The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-05-10
HIGH TRAGEDY.
A New York Banker Found Dead,
With His Skull Crushed.
he Accompanied a Married Woman
Home at Midnight.
Hid in Room to Escape Detection b,
the Husband.
A Stormy Domestic Scene and Prob
able Murder.

NEW YORK, May S.-The dead body
of Nathaniel w. Hatch, banker and
broker at No. IA Nassau street, was
found this morning by workman in
the yard at the rear of No. 81 West
Twentieth street. The story of how he
came to his death cannot now be told,
but there is the story of Mrs. Lillian
Scofeld, a richly dressed and handsome
woman of about thirty years. to sug-
gest a suspicion of murder, actuated
by jealousy. Mrs. Scoteld was taken
to the West Fiftieth street police sta
ton soon after the discovery of the
body. She and her husband, Charles
w. Schfield, live at the address given.
Mrs. Scofeld says she dined with
Hatch last ni0ht at a restaurant
in west Twenty-seventh street, place
known as Nine. Fanny's. 1t was with
in half an hour of midnight when they
left the restaurant, and Mr.. Hatch &C
companied her home. Arriving there
she invited him in in order to show
him her apartments. SchOheld was at
that time asleep in a back parlor, but
was aroused by the movements of his
wife and Hatch. The latter was haS6i-
ly concealed in a room on the second
floor, and Mrs. Schofield turned to meet
her husband. Schofield's jealousy was
aroused to a hot pitch and he ques-
toned his wife in the most violent way
concerning who had been with hec. She
steadfastly refused to give the mans
name and insisted that he had left
the house. There was lively quarrel
between the husband and wife which
only ended when Scoheld left the
house. The woman heard nothing
more. She searched the room where
she left Hatch, but could not find him
there nor in any of the surrounding
apartments and thought he had left
the house. She retired and knew no
more of the broker or of what hap
pened in the night until the body was
discovered in the yard. This morning
Mrs. Scofield was pale, but told her
story with the utmost calmness to
Sergeant Schmidt Berger, giving evil
dences of no agigation. Her husband
Charles w. Schofield, was also taken to
station house. He was formerly a
broker in good circumstances. He has
been away from home for a considera-
Bile time. He told the police that he
has had cause on several occasions to
doubt his Wife's fidelity. SchOfield and
his wife were held at the police station
to await the action of Deputy Coroner
Scholor, who had been notified of
Hatch's death. The skull of the dead
man was fractured. MI. I1dGCn Was
member of Walter 7. Hatch & Co.
Mrs. Scofield is large and fine look
ing. She is also very intelligent, and
altogether equal to an emergency. She
speaks calmly of her friends death as
"a very sad affair." According to hel
story she has been long dabbling in
stocks in Wall street, usually through
the office of Hatch 4 Sons. She carried
any number of stock certificates or
her person to prove it, although she
occasionally patrOnized 1. and 5
Wormser of Is Broad street. Ac
cording to her own statement when she
did this she was in the habit of telling
her friend, Mr.. Nathaniel Hatch, whai
Wormser's bought and sold and what
they gave her in the way of advice. Ont
of these occasions occurred yesterday
preceding the brokers violent death b!
a few hours. The genrally accepted
| theory is that Hatch was killed by fall
| ing from a bath room window whil
trying to make his escape, although
the police affect to believe that Their
was fight between Scofield and Hatcl
and that the latter was thrown out o
the window