The New York herald., 1879-07-09
THE SEYMOUR TRAGEDY.
Paul Stucke's Statement About
His Pistol Practice.
BAFFLED THEORISTS
"A Man in Long Sack Coat" Wanted
by the Police.

The mystery OF the death of John F. Seymour is
IS far from solution this morning as it was imme-
diatey after it's discovery. and little further re
moved than it apparently was yesterday morning.
The aspect that the case has assumed does
away with almost every possible theory that Of
accidental shooting.
At very early hour yesterday morning number
Of curiosity seekers gathered about the lawns Of the
seminary. The ground carefully gone over
again by Detectives Joseph Dorcey. Hogan and
Leahy and every tree west of the college building
was examined carefully for tho mark of pistol
bullet This search was most complete and sys-
tematic one. and seemed excite considerable inter
est among the residents OF the neighborhood.
The arrival of Paul Stucke. the young student.
anxiously awaited. and when he was seen coming
toward the seminary accompanied by his tutor, Mr..
Frisbee who is one Of the curates OF Trinity. gen.
eral movement OF expectation took place. Captain
Ryan, OF the Sixteenth precinct police and Central
Office Detective Dorcey first interviewed him. and
drew from him the fact that he had not fred any
ball cartridges that evening. His pistol. he
stated. was at his home in Jersey City, and
he was directed to go aud get it.
While he was gone. Mr.. Frisbee
questioned to his knowledge of the facts
and told the following story paul and myself
had left the seminary for short vacation; we had
got as far as Baltimore and spending the night
with some friends. intending to proceed to WASH
ington this morning. when the despatch summon
ing back to New York recei we'd; left Balti-
more Immediately, travelled all night and arrived
here this morning; Paul and myself bought the
pistol two or three days before the Fourth Of
July. on Broadway: near Duane street; think
and has barrels; l remember my
pupil firing the pistol from one of the
windows the night of the Sd Of July. The firing was
done early in the evening and the last shot reem-
Der perfectly, fired by him ut ffteeu minutes
past nine O'Clock. fix the time in this way:-On
that night Paul several of the students and myself
were to have some lemonade in my room. Shortly
after nine o'clock sent Paul to the room Of Of
the students to invite Dr. Gordus. Of Bellevue to my
apartment When the Doctor was leaving his room
with Paul he looked at the clock, which on the
desk and said to Paul, ut is just fifteen minutes past
nine o'clock. Two seconds after that Paul fired the
last shot, the Doctor standing by his side at the
time. saw Paul load the pistol. Sat at the
same table with him. He did not put ball cartridges
in 1t at all. He took the cartridges the box of
blank ones which he had purchased at the same time
that he did the pistol The ball cartridges put
in lower drawer and covered up with some clothes,
because they were not wanted. am perfectly sure
that Paul put blank cartridges in the pistol because
there others in the box. had examined the
box myself before that. and knew positively that
there were none there. am positive about the time
and. before stated. fix it by incident of my
sending tor the Doctor to have some lemonade
PAUL sTUEKE's STATEMENT.
HERALD reporter interviewed Paul Stueke on his
return to the seminary in the afternoon. He il
markably handsome and intelligent little fellow,
sixteen old, and is small for his age. He pos
story in quiet manner to surprise when
is considered the amount OF fuss that has been made
uters. Paul has been for Ave years connected with
Trinity Church choir, and is now its leader He
said q left the seminary with Mr.. Frsby on Sun
day night to go on to Washington to spend short
vacation. We stopped over at Baltimore and while
there received the following telegraphic despatch
from one OF the students:-
Bishop Seymour says return with Paul Immediately
blame attached DRAPER.
ssT, al oad 10
OF course, Immediately returned. I would feel
terribly thought that had been the unconscious
means OF Mr.. Seymours death; but l am positive
that had nothing to do with it. bought the pistol.
q small one, at No. 800 Broadway and at the same
time got box OF ioO ball cartridges and the
box. When I got back to the Seminary
put the ball cartridges away in drawer. because
did not want them until went away my
tion fired four shots on the evening OF the I'D Of
July before ten o'clock. 1t before
that time, because went down stairs to call the
Doctor to have some lemonade. The light was burn
ing in the hall, too, when went down and when
came back and that is always put out at ten O'Clock
l fired shot against the tuttress of the
house and the other throe in the direction
of the pump. which is northeasterly from
spot where Mr.. Seymour's body WAS found.
am cft-handed and fired with my left hand point
ing the pistol down in the yard. Ny hat on.
straw one but in my shirt sleeves. On the
Fourth of July went with Mr.. Frisby to Manhattan
r ana %s pc h. 1hs gay sherS
went down to the en-" of the island. where there
some other people shooting We came back to
the seminary about eleven O'Clock that night. The
next day went over to my home on Jersey City
Heights. and returned the same evening. 1 left my
pistol there
Some of the statements Of young Stueke are con-
tradcted. For instance-
About ten o'clock Thursday evening Mrs d. II. Put
stoop of Mrs Putnams house. No AT West Twenty
street opposite 'ne e,hs,a' @ part Q, the west Seminary
Sadn wsrs ali dark S.i wandSS e
~nS seemed be ssh.ssu nusssSn
s % sSS n ssS'c 10 %
who the straw hat leaned out of the win
direction toward the of Tensh and Twenty
first street
diets the statement of the young man. when he says
he fired in northeasterly direction. He is en-
phatic in his statement that he fired ball cart
ridges that night although he acknowledges that he
in the window with his hat and his coat OFF.
His statements are corroborted by Mr.. Frisby aud
others in every particular.
AN ExPERIsfESr.
In order That the fact that lett handed could
not shoot III the direction OF the spot where Mr..
Seymour found from the position which young
stucke occupied at the window might be practically
demonstrated, the HERALD reporter went in search
of left-handed man. The search ut first promised
to bc "A long one, but by rare chance such person
was found. Taking the position at the Sec
ond story window where the young man was
when the shots were fired. the let-handed
took pistol OF the same size and cabre and
began experiments. lIc found that ia shooting he
would shoot northwcsterly. or directly tho
spot where the body had been found. He could not
have shot the otncr way except Al
advantage to himself.
1t has now become almost certain that there were
pistols in the Seminary except the little one of
Paus aud the old horse pistol referred to in yester
days HERALD Therefore the police convinced
that Paul did not accdently tire the fatal bullet il
did not come from the seminary building ut ALL
PISTOLS POWER
Detective Dorsey and Captain Ryan both went of
to interview number of experts. and both
back satisfied that Pauls pistol. small as 1t was,
would have killed Mr. Seymour at the distance from
the mouse the body was found Captain Ryan
he nQfO had Civ wen IN. md
on examination found that it contained
four ball cartridges This at first o
discovery for the balls corresponded exactly IN sze
and weight with the found In Mr.. Seymour's
body. When this fact was made known to Stucko
he smilingly explained that the pistol had been
loaded by his brother at home. since he had left the
pistol there Detective Dorsey said that the cart
ridges made at Bridgeport Conn. and that to-
day an experiment would be made there which would
demo strAte positively what power there In
of them. schuyler. Hartley Graham. of Maiden
lane the man uacturers of the cartridges which
hourht by Paul. said that Il would be extremely