St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-16
A Kansas City Man Murders His Young
Wife in the Sturtevant House,
New York.
He Then Turns the Pistol on Himself an6
Inhicts Probably Mortal
Wounds.
Little known Regarding the Couple,
and the Tragedy Shrouded in
Mystery.
Two Girl Fiends in Maryland Fatally
Assault and Rob Their Aged
Bepefactors.
Murder and Suicide.

Thompson of Kansas City, aged 81, shot
and killed his wife, handsome woman of
about %. and then shot himself twice, in
ticting fatal wounds III the head and
near the heart. Mrs. Thompson
lived twenty-five minutes after being shot.
Her wound was in the back of her head
An employe of the hotel was hurrying to-
ward the room in response to prolonged
ring of the annunciator when he heard
shots fred. He rushed back to the clerks
desk and informed Mr.. Lewis Leland, the
proprietor, who hurried up stairs with sew
eral of his subordinates. The door OF
room 25 was locked. Groans were heard
from within the room. The door was
quickly burst in and
A TERRIBLE SIGHT
was then revealed. Upon the floor, their
heads resting each upon separate pillow,
was Thompson and his wife. The woman
was dying. Thompson was groaning with
pain. Beside him lay the heavy revolver
with which the shooting had been done.
The hotel carpenter, George Hutty, was
the first to reach the PROSTATE pair.
Raising Thompson's head, he asked: ''Why
have you done this?" please get a
doctor quick" was the reply. Tell me
why you did this?" persisted Hulty. sect
doctor, tell you," again replied the man.
He refused to say another word. Those in
the room attended as we'll as they could to
the wounded couple until the arrival of
physicians, who had been summoned. Drs.
milford, Katzenbach and Hillen soon came
in, but just as they did so
MRS. THOMPSON BREATHED HER LAST.
The physicians then turned their atten-
tons to Thompson, and all agreed after a
brief examination that he could live but a
short time. An ambulance having arrived.
| the man was placed therein and conveyed
to the New York hospital in Fifteenth
street. Thompson arrived at the hotel with
his wife five days ago and registered
as from Kansas City. The couple
had a large amount of baggage and
seemed to have plenty Of money. They
were quiet, and did not mingle much with
other guests. This morning Thompson
stood at the hotel desk and wrote two let
ters which he left to be mailed. One was
addressed to r. S. Yard, of Hanover
Square, this city, and the other to G. S.
Thompson No. $40 West Sixteenth street
Kansas City. A telegram has been sent to
the latter address by MI. Leland. The
hotel people thiuk from appearances that
the couple were
ON THEIR WEDDING TOUR.
An examination of the room revealed no
! indications of the cause of the tragedy.
Mrs. Thompson was in. street costume and
her hat lay beside her on the floor.
This would indicate that she had
prepared for walk, but the
appearance of the pillows seemed
to show that the couple were lying on the
floor before or at the time of the shooting.
The bell knob bears blood stains from
Thompson's hands, showing that one of the
couple must have been wounded before the
alarm wks given.
What brought about the tragedy remains
mystery. The couple had been stopping
at the Sturtevant house since last Wednes-
day, which marked their return from their
wedding tour that extended through Rhode
Island and Massachusetts.
THE MOST AFFECTIoNATE RELATIONS
seemed to exist between the pair. Gen
evieve, the bride, was rather pretty. with
dark complexion. Her parents live in this
city, and are well-to-do. A family Quarrel
caused the BRIDE Miss Kohler. to leave
home three years ago. She found employ
ment in store. She first saw Thomson
last November. He called upon her through
the winter and an engagement followed.
Her friends approved the match. He is the
son OF people well known in Kansas CITY.
Thompson has been in New York for two
years attending the college of physicians
and surgeons. The couple were married in
this city by Rev. Dr.. Elder of the Church
of the Epiphany (BaptisD on June 2. Miss
Kohler's parents sent presents but did not
attend. Since the young couple returned
from their wedding trip they had been very
quiet. To-nay they lunched with friend
of the brides, a Mrs. Pratt at
1:30 pit m. Mrs, Pratt was asked
by both to remain longer than
she did, but dec lined. Scarcely twenty
minutes after Mrs Pratt had left, the bride
was dead. and the husband lay by her side.
horribly wounded. At the hospital the
coroner tried to find out what promptep
the act. Thompson refused to state. ii
would rather not say" was all that he
could get from him. One of the bullets he
fired at himself, and toward the
lungs, and will probably be found
there. The young woman was shot
only i'll the head. The piston
was 22-caliber seven-shooter. Ali the
chambers were empty. The shooting was
done in the sittingroom, with the door to
the bedroom closed. Two letters. appa-
rently written in haste and unsealed. were
found One was directed, ''R. S. Yard.
care ". S. Grace, Hanover square, " Mayor
GraceS business address. 1t told Dear
Bob that the newly-mawied couple would
go to Mauch Chunk tomorrow, and stated
| that &C. was an angel" go thou and
do likewise" was the admontion of the
writer, Thompson. The other letter was
addressed: ''Dr. E. G. Thompson, No. $40
West Fourteenth street. Kansas CITY. y
This also told of the wife's admirable quail
tiles and spoke of the trip to Mauch Chunk.
In his ante mortem statement THOMPSON
insisted that he loved his wife and she
loved him. If a hemorrhage of the lungs
does not set in Thompson may recover.
THE AssASSIN's FAMILY.
KANSAS CITY. June 15.-W. L. Thomp-
son, who killed his wife and then shot him
self in New York city this afternoon. is a
son of Rev. DR.. Thompson, pastor of the
Second Presbyterian church of this CITY
and one OF the foremost divines. DR..
Thompson was called to this passionate from
Pittsburg about four years ago. His
elder son, Winfield B., the youngest
man who presumably took anothers life
and his own. studied medicine at the Kan
saS City medical college, and graduated two
years ago. He then entered the college of
medicine and surgery i'll New York, since
which time he has not returned here He
had obtained situation for the present
summer as surgeon on board steamer of
the Stonington Commission line, plying
between New York and Boston. His father
left here this morning for New York
expecting to sail in few days for Europe.
where he had intended to spend several
months of vacation. The theory suggested
here is that Thompson had been clandes-
timely married. and, for some reason fearing
the consequences, had determined to seek
an escape rather than meet his father
Thompson had for some time been engaged
to be married to young lady who moves
In the best social circles of Kansas City
and the sad tragedy will doubtless cause a
sensation tomorrow. Rev. Mr.. Thompson