New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-07
THE MYSTERY UNSOLyED.

ABANDONMENr OF THE SUICIDE THEoRN-oPIN!oN
OF SOME THAT TIE SHOOTING WAS ACCIDENTAL
Tl,omystcry surrounding the death of Mr.. Sey-
mour was apparently great up TO late hour last
night rs il was on Friday morning, when his body
was found in the grounds of the theological SEMI
nary. The only progress made toward It's solution
was that the police authorities had been convinced
that the suicide theory was untenabe. Having
abandoned the theory which was advanced with so
much confidence. and which so cruelty shocked the
feelings of the relatives of the murdered man, the
policc authorities say that they have only two bases
IN worl, from The first of these is the proposition
that Mr. Seymour was killed by a bull
LET fred from the street the houses
opposite the grounds, without intent to
infure anyone "The difficulty with that theory"
said gentleman who has taken deep interest in
tie case and who resides in the vicinity of the
seminary &" is that it will not hold water. The
polcc no doubt wish to attribute his death to such
an incident, but the facts we have Will not bear
them out. The ball was undoubtedly fired from
within tie enclosure, and In support OF lEls state
Inent call your attention to the rubber found by
DIR Miller in the wound. The rubber patent is
new idea and its object to prevent the escape of
ag until after the ball has left the barrel 1t is sup
,,,sed IN rive the ball greater velocity Surprising
for moment thatthc ball was fired from across the
road. Mr. Seymour was between fifteen and twenty
feel from the fence when he was shot, and this
would make the distance to the nearest window not
less than eighty feet. Long before the ball
could have travelled that distance the lead would
have left the rubber. IL would not have been
found in the wound unless il had been fired at very
short range"
The other theory of the police is that Mr.. Sey-
monr was killed by some one whom he met III the
grounds. Mrs Seymour man and woman
dressed In white on the grass shortly before her
husband left the house. Inspector Dks is satisfied
that the couple left the grounds before Mr. Seymour
met his death. but there are Others who claim to
believe that in some way they are implicated III the
mystery A detective who has been engaged in the
investigation said he thought that if the couple
were innocent they would long since have cleared
up the mystery so far relates TO the part they
played in it, lie argued that it not out of the
way for respectable people to take a stroll on a
very hot night in open grounds. one of them would
communicate with the authorities sooner or later.
lie said II would assist in the unrayeIrng OF the
mystery and that # the persons objected to the pub
hcty which it would give them they might call on
Superintendent Walling and arrange with him to
have their names suppressed
POSSIBLE TRACE.
gentleman whoinspected the grounds closely on
Friday morning found that the fence on the Twenty
hrst-st side, nearly opposite the place where the
D'dy was found, was scratched and marked as II n
man lad clambered over 10. Tho marks were on a
portion OF the fence just behind large allanthus
tiee The gentleman suggested the possibility OF an
intruder hiding behind the tree in the hope OF escap-
ing observation, and that finding that Mr.. Seymour
Was coming toward him and that Identification was
more than probable, he fred a shot toward his pur-
suer hoping TO frghten him of. Then seeing that