The Portland daily press., 1872-09-16
COwardly Attempt at Murder.

A Dastardly attempt at wholesale murder
occurred in Syracuse, N. T., recently, at the
house of Mrs. Northrup. With Mrs. Nor
throp lived her two daughters. Ada, aged TO
years, aud Mrs. Walters, divorced wife of
Theodore Walters, hackman in the city,
Walters first become acquainted with the
elder daughter, Rebccca, at dancing school,
and subsequently he assisted the family in
moving once or twice, which helped him to
frame excuses for calling on the young lady,
although he was personally distasteful to her.
He, however, continued his calls until being
disliked by parents and daughter, the father
turned him out of doors. Enraged at this,
he made threats against the peace of the fam
lily, and few days afterward found oppor-
tunity to wreak his vengeance. Rebecca
whom he had been trying to marry all the
time, was troubled with toothache, and one
day went to a druggist to get chloroform to
alleviate the pain. Walters, who had fol-
lowed her into the store, told her to take
some Immediately, and poured out large
quantity on his handkerchief and held it up
to her face. She soon became partially stupi-
fed by its effects, and while in that condition
he almost dragged her before clergyman
and was married to her before she realized
what was going on. She was almost broken
hearted after returning home, when she re-
covered and remembered what had occurred
She concealed from her parents the circum-
circumstance of the marriage until about two
weeks after, when Walters came to the door
and demanded her, swearing that she was his
wife and ne would have her. Fearing dis
grace and the wrath of parents, she went to
live with him. He soon commenced to abuse
her in the most shameful manner, coming
home intoxicated and applying to her the
vilest epithets. On one occasion he attacked
her with butcher knife and would have
murdered her hadsh notsucceeded in break
ing the knife. As a final. insult he brought
women of notorious character to the house.
This was too much for the abused wife and
she went home about year ago, subsequently
procuring divorce Walters did not give
her much farther trouble, save that when in
toxicated he would threaten to kill some
member of the family, until the night of the
attempted murder, when he came to the
house and violently rang the bell. All three
women went to the door, and Walters de-
manded of Rebecca the divorce papers. These
she refused to give up, when he drew re-
volver and commenced firing, being hardly
an arms length from the women. He first
fired at Mrs. Northrup, but missed, and then
shot his wife, who fell partially behind the
door. A third shot was fired at the girl Ada
The latter, hardly knowing that she was
wounded, ran into the street and, meeting a
physician told him to come to the house and
see her sister who had been shot. On exam
ination, he found her dangerously wounded,
the bullet having entered the chest under
the left shoulder joint, and could not be
found Ada complained of a pain in her
side, and, though denying that she was shot,
an examination showed that bullet had en-
tered her right side and passed entirely
through the body, coming out near the spine.
Her wound was not thought dangerous, how
ever. Alter evading PURSUIT. for a day or two,
Walters was arrested and confined. He de-
MES that he intended shooting his former wife
until she pushed him, when he asked for the
papers; this made him mad and he fired. j