St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-24
This Is the Message Left by a
Man Who Committed Mur-
der and Suicide.
He Assassinated His Wife
While Sleeping and Then
Cut His Throat.
The Career of Carrie Hol-
brook Chandler, Mrs. May
bricks Mother.
When She Got Tired of a Hus-
band She Simply Gave
Him Poison.

PITTsBURG, Pa, May %. = Frank
Compton killed his wife, Dora, at West
Pittston this morning, and then cut his
own throat, dying two hours later. The
weapon used was large butcher knife.
The tragedy took place in the bed room
where they slept, and is believed to have
been the outcome of quarrel between
the couple, Compton charging his wife
with receiving the attentions of other
men. After killing his wife and cut.
ting his own throat, the man walked
down stairs and with his bloody fingers
wrote the word Jealousy" upon the sit
ting room wall. He left on slate
message which read: ''Give my watch
to my brother. am going to heaven"
He then went up stairs and fell beside
his wife's body, where he died. Comp
ton was gardener by occupation. He
has two brothers. one living at Harris
burg and the other at POttsville. Comp
ton and his wife seemed to live happily
together until about six weeks ago.
when the husband became jealous of
his wife and accused her of infideIity.
He threatened to do her bodily harm
and talked of suicide. Yet he contin-
ued to work steadily, and, although he
abused her every time he returned to
the house, he never struck her. A few
days ago he produced piece of clothes
line about ten feet long and said he
would hang himself with it. About
O'Clock this morning Henry Young ana
his wife, next door neighbOrs, were
aroused by piercing screams issuing
from the apartments occupied by
Mr.. and Mrs. Compton. The screams
were those of a woman, evidently in
great agony. Presently the cries ceased.
and some one was heard to fall upon
house and up the stairway, but found
the door locked. He summoned help
and broke in the door. Lying on the
floor, clad
IN HER NIGHT DRESS,
was Mrs. Compton, in a pool of blood,
and blood was still flowing from gap
ing wound in the throat. There was
another cut on the left side of of the
face and still another on her left
shoulder, while both hands were hacked
and two or three fingers were severed.
Just behind the door of an inner room
stood Frank Compton, the murderer,
his threat also cut. He held in his hand
butchers knife, with which the
crime had been committed. Blood was
dripping from the knife and blood was
also flowing from the wound in his
throat. He swore he would kill the
first person who dared to enter. Mr..
Young and his companions then fed.
During their absence, Compton en-
deavored to enter Mr.. Young's house,
but Mrs. Young succeeded in keeping
him out. Compton fingered until Z
o'clock, when he died in great
agony. The bodies Of the
dead were laid in sepa-
rate rooms on the second floor. 1t was
evident that Mrs. Compton was first at
tackled while asleep on the bed in the
inner room, for the bedclOthes were
covered with blood. Appearances indi-
cate that when she sprang from the bed
and screamed she endeayOred to save
herself from her husbands saw
age attack, and it was then
that her fingers and shoulders
were hacked. In some way she
passed by her husband and into the
other room, where she fell dead upon
the floor. The murderer took his own
life also in the inner room. He made
two attempts, the last one being sue
cessful. After killing his wife and in
flicting the first wound upon his
own throat. Frank Compton wrote a
message upon slate. There is
writing on both sides of it, but, owing
to the blood marks and evident nerv-
BUSINESS of the writer, only fragments
of the message can be deciphered, such
as ''give my watch to brother" and '.go
tell her father to pray for her." 1t is
said that Compton had not the slightest
ground for his insane Jealousy OF his