The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-09
THOMPSON DEAD OF INJURIES
"TIMES" MAN FOUND STRANGELY
HURT ~ HIS HOTEL.
Hospital Doctor Rejects Theory Of Other
Physicians That His Wounds were
Self.InHicted In an Ap0plectic Flt
Met Known to Have Had Any Enemies

6elfslnnlCted In an ApOpiecuc Ft
Met Known to Have Had Any Enemies
Jacob H. Thompson, exchange editor
Of the Nsw York Tihes, was found dying
carly yesterday morning In bis room IN
. the 81. James Hotel, at 100 West Forty
fifth street. Coroner Soholsr and the
xhysicisns at Flower Hospital differ dia-
fnetrically as to the cause OF his death,
which occurred at 10: s last night.
. DR.. Hcholer, DR.. Fuller, Mr.. Thompson's
brother.in-law, and Or. do Birmin CHAM,
the attending physician Of the hotel. agree
IN believing that Mr.. Thompson had an
apoplectio stroke and that the wounds
In bis head which were observed by the
,physiuaans 1t the hospital were caused
b. bis struggles after the beginning Of the
stroke.
Dr.. Ralph A. Stewart. q visiting sur
ieson Of the hospital. said yesterday In the
most positive way that The injuries to Mr..
Thompson must have been caused by blows
end that there was no evidence that he had
suffered any apople otto stroke. There Ia
not tbs slightest evidence that any one
desired to injure Mr.. Thompson for any
reason.
A little after o'clock yesterday morning
MARY y CuAlub0Inln}b ChhPhoy0A 40
the hotel, discovered Mr.. Thompson lying
helpless in his room on the fifth
floor of the hotel. His head lay between
the corner of bookcase and the casing OF
tho door Of closet. The closet door was
hooked.
Mr. Thompson had removed his cuffs
and had laid them on the top OF his folding
bed, which had not been opened. There
we're spots Of blood all around the bookcase
and on the wall near his head; there were also
specks OF blood six feet above Mr.. Thomp-
sons head There were no signs OF
struggle at least 30 the hotel people
told the police later.
DIR, j, NJ, De Birmingham, the hotel physi-
clan, was summoned from across the street
At his suggestion an ambulance was called
from Flower Hospital. DR.. Strachen was
the surgeon who came with the ambulance.
IF. Fuller, a manufacturer Of patent foods,
who married Mr.. Thompson's sister, was
also sent for,
Dr. DeBirmingham saw nothing except
o natural death from apoplexy as an ex-
rlsnation. DR.. Fuller at first said that he
SUSPECTED a murder He went to the room
with Coroner Scholer, Inspector Flood
md the other investigators and came out
saying that he was satisfied that Mr.. Thomp-
son died as the result Of a stroke Of apo
plexy. DR.. Schoer was understood to say
that he agreed and that his opinion was
based on his having seen Mr.. Thompson
at the hospital.
DR.. Ralph A. Stewart, visiting sur geon at
the hospital. who had charge Of Mr.. Thomp-
son all day, said:
1T is none Of our business here to make
out the probability of murder having
taon committed The facts are these.
MIR, Thompson was brought here very
nearly dead. He had four or five outs on
the top of his head, there vas the indica-
ton OF very deep fracture at the base OF
the skull, his larynx was dislocated and
there we're cuts on the outside OF the throat.
With marks which looked like finger marks.
just how those injuries could have been
caused by man who was beating his head
about in an apoplectio stroke we do not
know. Moreover. il Mr.. Thompeons death
had been caused by apoplexy he would
hardly have been in commissions all day
to-day, 40 he was. He would have been
Iaralyzed
Finally there is no symptom OF apoplexy
which could not as we'll be the symptom
OF wounds causing fracture OF the skull.
Finally, when we asked Or. Scholer to come
over here to the hospital and to look at the
mans hurts, he said that inasmuch as the
man was unconscious he was not coming
and that he was satisfied, anyway, that MIR.
Thompson had died Of apolpexy.
The police made careful investigation.
They found that Mr.. Thompson came into
the hotel at little after 10 o. clock Thurs
day night and was taken up to his room.
He showed no signs Of being i'll then. There
was no evidence that any one had any
quarrel with him. An examination OF his
clothing showed that he had apparently
not been robbed. DR.. Fuller, though DR..
Stewart quoted him as saying. 4 do not
see how this could have been the result
Of anything except an assault said last
evening that he yes satisfied tha. NJ.
Thompson's hurt was caused by apoplexy.
Dr.. Scholer made a second examination
of the rooms last night. He said that the
boepital surgeons were wrong In saying
that commissions could not follow an apo
Ikotic str oke.
After Mr.. Thompson's body was found
on the floor an mrloyee Of the hotel found
O letter which had been written and sealed,
addressed to Mr.. Thompson's niece,
police knew Of its existence. They will
make an effort to find Miss Wendell to-day
and ask about the cont: nts Of the note.
MIR. Thompson died at 1895 o'clock last
night. DR.. Dominick, the attending sur
geon, said that Mr.. Thompson had at no
time recovered consciousness and that
everything seemed to point to the conclu-
sion tn I q murder h. been committed.
Mr.. Thompson had lived at the st. James
Hotel very quietly for the last three years.
He was q bachelor. He did not drink. 1t
was said by his friends In the Times Office
fst night that there was no disposition
there to assert that MIR. Thompson had
Eeen murdered but an unbounoed curl
osity to know what had reilly happened
to. hi m: Mr.. Thompson had one attack
Of vertigo, 50 far as was known to his
frien de, sbout three years ago. He had
no other seizures 30 far as was known.
NEW ROOTER FOR DORDAN.
The Hat Harvey Association Holds an Anti.