The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-06-23
A HONEYMOON OF DEATH.

NEw YoRK. June l6.-WinfieId b.. Thomp-
son, the young husband who deliberately
murdered his wife oftwo weeks in the siurte-
want House Yesterday and then sent four
bullets into his own body, lay m acct in tho
New York Hospital to-day and faeel the
problem of death. BY the side of his bed sat
a big Policeman reminding the would-bc sal
eide that only by death could he escape be-
ing arrested asa wife-murderer. All that
skill could do the hospital attendants did fol
him. but he got no sympathy from them,
nor, indeed, did he seem to care for any.
Dnring the morning hours his case looked
very hopeful. and a. he was perfectly CON
seio,- he was urged Ia comics the motives foI
his crime, but he only clenchesi his teeth and
shook his head. Later on %peritonitis set in
and the doctors felt that the scales had turn
ed against him.
Meanwhile the body ofhis poor little brid,
there a vision cf sudden death, lay in hei
mother tidy rooms fronting on Ninth Aven-
ne, awaiting the knife of the Coroner's medi-
cal assistants. The pleasant face was peace
full and composed and almost smiling
Death had been quick and painless, and the
girl never knew Of the cowardly shot. Above
the corpse a frantic mother rayed and beat
her breast, crying Acll, Colt Why did
Iallow her To legve my house. my little Jcn-
mel The mother remembered too late the
family arrangement which had taken the
unering girl from beneath the family root.
The Deputy Coroner made a ~post-inortem
examination in the afternoon. II ia evident
that Mrs. Kahler siood before the mirror
adjusting her hat, probably with the inteii-
ton of starting for Mauch Chunk, when the
husband stole up behind her with the miser-
able little pistol he had purchased in the
morning. placed the muzzle close to the
back of her head and fired. The bullet struck
the skull where il is very thick and solid,
and was ilattened against it. Stunned by
the shock. the bride turned her head slight
IN and the second shot striking two inches
behind the ear, penetrated the back wall OF
the skull and was stepped by the front wall.
As the bride fell, Thompson fired a third
time, but missed, the bullet entering the wall
near the mirror. That be acted with
thorough deliberation may be judged by the
fact told bv himself that he walked to the
window and noted that it was ; O'Clock by
the Gilscv House time piece. He then walk
cd over to the bell handle, fired an abortiye
bullet against his own skull, put up his
hand to find the bullet hole, thus getting il
smeared with blood, rang the bell with sud
den energy and then emptied his pistol into
his head and breast. All of the hazy cir
cumstances of the killing were made clear by
the post-mortem examination.
The only articles found in Thompson's
pockets were fi1ty-five cents, a nickle match
box, a receipted bill from the Aquidneck
House for $40 80, and another from the Ire
mont House for - 40. The bill had items of
- for wine and eighty cents for beer. 1t Is
now believed that Thompson knew but little
of medicine and it has been asccrtained that
his name was not down rs a matriculant of
the College of Physicians and Surgeons. \
Pittsburgh. says ThompSon's marriage was
unknown to his friends, and il had been
generally believed that he was engaged to bc
married to the adopted daughter of Phillip
Armour, the weli-known Chicago pork
packer.
\ despatch from Chicago relates that Mr..
Armour. on being interviewed, said: Il
have no adopted daughter. The girl referred
to is an estimable young lady who lived for a
time with my brothers family in Kansas
Civ"