Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-04
ACCUSED OF MURDER
Dr. Scudder, of Chicago Is In
 Trouble.
GUARDED BY THE POLICE
He is the Son of ths Former Pastor of
 Plymouth Church in Brooklyn.


 Says He Is Sick and Unable to Leave His
 Bed-He is Charged With Killing His
 M"ther-in-Law and With Forging Her
 Name to a Win Leaving Her Property to
 His Wife-It is Said He is Crazy.
 tvCHIcAGo, March 4 pr. Henry M. Scudder, son of former pastor of PIy- mouth Church here, is under arrest at fathers home, S,391 Grand Boulevard, his charged with murder. Owing to pr. Scudder's assertion that he is sick and unable to leaue his bed, he has not been removed to the jail, but is closely guard ed by the police.
 The warrant on which Dr. Scudder is held was sworn out by F. H. Dunton, proprietor of the "Spirit of the Turf |" and the father-in-law of the accused man. In the complaint on which the warrant was issued MI. Dunton alleges that on Sunday, Feb. 2i. Dr Scudder murdered Mrs. Dunton by beating her on the head with blunt weapon. Scudder married an adopted daughter of Dunton, whose sickly wife had fortune of over $lO0, 900 in her own right, which up to 8 few days before the time of her death she had proposed leaving to some blood rela- tives. The will was changed in her last hours, leaving the property to Scudder's wife. Then another physician was hast fly summoned to her bedside and found her dying with wounds in her head which, Scudder says, were produced by a fall from her chair as she was sitting up.
 As Scudder is the last man who is be- Heved to have spoken to her, and as he could not satisfactorily account for the wounds, suspicion fell on him.
 On the morning of February 21, Dr. Scudder, who was a constant visitor at the Dunton mansion, was alone with Mrs. Dunton during the temporary ab- sence of the servant. Mir. Dunton was reclining on a bed in the back room, ness. His wife uttered piercing scream, which was heard all over the house.
 At or about the same moment, wit ness, whose name is withheld, saw her on all fours on the noor, and Dr. Scud- der striking her on the head with some thing like a club The witness was in fear of Scudder, and suppressed the fact until later.
 When Mrs. Dunton screamed every one in the house ran to the room, the first arrival being MT. Dunton, whom Dr. Scudder gently pushed back, assuring him that he was to ill to see his wife, ID the rest of the family he said that Mrs. Duntun had fallen down three times and struck her head against the furni- ture. When they arrived Mrs. Dunton was lying on her face, with her head near the door, bleeding profusely from several wounds. She was only partly conscious, and said nothing that was intelligible before she died.
 Dr. Scudder and others started out for physicians, and the first ono to ar rive was Dr. Bassett, who lived only two doors away.
 When he saw the condition of the woman he ran back home for @ probe and as he went out Dr. Leavitt came in When Dr. Bassett had returned they made an examination of the woman's scalp, and found that it had on it five or more wounds, which penetrated to the skull bone if they did not fracture the skull.
 It was plain also that they were made downward and forward, on the top aud rear af the head
 Dr. Scudder told the other physicians that he was present when she fell three times against the furniture while he was attempting to hold her up.
 Dr. Bassett expressed surprise, as there was hardly anything for her to to strike her ,ad against
 4nree days DeIOre her death, and while Mir. Dunton was lying in a comatose state in the adjoining room, Dr. Scudder, it is said, brought Mrs. Dunton new will. Dr. Scudder read it to her, had her sign it, and then had it witnessed by his 14-year-old daughter, and Mrs. Dunton's 15-year-old daughter. He then made pretext to take the pen and ink down stairs, and soon after got little Miss Dunton to follow him. He told her that she had signed the will in the wrong place, and easily induced her to sign it again, as she supposed, in the right place. But the allegation is made that she was deluded into signing 8 different will as witness. It is charged that afterward Dr. Scudder and his daughter also signed it as witnesses, and to it. This thi d will, it is said, gives pretty much all of Mrs. Dunton's property to Mrs. Scudder
 As for Scudder, it is satd that he is crazy, or at least there is an attempt on Lhe part of his family to make it appear that such is the case.
 The Rev. 'Dr. ScudGier, his father and his wife have appeared before Judge Scales and asKe.i to nave him committed to the Detention Hospital for eXamina- tion as to his sanity.
 Scudder is 39 years old, and has an office at 32 La Salle street, where he makes speciality of examining appli- cants for life insurance in Eastern com panies It is alleged that several com panies have got rid of him for shady op-