The New York herald., 1869-05-14
A BROOKLYN HORROR.
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ION THE HEIGHTS"
Love, Attempted Murder
and Suicide.
A Young Man Uses ChlOrOform and the
Pistol to Kill Lady and Then
Shoots Himself.

Love, frenzy, att9 murder and deliberate
suicide again, and Brooklyn. the "City Of
Churches p, The announcement OF this tragedy
will give the entire country moral shock, from
which It viii be long time recovering. Ii one snoud
point to any community In the world more than
usually best with religious and educational nstitu-
tions, 1t would be Brooklyn. Yet In this seat OF
religion ana learning this city Of religious temples
is found n0urishing the most terrible weeds OF
love, despair and dark and bloody crime. Ihe
faculties of colleges the principals OF schools the
numerous clergy, the sound Of the church bells
the missionary spirit, the Sunday schools, all have
failed to penetrate into circles of citizens thus hap
ply surrounded where there Is behed man as iar-
removed from enlightened Christianity as seemingly
are the heather in Africa, and ncomparably behind
the ignorant savage in the possession of human SYM
pathes and the love species The question why
these things are comes home TO the moraist ana
the well-wlsher of his race with the soemnity OF
voice from eternity II there Is any pride in Brook
lyns midst any of that lurking feeling left that con-
graduates itself that we are not as other men,"
not quite 30 bad as other communities, the
proceedings of the Montague street tragedy
hereafter detailed should PROSTATE 1t into the
dust. The profane attempt to Invade
lady's sleeping room at night-an evidence or the
age-is fearfully Illustrated In the suicide OF
Samuel D.. Tacot and the attempted murder OF
Miss Lizzie Scribner; but the same frenzy that made
him take his own life resolves itself into the form
of slower in judicial circles and hundred other
delusions everywhere Looking at the wretches
throughout the country, male and female, jabDer-
ing out their profanity and occasionally rolling
forth Scripture in defence Of their deeds, and once
In while constituting their dsordered thoughts into
messages from on HIGH" giving revelations for
MURDERS the nerrogatory is, GLOW is it that human
nature can become SO degraded, 80 exclusively
occupied with evil, absorbed by all that Is start
ingly bads
once In the mazes Of polemcal dscu sslonLwould:
perhaps, attack spirit OF preludlce; would array
against the questioner widely dnused hostility IN
which complaint Is made and under whlch the
community suffers. 1t is not the fashion In these
pharasaical days to go INTO the highways anu oy.
ways and look up lost sheep. It Is not the fashion
to penetrate into the outskirts Of towns and cities
persuade the would.be murderers and self-hom
cides to come into the pure air OF an enngntened
moral sewers that are fostering in their niquity,
and by q chemistry peculiar to the DOWNWARD pro-
gress Of wickedness crystazng t9er very @ aasan ~ ,
The self-styed good assemble In high places tey
blow their trumpets Of selflaudaton, they ollcialy
grOan over the immoral and the debased and they
Contribute lberay Of their goods for distant
charities yet in the very heartless and bloodless
their own feet that reach to their own doors There
must something be done, and this is spoken gener-
ay-a diffusiOn through our religion" OF more
| peniality more warmth, more practical goodness.
There must also be more stern deterIninaon not 10
tribe with those who break the laws made ior tne a
protect all from the evils OF fanaticism and crime
How long is 1t since the people OF the country
were startled by verdicts Of juries excusng the Kill
| ing OF human beings In Canada and Maryland upon
the plea Of momentary insanity or Justice ~ All III
| blood while his pulse is slow and his thoughts col
lected. The law Is made for the punishment OF the
indulgence OF this passion but happily tne latest M az
| sion to obtain twelve honest men who might hnd
good excuses for Its demonstration, who would &C
cept speciOus arguments Of tried counsel TO anect
their Judgment, principal In the dire crime has
anticipated all juries for his attempted murder and
caused them to sit as arblters upon condemned
self-homicide.
The tragedy that occurred In iBrooklyn yesterday
morning links with love all the worst forms OF
choly case one OF the great record. The prnci-
pal actor now dead by his own hand, was samuel d.
Talbot youth Of goodly mien, young, prosperous
in life being In thriving business; but some evil
splr that degraded his humanity took possession OF
| him, and with his own death tried to send soul,
the standard OF purity high and lofty for whom life
looked bright, ful OF beauty ana ambition, 10 the
SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY
No. Montague terrace, Brooklyn, Is as lovely o
location for residence the heart wish for: II
the ferry landing from the foot Of Wall street.
this city, and overlooking the East river, New York
Bay ana the several ISLANDS III the narD0r, ana Wnen
the hazy mists incident TO large bodies OF water
dispelled by the genial rays OF the sun Staten
| Island and the Narrows, with their glowing villas
and white sails, within the gaze Of the naked
eye from the site.
Here dwelt Mr. Benjamin Flint ana his family; he
gentleman OF means, engaging In business
| only pleasure dictated. His brother and he
| built the handsome block In which they live,
each occupying houses on either end. The
family have but one small child. the others being
| grown to the estate Of maturity. Being thus
situated. Mr.. Flint, who had long known Samuel ID.
| 1albot-the self-murderer-hts parents now dead
and all his knsf0k, as the son OF prominent and
old merchant OF Boston, listened 10 his solicitations
| and allowed him to occupy apartments with him.
| This introduction was fully year ago. Since
proachable character, correct habits and good dis
position. He was intelligent and highly cultivated,
having travelled extensively In Europe Tor his edu
| cation, and had prohted by this experience.
Miss Lizzie Scribner, younger sister OF Mrs.
Flint as had been her won't for several years,
resided with these relatives during the winter
months leaving her pleasant home In Portland, Me-,
for this object the period being to her season OF
genuine gladsomeness.
In process OF time this almost youth and maiden
met. or course they were often IN each others So
cety; but what to him In time seemed his polar star
OF fe-her afectlon-was not at ali recprocated by
| her. She could not be taught TO love him, and, In
would not walk with him, and where he esteemed
her idol, so manifested II, his heart, his life,
his ALL" she lady had cogent reasons--her own
hearts secret-that caused her to kindly refrain
from any manifestation that might be interpreted as
the acceptance OF his mysterious passion.
With them resided Mr.. Charles Flint, the son, and
this comprised all the important members OF the