The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-05-04
.MURDERER'S
CONFESSION.
Singular Tragedy That Happened
In q New York Apart.
mcnt House.
BANK DIRECTOR
Shot Five Times by man Who
Said he was the Instrument
OF Gods Vengeance.

NEW YORK, May 3.-Alexauder Mas
terton, director OF the Farmers Loan
&c Trust Company. and seyenty-two
yehrs old, was shot and killed this at
teHnoon by James Neale Plumb, In the
Burlington hotel. on West Thlrtieth
street. Masterton was shot five times
and died within On hour or two.
The murder was premeditated as evil
denced by q voluminous statement
written in advance by Plumb and given
out after his arrest.
AT present the real motive for tho
crime is unknown. Plumb, in his state
ments issued '"ro the Public" and en-
titled. why I, ]. Neale Plumb, shot
Alexander Masterton." declared that he
had been actuated to DO the shooting
because Of q systematic bounding OF
him by Mastertoh Plumb declared fur
tller that Masterton had not only ruined
him financially. but had attempted to
ALLEVIATE the affections Of his wife and
children and to cause his social down
fall.
Numb's statements. one Of which was
addressed TO the Associated Press. dcai
with u period OF his career embracing
the past thirty-Ave years, are rambling
in many places and conclude with the
following:
An Instrument of Wrath.
NO man has Il higher regard for hu-
MN Iife thna have. But the just and
righteous punishment OF Alex. Master
ton Is decreed by an outraged God, and
l nm simply the humble instrument In
his hand, us he has selected me as his
chosen instrument OF wrathful ven-
seance. / have rid the world Of man
who vas not fit to live. and whose
death thousand times over would
never atone for the moustrous wrongs
done me-"
Mnsterton and Plumb met by agree
ment In the Burlington hotel at 1:30 p.
nl.. In the apartments occupied By Mgr.
Cole. They had been there but Il short
time when five shots were fired in rapid
succession. Plumb then came out OF
the apartments rnd walked into the
reception room. awaiting arrest. The
murderer was taken before Police Cap
..ialn Price. of the TenderloIn district, OF
whom he Is an intimate friend. He was
Inter taken before u magistrate in tho
Jefferson Market Police Court and held.
Nothing was brought out at the hear
Ing that coula be accepted as reason
for the killing beyond the statement
made by Plumb that Masterton had
bounded him for many yeers.
Plumb's Reasons,
In His statement Plumb writes us fol-
lows: The reason for taking this seri-
Gus step was that upward Of thirty-Gva
years. commenced as far back as 1862,
ut the tim. OF my marriage engagement.
this man has followed me llku u sleuth
hound from that time TO this. and yet !
was never ahe to discover the cause or
motive OF his vindictivo Gnimoslty to-
ward me,Hg when no commenced to at
tack me had never seen the man nor
ever heard OF him.
again in 1855. on my return from
California. afrer three years absence,
ha at orco renewed the intrigues
against mo in my family and in public,
secretly doing mo all the injury In hiS
power. socially and financially.
AFTER all these years, down to 1870,
this man was constantly plotting and
coEsplrlng against mo, endeavor1ng to
undermine my wife's confidence in me
by mean and covert instnuations and
endeavorIng In every way to alienata
the affections Of my wire and children
and he had u powerful influence, being
the trustee OF my wife's large estate"
In 1877 Mrs. Plumb died in Paris, and
Plumb returned here and went to live
Mt Islip, L. /. He recites n number of
circumstances showing. alleged conspIr-
acy to ALLEVIATE the affections of his chill
dren. q French maid acting as spy for
Masterton. Plumb refers to another
conspiracy" begun In 1885, which he
says Is known to his friends in New
York and Washington rs "thc Wash
ington conspiracy" where his eldest
daughter. Minnie. laid trap for Mas
terton and his lawyers by means OF de-
coy letters and kilograms. and that his
enemy fell into the tr0p and did not
know he had been trapped until his
daughter displayed the motive OF these
kilograms In Surrogate Rollins court.
during an action brought in connection
with tho cu5o.
The Final Blow.
After rocittng tho story OF the mar
ringe OF his son. J. Ives Plumb, In 1885,,
with woman named Anna Burton, of
whom he speaks in no complimentary
terms, und laying the blame for this
undesirable marriage ut Masterton's
door, no rsfors TO what he calls the
last great conspiracy Of Alexander
Mastertoyl which has cuiinina,ea his
long ycaIs OF cruel. vindlctivc oppres-
sion by his punishment decreed by an
outraged God"
Ho says that soon after his non's "dIs-
graceful marriage" he went to Europe,
Intending to make his home In South
umpton. England, md no md HIS
daughters were as happy there ns they
could Ire with II cloud hanging over
them In the moral death OF hIs eon. He