New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-02
FINDS PARENTS SHOT DEAD.
APPARENTLY MURDER AND SUICIDE IN
A MONROE-ST TENEMENT HOUSE.
BOY DISCOVERS BODIES or HIS FATHER AND
MOTHER ~ THEIR HOME. Bur DID NOT
HEAR SHOTS ALTHOUGH HE WAS
ASLEEP IN THE NEXT ROOM.

ASLEEP IN THE NEXT ROOM
James Shuttulton. forty-two years old. a
Scotchman. shot and killed his wife. Elizabeth
thirty y-hve years old. in their rooms. at NO -o
Monroe-st. yesterday morning. and then com
mitted suicide by sending bullet into MS
brain. No one saw the shooting heard the
shots fred and the causes which led up to the
murder and suicide are not known. Shuttuton
was an iron worker When he worked he
earned SO day but he had been out OF work
recently. presumably or account OF his unsteady
habits He occupied three rooms on the sec
ond floor of the three-story brick house at No.
go Monroe ST. with his wife and children. He
moved into this house a month ago yester-
day. having occupied rooms In tenement
house opposite for some time. 1t Is said that
the couple had four children but only two lived
with them-Willigm. fifteen years old. and John'
six years old Another child. a girl. older than
the others Is said TO live in Scotland. and still
another child. the youngest. Is reported to be
living with relatives.
The father and mother occupied small bed
room leading off the larger living room on the
Monroe-st side OF the house. while the two chill
dren slept I'm a tiny apartment. not much larger
than n closet at the back OF the living-room,
but connected with II.
Both the boys slept late yesterday morning.
not waking up until 1890 o'clock. The older
boy got UP first and going into the large room
fourd a pool OF blood on the floor and the
bodies Of his father and mother in front OF the
stove He hastily dressed himself and ran down
to the street. There he found Patroman Lori
gan. Of the Delancey-st station, at Jackson and
Monroe sts and told the policeman that his
father and mother were dead dying. Lorgan
arnh
Gouverneur Hospital and DIR. Wightman re-
sponded. He went at once to the room where
the bodies were and said that life had been
extinct at least three hours. That would have
made the shooting take place as early as t;3o
o'clock.
Both bows were questioned by the police. but
neither OF them had heard the two or three
shots which had been fired In close proximity
to them The tenants in the house were also
questioned, n none OF them would admit hav-
ing heard the report OF pistol or any noise or
a quarrel between the pair. The older boy said
that his father and mother had quarrelled the
evening before but that he heard no sound
from them In the early morning hours
The room in which the shooting was done
looked like n chamber of horrors TO those VINO
entered IT, nc the bodies rested where they fell.
The woman sat in a chair directly In front or
the stove as If she trying TO keep warm.
She was dressed in her night clothing. and
around her legs ard the lower part OF her body
were wrapped a blanket and what seemed 10
be n piece OF carpet or table covering Her nus
band had evidently shot her In the head as she
sat In the chair. for her head fell over toward
the left side and hung there almost touching
the floor but she not dislodged from ner
position in the chair.
Leaning against the legs OF his wife, win
his head and shoulders partially supported py
them, and stretched on the floor at her rect iay
the body Of the husband. He was dressed only
in a dark shit and trousers his feet being bare:
From a wound in the right temple blood had
flowed down on his clothing lie had evidently
fallen there when he had fired the fatal shot or
had put the bullet into his head while slttlnB
on the floor at his wife's feet. on the noor' un-
derneath a table near which he was lying. was
a revolver Three Of the chambers contained
empty shells and the other two were loaded.
showing that three shots had been fred. \
hole in the right shoulder OF his shirt looked
as II he had fired one bullet at himself when
had missed and that he had then tried a second
shot which struck the mark
The floor Of the room was covered win ploou
which had flowed from the wounds In the wom-
ans head. Otherwise II was i'm fair order, ana
there were 10 evidences OF struggle. httle
burning Indicating that the shooting was done
before broad daylight. The clothing or the bed
in the room where the parents slept seemed to
show that the bed had been Occupied recently
or had not been made-up that day. There were
indications OF poverty III the three rooms. put
rot Of absolute want
The police are puzzled to know how the shoot
ing could have been done without the reports
of the shots having been heard ly the two boys
sleeping only a few feet away and by the other
tenants in the house. Comparatively little Is
known of the couple for they had lived In the
house only a month and little was known about
them in the house on the other side OF the
street where they had lived before. They were
born I'm Scotland. and were married. II Is be-
lieved some eighteen years ago. The Oldest
son william Is employed in factory where
window shades are made. Little is known OF
the habits Of the pair, but Or. Wightman, OF
Gouverneur Hospital recognized the man "a
ono who had been a patient I'm the hospital five
wears ago for delirum tremens. 1t Is said that
the couple had relatives in Brooklyn.
,nr tyInurEn m DpEdCU