Morning journal and courier., 1886-06-16
BLOODY END OF A RR1pAE TOUR.

| Husband and Wife Lie Ee0Wn on the
 Floor Together and ths Husband l Kills His Wife and Fatally Wounds l Himself.
 NEW YORK, June f5.-A few minutes af- | ter three o'clock this afternoon in room 25 of the Sturteyant Hotel, this city, Winfield B. Thompson of Kansas City, aged twenty l seven, shot and killed his wife, handsome | woman of about twenty three, and then shot himself twice, inhicting fatal wounds in the head and near the heart. Mrs. Thompson lived twenty-five minutes after being shot. Her wound was in the back of the head. An employe of the hotel was hurrying toward the
 room in response to prolonged ringing of the annunciator when he heard the three
 shots fired. He rushed back to the clerks
 desk and informed Mr. Lewis Leland, the proprietor, who hurried up stairs with sev-
 eral of his subordinates. The door of the
 room was locked. Groans were heard. The door was quickly burst in and a terrible
 sight was revealed. Upon the floor, their
 heads resting each upon 8 separate pillow,
 were Thompson and his wife. The woman
 was dying. Thompson was grooming with
 pain. Beside him lay the heavy revolver
 with which the shooting had been done. The
 hotel carpenter, George Hutley, was first to
 reach the prostrate pair. Raising. Thomp-
 sons head he asked, ''Why have you done thisa'' 'Please get doctor, quick D was
 ths reply. ''Te1l me why you did this," persisted Hutley. "Get doctor I tell you," again replied the man. Ea refused to
 say another word. Those in the room at- tended as well as they could to the wound ed couple until the arrival of physicians who
 had been summoned. Drs. Mulford, Katch-
 bad and Kallen soon came. Just as they
 did so Mrs. Thompson breathe5 her last.
 The physicians turned their attention to
 Thompson and all agreed after brief exam
 ination that he could not live but short
 time. An Ambulance having arrived the
 man was conveyed to the New York hospi-
 tai on Fifteenth street. Thompson arrived
 at the hotel with his wife five days ago and
 registered as from Kansas City. They had
 large amount of baggage and seemed to have
 plenty Of money. They were quiet and did not mingle with the other guests. This
 morning Thompson stood at ths hotel desk and wrote two letters. Onewas addressed to the other to O. s. Thompson, 310 West Four teenth street, Kansas City A telegram has
 been sent to the latter address Dy MT. Le- land. The hotel people think from appear
 ances that the couple were on their wedding tour. An examination of the room reveal y. Mrs. Thompson was in street costume This would indicate that she had prepared for a walk, but the appearance of the pillows seemed to show that the couple were lying on the floor before at the time of the shooting The bell knob bears blood stains from Thompson's hand, showing that one of the couple must have been wounded before the alarm was given.
 Thompson's anteimortem statement was taken at the hospital this evening. He said: "I refuse to, make a statement to the cause thereof. prefer not to answer to There was no quarrel between us at the time of shooting" It is learned that Thompson came to New York two years ago from Kansas City and has studied medi- cine here. He had told his friends he was engaged to girl in Kansas City. He sub sequently met Miss Geneveve Kohler,a clerk in Sterns' dry goods store, and became fond of her. He ceased writing to the Kansas City lady and on June 3 he married Miss Kohler after writing to his former sweetheart cancelling the engagement. After the we'd a trip through New England, returning to New York last Thursday. They went to the Sturtevant where they seemed to be de- voted to each other. They said they intend ed to 20 to Kansas City to-day and so told a lady friend who spent the morning with them. It was soon after this lady friend left them that the tragedy occurred and thus far nothing has been learned as to it's cause. It is said that before Thompson broke the Kan sas City engagement he experienced great despondency. Thompson was alive late to- night, but was not expected to survive more than 8 few hours longer
 KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June 15.-Winfeld B. Thompson, who killed his wife at the Sturte- want House in New York and then shot him self, is the eldest son of Dr. c. L. Thompson, pastor of the Second Presbyterian church of this city. Dr. Thompson left this morning on an extended vacation through Europe.