The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29
SHOT THROUGH A WINDOW.
FARMER HoTCHKISS ASSASsINATED
IN HIS HOME.

Ho was Playing with His Daughter in the
Kitchen OF His Homo Tn ROckinnd. Conn
Two Men seon 20 Drive Away Hurriodly-
Tho Child Pound Unframed on . Lounge.
MIDDLETowN, Conn.,, Aug. 2s.-Bertram L.
Hotchkiss, a farmer Of Rockland. O part Of Kill
lingworth, Conn, was shot dead by an assassin
on Friday night. Mrs. Hotchkiss was in the
bedroom on tho lower floor, putting her little
girl, . years old, to bed, and her husband was
sitting at tho foot of tho lounge in the kitchen,
laughing and playing with his daughter Emma,
who Is 4 years old.
Without any warning a shot was fred through
the screen tackled over the window on the west
sldo Of the room. The assassin used q choke
bore gun with No. IL shot. Ho held the gun
close against the window frame. and the con-
cussion was SO great that the orockery ON the
shelves was thrown to the floor and the lighted
lamp In tho kitchen was e1tin guished. The
mosquito netting was burned and the pantry
door opposite the window was charred with
gunpowder.
The shot struck Mr.. Hotchkiss on tho right
side Of tho mock. tearing 1t open and cutting the
jugular vein. When Mrs. Hotchkiss heard the
shot she rushed into tho kitchen. She found the
child unframed on the lounge, and called TO hov
husband:
Bert, Bert. what 10 the matterr' Receiving
no response, she looked out Of the south door
and saw o short, stout man looking into the
door. At the same time q taller man ran from
the window on the north side. where tho shou
had been fred. and the two men hastened down
the lane past the barn to the road. She can give
no further description. They wore no masks,
but owing to the darkness their faces were in.
distinguishable Mr.. Hotchkiss was found lying
The neiRhbors, slammed By the shot, came
rushing down. and Herman Hoffman, son OF the
nearest neighbour, assisted Mrs. Hotchkips In
placing her husbands body on the lounge. She
Durham, ave miles away. Who notiied I. n.
Hubbard OF this city. who notified Coroner s. 3.
About 2 o'clock this morning Coroner Davis,
I, n. Hubbard. Chief OF Police InYlis. Policeman
KKlncaid. and A: L Deane started for the scene.
party found the house tast e N.Y. fu n9dsn: ana
SpTrEounded by flower beds and vines.
Markham had no jurisdiction. and a team was
dispatched for DR.. Reynolds OF Clinton, the
medical examiner for that district. He lives
Mr.. Hotchkiss is spoken Of by his neighbours az
habits, He preferred the company OF his wife
and children TO others and was seldom away
1sSR Ss@e and % M has H ssS PG 'f is at e lo %i's 10 s ao.
words which were used BY a certain us ini person o1I 70
NJ; Hotchkiss was only 20 years old. and was
we'll known in this city. Members OF a family
dence, say that about 6 o'clock last night they
saw q top.covered buggy, drawn by a hay horse,
pass their house. coming down the road from
Durham.
In it were two men. The theory 10 that these
men drove to the south OF the house and then
hitChed their horse, and were going away when
Mrs. Hotchkiss saw them. That the murderer
was a tall man is shown by the height OF the
hole in the netting where the charge went
through, and he must have inclined the gun q
little so as TO have the charge hit the murdered
man in the neck.
Coroner Davis returned to Middletown this
evening and said that he made an examination.
He found that forty-three No. IL shot had torn
the right eide of Hotchkiss's throat away. The
police are working on two clues tonight. One
implicates a resident of Middletown and the
other a laborer who had been in Hotchkiss's
employ.