Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-14
munpEa OR A LOVE SUICIDE,
A mysterious tragedy at Night I'm n
brooklyn ycusc.
New York World

hr9OhfJn
New York world.l
Guslford s. Pninney. boafder IN the
house No. IL Radde Place, BROOKLYN, was
shot In bis room late Tuesday night ana
died yesterday afternoon IN 81 Mafy's
Hospital When tile shots were heara an"
his friends ran into the room he said that ne
.a,yas the victim OF two burglars, with whom
he yrappled and who fed after the shooting.
IIe then relapsed into upconscieusness and
was unable TO make formal ante-mortenl
statement. The police, however, can ma
no trace OF burglars In the house and De-
lIeve that Phinney committed suicide.
IL was about Q O'Clock In the morning
when Patrolman King, then on Fulton street
near Hopkinson avenue. heard the cries OF
"Mnrder!v "Poieel" The policeman
ran 10 No. II nadde Place. On the stoop
was man in his night clothing.
"Burglars have murdered him." gaspeo
the man.
Mr.. De witt c. Carpenter. with his vile
and daughter Carrie, Mrs. Chamberlain, his
wiie's sister, and bis wiie's motner' occupy
the house. The policeman rushed up the
sioop and into the front parlor. There upon
the floor in pool Of blood, clad only In ms
njrhtshirt, lay Phiuney. A bulletwound
ne large as a silver dollar marked his lett
breast. At bis head Law 32.ca'iore revolver;
"a burglar shot me-" said the wounded
man.
came into the room and had an ambulance
summoned. Sergeant Gregory then entered
the room, and as he did so Phinney said,
"HelOl Sergeant"
"Hellol" responded Gregory, chow did
this bappen?" r.,
Burglars" was the faint response. 81
woke ND when dark lantern was flashed ID
INV face. | jumped out OF bed. one OF
Them grabbed me, while caught hold OF the
other. Then be shot me, and l fell. Then
they ran OUT ,,.
investigation was made at once. Phin-
ney had slept in the back pirlor, and every
thing was in disorder. and the drawers OF The
bureau had been pulled out. heavy rocking
chair overturned, and upon the bureau lay
the remnants OF three shattered wlne-glasses
which had stood upon q small she'll 10 the
right OF the mirror. Upon the surface OF tue
shelf was plainly visible the ridge made by
bullet. An examination OF the pistol showed
that two bullets bad been fired, one OF which
was afterwards found on the floor near where
the dying man had fallen.
| "See thatyv asked Phinney, seeing the
! officers scrutinizing the bullet-mark In tue
woodwork " The flrst shot did that. Ihen
he fred again and hit me-"
sergeant Gregory, with Mr.. Carpenter,
then made tour OF the premises. The VIM
/ dows were all securely fastened and had not
been disturbed. There were no FOOTPRINTS
! in the ward and il was evident that no one
| had forced an entrance from thlt dlrecuoD'
! II was then learned that when Mr.. Carpen-
| Ter had come down stairs he had found the
front door open. Every other door in The
building WAS locked when the police arrived.
! "Burglars never did this" said the SER
geant TO the family. but they all secuted the
| idea of suicide. AS Phinney was being car
RED to the ambulance Sergeant gregory
| asked il ANYTHING was missing. fhlnpey
overhead the question and answered:
81 suppose they have taken everything"
Shortly after reaching tue hospital he BE-
came unconscious. in which state he died.
Inspector Mcclellan. Detectives Zundt aad
| Price. OF the Central Office squad, and Capt
Folk aud Detectives Dedell and OMEN, OF
the Twelfth precinct, then began thorough
| investigation. From them the following
story was learned: Phinney, who was 70
bu,l, handsome young fellow, has roVeo
almost around the globe. In May last n'
became a brakeman on the Brooklyn Elc'
waited railroad, on which Mr. Carpenter wa
employed as a conductor. He went TO beart
with CARPENTER and there fell in love with Car
rie CARPENTER. the seyepteen-year-old dsugh
ter OF Carpenter. and they became engaged
10 be married. Mr.. Carpenter and bis wlt'
said that the wedding could not take place
before Carrie had passed her eighteenth
birthday. This decision Phinney tool
greatly 10 heart. Tuesday evening he wa
IN good spirits though. and played cara
win the family until about 10 o'clock, whei
he said he was going 10 the laundry. II,
left the house carrying gray'cloth hand
bag. He returned less than half an hou
afterward, as the card-payers were abou
retiring. and asked them TO continue III
game. They declined, and all retired excep
Carrie and himself. They remained. accord
ing TO her own story. until III O'CLOCK, Wnet
sbs also retired to her own room, which |;
directly above the back parlor. Beior'
she babe him goodnight he recalled to he
mind her fathers decision and repeated {
conversation he had heard between he
father and mother few nights previous
lie called her Johnnie" for pet name
and said: "Johnnie, am afraid somethinl
dreadful is going TO part US, aud do YOU
: know ] feel as though something terrible
were going to happen tonight? hayc rel
II for a long tlme.D lie walked the door To-
some moments in silence. his eyes wet witt
tears. The girl told him to calm himself
that she loved him Just the same, and tba
he would soon feel b:tter. " have som
letters to write 10 my folks in Maine" b
said. "and then will go to bed" Thos
were bis last words as he went upstairs.
About $50 O'Clock Carrie was arouse.
from her sleep with cries OF "Murder
Uelplu "For Heavens sake. They hav
Killed mel" Rushing to her mothers apart
ment she found her already awake. Ihe.
then rushed down STAIRS. The cries con
tiuued from Phinney's room. A momen
afterwards the house was 10 an uproai
Reaching the foot OF the stairs they discover
ed the front door partly open and In the par
lor Phlnney upon the floor few feet iroI
ms bed. weltering in his blood.
"You and ID. are responsible for this"
. IL alleged TO have said to Mrs. Carpenter
DESPITE the fact that be told the police bur
: elar had shot him. First he said there wa
: hut one burglar; then he told the story Wit
two. and finally said, according to the pe
! lice, that he had run against the pistol and
| had gone of. A search was made later, an
il was found that SIG and n gold watch an
{ cham which Phinney had worn before rt
4 firing had disappeared. as also had scar
pin studded with diamonds, gold Key
) stone charm with the letter st" box
silk handkerchie!s, and diamond stud.
The police worked all CAV iof Viues :" va
: alleged murderers, but in vain, and hnall
| came 10 tue conclusion that it was suicide
/ Though they have secured the precinct the
have failed 10 discover where the gray satch'
Q was left, and visit TO Pbinney's vast
! woman proved be had not been there tn
: night before. They agree that burglars O
not ordinarily take lantern away when q
Q Gaping and throw their revolver at their vic
/ tim, but the apparent lack OF motive 10
Phinney to take his own lie and the fac
q that revolver known TO be his was foun
in his trunk loaded. is al least puzzlug
Q them. The dead man, as Tar as can .
a learned, was steady In bis habits. lie IRE
: auentiy carried several hundred dollars WI
9 him, being an occasional lucky better ON th
I, races. 49,,
: IL would not say, it was suicide until
{ was proven beyond doubt," said lnspectc
: MckcIlar.
ut II very mysterious ease at presen
, but | am confident there Will be deyelo'
6 ments within the next twentyfour hour
: that will prove that the theory we al
e ! working on Is the correct one"
5 Phmney is said 10 have been an exaitc
4 Mason, a memDero OF the United Worsmer
: | and several other secret snd benevolent o