New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-31
A MYSTERY At WEST POINT.
PUZZLED ABOUT A MUSICIANS WOUND.
HIS STORY OF AN ACCIDENT DoUBrED-His LOVE
AFFAIR AID QUARRELs.

WEST PO1yr. y. Y, Aug. 3O.-The Military
Academy has another sensation 1t IA eyerybody's
| lps and noa-cOmmi.ionet officer OF the unriYalled
military band Is the central figure In It, This is Cor
poral william de Dufour clarlonet player lie Is now
In the hospital under Assistant Surgeon knoauS care
suffering from a serious wound in the right temple IN
! ncted by pistol through rs he now clalA' an dccr
dent but which his brother musciins believe anu the
facts warrant is due to the deliberate design Oh
! himself De Dufour Is goodloohng Frenchmln OF
about thrtywO years OF age single and has been on
the Point about eight years He has heretofore been
con -idered trustworthy man, but somewhat nervous
and endowed with none too much cOura3e lie h's h'u
OF late two or three experiences which maie nm tho
victim Of an assault disastrous love anair ara shoo'
inc All of these have occurred within short time OF
each other and whether or not the hrst Two nave poc"
Instrumental in bringing about the thId Is INC
/ question al West Point Is ende'voiinS to soFc'
Duriug the past years DE- Du!Olr has been pdyih1
attentions To Miss Frances Kieulc graceful anu hco
looking German girl oil twenty yeas, and they were - e
married next month She is the daughter o. Mt heAle'
to baler in cadet Ness Hall and j. employed by one of
the oieer of Academy at his residence on th' west
# the green p TO look after his chldten SIZE mas
dark cumpl Xion, -hapcy head and round race anu
larg, istroli- and cXpr s.iyc eyes ana Is OF u'u''
height She couycrscs without the German accent anu l.
e.tcencl highly for her noble and amiaole quhu'S'
Alb t three weeks ago De Dufour got into trouble WIN
aua her baud.uau named -eifcr,. He was Seerts SUI
pcror hut IA NJ -ht with fists his rank did him no gool
Scifagt struck hm ll instead o. aIlc',hg 9t"tI' MN
eel s hc ID the power and 1t was his dIty TO no. nc
proc rel tgc ryccs Of hc curt for the Work 'el'e'
remained un.er ar c,t ant .bop, ek ago ne WIS
tired hy court mir ial. His utenc', which must d.
yc.o for striking nor- oumis s'oncd 0aiccr mas Deeh
forwarded 10 the War Department for approval 'hl nc
VIII lnger IN confinement until order, ar received nom
/ WASHINGTON. In the meantime De DuoU optlInel
leave absence AID stayed away several days longer
than % permitted. claiming when he returned thfl "'
WIS taken sick in Albany and could not get back In TIE
specified time. 4 believed. no reyer tAat h' was
afraid of -eert aul tIat lac wanted 90 avoid giving s
tm,ny that would convict hm The court mliV"I WIS
IN session. However, whel he re urucl and BIS testimony
wa taken. II was duriu- his absence that the CIR m@
up her r'1i to reiec, DE Daiour, ana when n came
back about week ago he appr-ed of her mIenl'h
Did tbe.e two things induce him 10 attempt smcidc
is a Ques ion now asked al West Point
coNFMcrGNG STORIES ABOUT THE WOUND
Early yesterday moaning IA, was seen To ieaF' MS
room iu the band barracks with q h1ntAcrche' ue'
around hshclI He t4ld some OF tie nd IN that he
acci entlly hot himself With revolver two ch'n"e'7
of ,iel were loaIel When hc got to the hospital ne
sl IL. was cle. ing toy pistol and it accidentally shot
him. The wound is in the right temple. II IS small IL
look rs if it was made by bail of - Galore The Dali
sa91arcutly lodged in the forehead amt II seems ITO
.I colr.e taken that tie weapon pointed toward
ile back Of thc ear There were, however, no powder
lr,. Atprescnt the extent Of the injury cannot De
told bu il Is believed 10 he dangerous wound and may
,o.ilv take his life De Ddtour was seen at the nos
pita He said that he cleaning the toy pistol III Ms
room at 1880 last night wheni it accidentally went ON
The wound was plnu The right sie OF 'h' l''c'
was swollen andhe app .hcud dbut little danger lrom''
"rLers is no truth in that love story" he SAID a2'
II wanted to do away with myse'
woulIn a 10Y pistol to DO it, ,.., ~, t ,,o,
How did you come To nave 10Y plS'oi' Ho wa
IT, mine" he r.re i've had longtime.
Another Inrlibrr o th, band said llo told me- mat
br vas cleaning his revolver lat night thai TWO cham
bc # It were loaded; that 10 wa, cock 81 ad ace
w.ut oil Het Id M thai at the h9,p. a2oII "c,ogT
Il Is NOR Ing. He first had l"n4heTchleI lieI ar2Ii ~
his ae4d auf as Thought NJ %ni' Aad & me ,, .''
o, he hat told my Gaught"t tn" same story ma ne NJ
tcrwapl told me the hosp al 10 whrn place lHhe
dilc'y went 10 see how oad he vas hurr, lh,Ie : So
tuiu very stranLe about tine matter Nhch ne I. ~ .'
room we can amo.t hear cyer' hing he ,a' = SUI w
LcarI o r,por- las, night of any kind. This is rance
% WHO i've ON m same 1oor I'm the barracks say
i'm inc band barracks "a all. lie mad No outciy cr com
motion lie did not eaI ior uoel2I ot az GUY , J. 90
stances. Hc did not GO ont oI is room nor m'id m
he, rpcrt TO lne 3o'pn ont u,u he bsrIask I.
a hnGW n GI fo .'' 1880 o'clock a ugh -eyen in
hc T%Il Inonns before reporting to hosita. He had
been keeping company two OF ;Aree years Will f''Ai'
Kcnc.'
WHAT MISS KIENLE AND HER FATHER SAI'
Miss Kienlc said she knew nothing about the shooting
bovopd what she hid heard. She was anxious however
IN LnoO how badly the man wa hurt 81 nave KEPT
company with De Dufour' she sad "for two years
hr. off with him about week ago We part"d WIN
oo,d feeling toward each other and have Wet nun
stncc but nothing has been said bctweeh US lie III
never Threatened suicide to me aid doht kHo" WY
ne did +" The girls IA ner was also ANXIOUS 10 XIV
l the extent OF the lJoiy Sualaiu'u " - -
, lie saud he lEd oh.y h,t'". " a.,
, about noon and knew nothing about H. A. HiSSl
be Uts rcti .eut. but he a imitted thlt y
daughter have been married to DE PeGr @ gSs
: month It love atalr, to he sure D' Dor Dorr i
no douht in love with the elrl, ou con & &tnn" 81
abnnf week ago. Both the girls mother ana ly,e ~
posed it, De Dufour was soclablc nee Iriiow IT,
Donse and [ went cut with HIM, hut ms rusted tltI
H.. tories were untrue He represented thd ,e Hi"
mother in Pennsylvania VINO was wen "H any 'a ,o, :,
aJnteI daughter aud ,he hal tareItcned 10 Il, ,he,
! h,ra n no dIsn0t mary the glr. Because vi lh'l ~
ciI home ag' His moner however, W. ~ t 0 M
him married III September. Bu Just oet"it .Eal iuo W
rived ne day came rushing M ~ ehoe'n'nm'' III , @
h mother -aying that she about to sail Tor hu o
e id coud not come to West Point. our d!strust now
g "y daughter male up her mind 10 relef
/ hin ~ her suor We made mp our miuu'
y ,ha" Nc Il ddu believe any of MS stories, a1d maj i
tn reason the girl cave hlI up ht va 81" o' "
ihink. but she wasn't muc |ltn @ @ l,n -. ,vico said.
6uO her gentleman In the G0y,rhh M >'g t W. So; So
"is tbe GENERAL opinion, tAus that De DitOus -!
of AN accden made up The wound 10 Aet Ac
: one IN morning. and some orutN' lH"V t .t' n
occurrrJ u,uch ne trer morning han he saws Il dd' u
also looks improbable that a man Wouli ret qu' o. o.
night iu his with bullet IN Ms h', H q,
wrn The barracks are fnl of friends who "ouu '" NM
nelp hlm and the hospital aud doctor ar onS IN "
tbr huutlred feet away. Nor do brht'' III ""
t,-,.r could lodei without soue on ne il- II
m. n onle down stairs. who can hear every hioNenc
NJ ne JiifoIr and those on The same moor WIN mn, WIZ
iIn'st te,r him WIN -pef, heard n" her me lcI0i
nor did thry notice him moving about Ils lop 81 o."
io' NJ! M - tb. .hnot ng c.urrcd lie Is tmid MAJ
lIIe az - to4t trouole with ~ebrrt an
fbe,, h.p Z ca-t of Dy the grl 10 whom he vas cI
gagged nave together prcy ed up n his mind greatly
An ATTEMPT TO BREAK JAIL.