The Portland daily press., 1879-06-13
THE NEW YORK TRAGEDY.
Mrs. Hull's Murder Still Mystery.
Death Caused by Suffocation with the
Bed Clothes

NEW YORK, June 12.-Mrs. Hull, the lady
who was found murdered in her bed Yesterday
morning, was the daughter of wealthy land
owner in New Jersey. Her maiden name was
De1orest. AT the time OF her marriage DR..
Hull was in successful practice as a physician
and they lived in style beftting their means
Having made what he regarded as a valuable
discovery in the electrical treatment of
patients, DR.. Hull went to Europe and estab-
blished a practice in London. His success was
sultation with Sill Ashley Cooper and other
famous physicians, and he made many ac-
qualntances among the English nobility His
wife, who accompanied him, shared in the
advantages of being known in the best society
OF London. They occupied fine house, kept
carriages, and went to many of the PRINCIPAL
balls and dinner parties during the London
seasons. Mrs. Hull in this way became ac-
quainted with many ladies of rank of whom
she was afterward fond of speaking in New
York society.
Mrs. Hull returned to America about Is
years ago and her husband began to practice
in New York, but was not very successful and
to help out Mrs. Hull took few boarders. OF
late years she has not got along pleasantly
with her husband. She was member of the
Sorosls club and woman of culture and
refinement.
The tragedy was not discovered until about
Z O'Clock in the morning. At five minutes be-
fore Nellie West, a servant in the house, went
down stairs and found both the street doors on
the parlor floor standing open. She thought
little of the matter at the time, and after
closing them went about her usual morning
work. A little before o'clock she went to
Mrs. Hull's room to get some mouey with
which to buy some bread for breakfast On
entering the front parlor she found the two
doors between it and her mistress's sleeping
room wide open, as were also the windows
opening into the back yard. Going to Mrs
Hull's room, she found her bound and gagged
on the bed.
The chambermaid rushed out and told the
cook what she had seen; the cook called the
elder Mr.. Coleman, who went to the Twenty
ninth Precinct Police Station and made a
report to Capt Williams. Another lodger in
M. Fuller, at No. 1876, two doors above and
told him that murder had been committed at
DIR. HulPs. DIR. Fuller started at once; but
realizing the Importance of the case and not
wishing to go alone, he went up the street and
called on DR.. Henchel to accompany him. The
two physicians found that Mrs. Hall was dead
and had evidently been dead for some time, as
her limbs were perfectly rigid She was lying
on her back, clothed in a flannel shirt and
muslin night gown. A bandage made from a
strip torn from the bedding was bound tightly
over her mouth, and another over her eyes
and knotted under her head. A black serge
dress and shawl were also tightly wound
around her neck and over her face. Her
elbows were pinioned behind her back and
strips of sheeting had been tied to the side
pieces of the bedstead on each side and wound
securely about her ankles. A pillow slightly
stained with blood was under her head, and
another pillow was against the wall behind her
shoulders. The position of the body was such
that if she had been alive it was plain that she
could not have moved a limb nor made any
outcry. 1t was evident, after brief examine
tion, that all efforts to restore animation would
| be useless.
TIaf hoo II
Walling, after an examination of the circum-
stances was that the murder of the woman was
unintentional. He reasoned that she detected
the presence of the intruders, and was in the
act OF raising an outcry when they-for it is
believed that several persons are implicated =
hastily caught up the shawl and skirt, which
were lying near the bed and muffled her face
and head with them. In this position she was
held by main force until she ceased struggling
The suspicion that she had been smothered
must have been aroused by her quiet condition
and lighted candle was held to her eyes to
determine whether she was feigning insensi-
bllity or was really unconscious 1t was then
that her eyebrows and front hair was snged
Finding that she was unconscious, her as
sailants tried to restore her, and threw over
her face the contents of cologne bottle and
quantity OF ice-water, which was in a pitcher
in the parlor adjoining. This theory of the
Superintendent argues that the tying of the
cloth over the eyes was then done, for there
Was HO Sigh OI Cn6 clOUn1ng having been
burned. This could not have been the case
had the eyes been bandaged when the eye
brows were singed. Whoever did the deed,
the superintendent reasons, must have been
tolerably well acquainted with the house and
the habits OF its inmates. Mrs. Hull was ac-
customed to use a candle when retiring, and
her murderer Or murderers also used candle,
but OF a different material. Upon the left
sleeve of her chemise were discovered few
drops OF transparent, pink-colored wax,
evidently the drippings of the candle which
was held over her eyes. The candles which
Mrs. Hull used are of sperm, whose drippings
are white, and by no means transparent. A
circumstance which may or may not prove
significant is that there are but two kinds of
matches in use in the whole house. One is
the parlor-match, which ignites with snap,
the other is The long square match tipped with
colored composition, which lights without
noise, and it may be added, burns with diff
Guilty even in still atmosphere. While there
was large quantity of half-burned matches on
the bedroom floor and in the parlor, they were
all OF the kinds last described.
The motive is supposed to have been rob-
berry, though it is strange that the thieves
failed to secure lot of silver plate which was
close at hand and might have easily been TAX
en-. Several rings were wrenched from her
fingers and a watch and chain stolen, but other
things of value in plain sight were left un-
touched. DR.. Hull is under surveillance. and
today the police incline to the belief that some
OF the inmates of the house know something
about the murder.
Before the coroner's jury physicians testified
that Mrs. Hull's death was caused by suffoca-
tion with the bed clothes.