o'clocks~~fhe
Standard has the following par rticulars of this
extraordinary affair
On taking OFF his boots several letters were
found in one Of his stockings, one of which " as
directed TO MS wife, and another one stated
that his two children girls of six and eight
years OF age, would be found asl leep in the Med.
zeal College building. AS the children were
missing, considerable anxiety was felt for their
the College building, where. in the northeas /
oIner OF the lower hoor, horrible sight met
the eye The two beautiful little children
l,''meo fiora and Lucinda, lay on a mattress,
deau, with the froth gathered about the mo u h.
aho bearing every evidence of death from the
unects OF pclson--supposed TO be strychnine.
me poison had probably been administered by
means OF an orange, and the children had been
partially laid out after death, as their arms
Were folded across their breasts with some care
ana tile bodies laid III a straight POSITION. The
cniidren We're beautiful and intelligent little
elris SIX and eight years OF age and had at
tended school until quite recently.
ihe news Of the finding of the bodies spread
through the city like wiidfire, and hundreds
OF persons crowded 10 see the bodies Among
'he numbers who attend. d Il feeling of horror
ana Indignation was expressed aud many
threzts were INDUCED IN against Dr. Searles,
"hoh some persons suppose TO be responsible
Tor the whole tragedy. Some of the most ex-
cited ran TO the Guy Hall, and attempted TO
sound the fire beii but the police ntertered
aud prevented any disturbance. The Chief of
Police proceeded TO the Office of DR.. Searles
ana took him into custody for the purpose OF
protecting him from any assault. He was ta-
ken TO the penltentiary by his own consent,
but we do not learn that any charge is pre-
!erred against him.
This tragic affair has created the most in
tense feeling throughout the city, and much
Indignation is expressed against certain per-
sons hut we ;reln some doubt as 10 where the
blame should rest. Peter Tinker was former
~ saloon keeper, and afterwards kept the
hotel now kept by Mr.. Cuddeback. For some
time past he has been in Strengthened crcum-
stances, and he had probably become partial
~ insane on account et his pecuniary trou-
oles and domestic difficulties. He was aiways
regarded as an honest, sober, we!i-meaning
man, but not over intelligent or we'll calcutta
Ted 10 make good living fer his family.
Tinker never confessed ihat he des troyed his
children or poisoned DR.. Searles' horse. but
yet there can be very little doubt that he COM
mitted both offences. He was with the
children about O'Clock on Wednesday morn
ing, ana must OF course have poisoned them
after that time. He perss ted 10 the last in
saying they Were alive and we'll. The room in
which the little nnocents lay when they were
louno was formerly occupied by Tinker and
his family, bat ot late had been unocc upIed,
except as store-room for q portion OF Tin
ker's furniture. A chair or two. an old desk.
and the mattress and bed clothes on which
The children were lying were nearly all the
articles III the room. 1t pIesen ted a melau-
choly picture of death and desoiation. The
girls were fully dressed and looked very beau
uiul as they lay in death They had evident
~ been pretty and intelligent chiidreA.
The body Of the father has been removed to
tue room where the children were found, and
thousands of persons have visited the plem-
lses To look upon the sad spectacle.
The statement of the wlf- OF the unh ppy
suicide is that her husband became very poor,
aud she went to live with DR.. Searles and his
wife III order that her work here N sht sup
port herself Some time since the second Eap-
list church, 10 which Mrs. Tinker belonged
took the matter under consideration, and She
was discharged from the church, ON the charge
that she did n~t live with her husband and
walk with the church, and had attended lee
tnres on spiritualism. 1t may be proper here
10 state lhat Mrs. Tinker is not and never has
been splrltualist, and that the abs urd stories
that are I'D circulation about spiritualism and
iree-l ,veare All false.
Mrs. Tinker is Il lady apparently about thir-
ty-tive years of age, with no particular pre-
tensions 10 beauty, and apparently not very
gay She is mu, h more intelligent than her
husband, and appears TO feel very much de-
pressed by the horrible circumstances thatsur-
round her at this time She evidently feels
he loss of her little girls very keeuIy although
she is not so demonstratiNe AS some females.
MIS- DIR. SeaileS, who is a very intelligent
appearing lady, Indignantly spurns the idea
that any improper Intimacy existed between
her husband aud Mrs. Tinker. She says she
invited Mrs. Tinker to make her house a home
from pure motives of benevolence, as she well
understood their depressed pecuniary ci.cum-
stances.