The New York herald., 1879-09-25
LAMEN7ABLE TRAGEDY.
Rev. Dexter Lounsbury, Of StratfOrd
Conn.,, Shot by His Wife.
THE COUPLE HERETOFORE HARMONIOUS
Insanity Ascrbed as the Cause by the
Coron-rs Jury. LIN
srnArronp. Conn. Sept. a. Is

STRATFoRp, Conn.,. Sept. o. 1879.
This usually quiet town was much excited early
this morning by the report that the wife of Rev
Dexter L. Lounsbury the pastor of Christ Episcopal
Church. had shot and instantly killed her husband
Such, indeed. proved to be the case, the affair
has spread gloom over tho community here and
in Bridgeport where the deceased was well
known. 1t seems that for sixteen years
Mrs. Lounsbury has suffered from disease.
and her mind at times has been deranged. She has
not, however. previously shown any tendency to
violence. although suffering aeutely at ntervalss
Without any apparent provocation she shot and
killed her husband he lay in bed at an
early hour this morning. As she
fired the fatal shot sho and ran
up stairs with the revolver In her hand
to the room of Mary Cummings, the servant. and
awakened the latter by pounding on the door and
screaming. When the affrighted girl opened the
door Mrs. Lounsbury said 81 have killed
my husband; come and see' She then half
dragged Mary down stairs to the sleeping
room of the rector and his wife. There
lay the unfortunate Clergyman dead and covered
with blood. The servant. accompanied by Anna. the
eleven old daughter of the deceased a
once gave the alarm. DR.. A. S. Allen was sum-
monei but his services were of avail tho pas.
tor did not breatheeifter the shot fired.
Tho weapon used six-barrelled revolver.
which Mrs. Lounsbury laid on the bureau in her
when she re-entered it with the servant girl.
When examined, later. it found to contain
FIVE loaced cartridges and : empty shell.
1t carries bullet rf .thil ty-two'' calibre. When
DR.. Allen examined Mr.. Lounsburys wound he
found that the bullet had entered the back Of the
hoad and had lodged in the base of the brain Every.
thing as described went to show that the two
were lying together in bed. the deceased
on his right side; that she reached
under tne sso ses .h had put
close to her husbands head and fred. The pillow
and the night shirt of the deceased blackened
81, uAa and aIVyit, 1nnd
The details OF the tragedy fully elected AZ
morn,ng. 1t was summoned by Justice of the
Peace Stephen D. Smith, who had as jurors George
George n Welles and Alfred Burnitt The jury
met in one Of the bedrooms Of the
situated on stratfords street. almost directly
opposite the brown wooden church whose pulpit
the deceased had filed for the past year and half.
Mr. Lounsbury lay on the bed in the same
position in which it had been found by DR.. Alien
Nothing had been disturbed except the bedclothesS
which had been pulled the head Of the corpseJ
During the progress of the examination these
~. NJ sw e snS 1p6s
nor were the features distorted, and but for the
pnllor would think at first glance that the rector
sleeping, SO natural was the attitude of the
body.
Mary Cummings. the servant was the nrst wit.l
she had been servant in the house for thos
past seven weeks; yesterday Mrs. Lounsbury5
sation with witness about her illness; she told
witness last evening that Mr.. Lounsbury wished her
to have an operation performed to-day and that IS
she MRS. Lounsbury) refused to permit It h6
would turn her out OF the house. This mats
ter, the witness said, seemed to worry. Mrsf
past five o'clock, as near as witness could
fix it, she heard q noise in the lower part OF the
to her door and pounded it and screamedi
whom witness opened the door she discoveries
Mrs. Lounsbury in her night dress with q
nj
my husband;' witness said, "Oh, no. you have
not killed your husband. e! have, have" MRS.
stairs with her; when they got into the room MRS.,
Lounsbury. ut the sight Of her dead husband began
Distress; the witness and Mrs. Lounsburys daugh-
ter Anna at started out to alarm the neghbora
The witness was closely questioned as to the feels
ing existing in the household, and she replied
tcntive and loving husband; Mrs. Lounsbury, she
said. was very fretful when i'll.
THE cuII.D's EVIDENCE.
Anna NJ. Lounsbury. daughter of the doctor. wao
the next Witness She proved to be bright. pretty
little girl and was said to closely resemble her
mother; she testified that she awakened by the
report Of pistol; she thought. about six
O'Clock this morning; she hastily dressed
room; she shook her papa. but could got answer
her entreaties for him speak. II them" said
she. lifted one Of his eyelds and saw film there:
and then Mary and mamma came down and went
with Mary for DOCTOR" The child thought that
she came down stairs while her mother upstairs
with the physician the child tried to comfort
her mother. who was greatly excited; she never
her father kept a gun in the house The Jurors. in
turn asked questions of the little girl to whether
auarreiled and If her father treated her mother
Kindly The replies all went to show that the entira
family lived IN harmony.
Lounsbury he then appeared before the jury.
He gave it IA his opinion that death was instan-
flowing from the wound and the body
warm; when he entered the houso
Mrs. Lounsbury met him and following him into
the bedroom where the deceased lay began wringing
her hands; she cried ..oh I've killed my & husband! y
should not have had pistol in your hand;''
she then Immediately went to another room; witt
ness attended Mrs. Lounsbury two or three monthss
making in all thirteen visits; Mr.. Lounsbury al-
ways appeared kind at such times; he caressed hia
Last night, about hait-past eight o'clock. Witness
met Mr.. Lounsbury In the street. The latter
illness illness. and I received we'd from him certain sd.
vice in regard to it, When the jury began
to question the doctor about the cause OF mrs.
Lounsburys mental arrangement tho. room was
cleared.
MRS. LouYspuRys STORY
Mrs. Lounsbury testified after DIR. Allen. She wso
calm and apparently rational; She said
. ~ am willing to tell all huh,.a know S,a aooas os
know ilo f''h / had n' the pistol. After burglars
tried to get into pantry and got into Mrs. Bur-
rs next door, spoke to my % husband % M Tnsi sHis,
I became so frightened when left here alone
that day, whom in New Haven, 4 9ougns
a revolver. used TO keep 1t in box hid from
my husband. Some nights slept with It unaer
my pillow. All recollect about last night is tnat
we retired as usual During tho night rememoes
waking my husband and asking him 10 to get up an9
get me drink OF water, which he ala. A., 4 know
shot him. but cannot tell how or why. did not DO
it because wished to avoid any pain or danger; I
am willing to suffer the full penalty OK the law ouS
cannot ten why killed him. DO Always 'rea'ea
me kindly"
A tcw other unmportant witnesses were examino0
and tbcn tho iury retired In about fifteen minutes
they rendered the following vcrdict:-"We hnd thse
Dexter L. Lounsbury came TO his death by pistol
shot nj tho hands of his wife Mary, done on the
oath day OF September, at about five or six o'clock
a M the act being committed during condition
of temporary dorangement OF mind' occssioned ~
Tho Grand Jury will sit on Mrs. Lounsburys case
t thc house of tho deceased at ten O'Clock to-mor~
row inoruinQ and will further probe tho affair.
SKETCH DECEASED, f.... ..f. i. n. 4. d
~. roxtor r.. Iounsbury pruduntcd at Trinity