, 1892-03-04

MURDERED FOR MONEY
Charges Preferred Against a
Chicago Society Man.
Beat His Mother in-Law to
Death for Her Money.
A Prototype of the Famous
Graves Barnaby Case.
He is Arrested and an Autopsy
Will be Held.
Killed His M other-in-Law.

CHICAGO, March 3.-It is an ugly thing
to say of a man who occupies a prominent
professional and social position, that he
murdered his mother-in-law for her
monev, and yet this is what F.. Fl. Dun
ton, an aged and wealthy gentleman who
lives at % Aldiue square, accuses DR..
Henry Nj. Scudder of having done. Scud.
der married the adopted daughter of
Dunton, whose invalid wife had a large
fortune 10 her W right, which up to a
few days before her death, she had pro.
posed leaving to some blood relatives, but
which at last as she lay IN bed, but half
conscious of what she was doing, as her
husband alleges, she was induced to sign
over to Scudder's wife.
Feb. 81 another physician was hastily
summoned and found Mrs. Dunton un-
conscious and dying, with several severe
scalp wounds, caused, according to Scud-
der's tale, by falling against furniture in
the room. As Scudder was the last man
said to have spoken with her and as he
could not account satisfactorily for the
wound, suspicion fell on him and Mr..
Dunton swore out a warrant for his ar
rest yesterday. Sender is said to be i'll
and is guarded in his W house by
officers. This afternoon Scudder's father
and mother appeared before County
Judge Scales and applied to have their
son committed to a detention hospital Tor
examination as to his sanity.
DR.. Dunton. who is proprietor of a
publication known as the Spirit of the
1uTf, speaking of the case this afternoon,
said: Scudder was alone with my wife
previous to her death. Wounds ON her
head were not there before he came nor
was his explanation of them satisfactory.
More than that, she had lately altered her
will in favor OF his wife. Putting those
things together, | am convinced the man
murdered my wife to gain her money.
The body OF Mrs. Dunton, which was
buried at GAINESVILLE, Wis. will be ex-
humed for examination. DIR. Scudder is
the son Of the eminent clergyman Rev. DR..
Scudder. He was born in Arcot, India,
forty years ago. At an early age he
came with his father to San Francisco,
where the latter became pastor of the
Howard Presbyterian church. At the
age of II he entered Yale; vent through
that college, then spent several years
studying medicine in Philadelphia. New
York, London, and Paris. In 1874 he
was appointed medical officer OF the
American Arcot mission, India. He
spent about ten years in that country,
achieving an enviablc reputation as a
practitioner and was for some time medi-
cal officer for the English government for
the surrounding district.
For his services during the famine of
1878 and 1879, and later during the epi-
demic Of Asiatic cholera, he was highly
complimented in official orders. About
eight years ago he returned to Chicago on
a visit and fiattering offers induced him to
remain. Since then he has become we'll
and prominently known. He devoted
much time to home missionary work,
especially to the relief of sickness and
suffering among the poor; has been the
head of the free dispensary of Armour
mission, the chief examining officer for
several prominent life insurance com
p%anies. and had positions on the stats of
the largest hospitals. The case has Gre
ated a great sensation.
1t is said that Mrs. Dunton was
opposed to Scudder's marriage to her
adopted daughter and never became re-
conciled to it. Hannah johnson, a
domestic, asserts when she heard Mrs.
Dunton scream she rushed In and saw
Scudder beating the PROSTATE woman
over the head. Neighboring physicians
were quickly called and expressed surprise
at the nature of the cuts. Scudder said
she had fallen into a fit and cut her head
On the furniture.
This seemed singular to the doctors,
since the room had very little furniture.
and seemed impossible that anyone could
receive such injuries. DR.. Scudder said
he had given Mrs. Dnnton an injection of
a quarter Of a grain of morphine, and that
she bent the needle of the hypoder-
mic syringe. He appeared greatly ex
cited. As DR.. Leavitt was about TO leave,
he inquired If it would not be well to give
Mrs. Dunton another injection, and pro-
duced another syringe.
Leavitt SAID an injection of brandy or
whisky would be beneficial and Scudder.
made preparations to administer ii.
But" said Leavitt tonight, Il don't
know what drug he administered. | only
know Mrs. Dunton died that afternoon"
Disagreeable stories are rife about the
serious illness Mrs. Dunton had last
month after taking the medicine from
Scudder's hands.