The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-10
THOMPSON SURELY MURDERED
NIT NO MOTIVE FOR THE
STRANGE CRIME APPEARS.

May Have Been Robbery, % the wallet in
which He Usually Carried $500 ID
Mlsstng--Three Cracks In His Skull DO
Away with Theory Of an Apoplectic FIT
That Jacob H. Thompson; the exchange
Aditor Of the Nep York Times, was muir
,ered in his rooms in the st. James Hotel
IN West Torty-seventh street some time
Letween 10 O'Clock Thursday and daylight
Friday morning seems quite apparent to
the Coroner, the police and Mr.. Thomp-
sons friends. A day and half, however.
If the most careful investigation failed
IN disclose any motive which could have
ned to the killing Of the gentle, kindly man
nered old man. There were rumors yes
terday that considerable sum OF money,
amounting to perhaps $500, was missing
from Mr.. Thompson's rooms. Further
than this there was not an atom OF evidence
that there had ever been any reason why
any one should have desired to end Mr..
Thompson's life.
, Inspector Flood spent all day yesterday
in n careful study Of the circumstances
surrounding the death Of Mr.. Thompson
He took into account the fact that Mr.
Thompson had begun his vacation from his
duties in the Times Office; that he had
recently drawn several hundred dollars in
money from a bank in which he kept his
savings until they amounted to enough
for the purchase of bonds OF other safe
interest bearing securities; that on Thurs
dav night he had left the st. James Hotel,
apparently for his usual brief evening
walk through the streets, and that he had
returned at about $50 o'clock; that he had
been taken up in the elevator by a negro
belboy named Waller; that at about 0
O'Clock on Friday morning Mr.. Thompson
had been found lying on the floor of his
room with three cracks in his skull, one
at the back of the neck. one near his left
ear, one over his right eye, and with several
deep cuts in his scalp; that there was blood
scattered over a space Of six feet square
on the wall near his head; that his room was
perfectly and neatly arranged, and there
was not the slightest apparent evidence Of
any struggle having occurred there; that
Mr.. Thompson's pockets contained 3l2 his
watch and a number Of papers which showed
no evidence of having been examined.
Inspector Flood was at first hampered by
the announcement Of Coroner Scholer Dr.
Fuller, the brother-in-law Of Mr.. Thompson,
and j. NJ. De Birmingham that all the APP
pearances indicated that Mr.. Thompson
had an apoplectic seizure and that the
wounds on his head were caused by the
commissions following such seizure. Mr..
Thompson's employers made such a fuss
over this explanation Of his injuries that
the Coroner was induced, after Mr. Thomp-
sons death, to make an examination Of his
wounds, and yesterday Coroner Scholer,
having examined the wounds, said that he
was very certain that Mr.. Thompson was
the victim Of murderous assault.
A reporter for an evening newspaper
going through the hotel yesterday met
Mrs. Mott, who occupied rooms near
Mr.. Thompson's. This reporter, after talk
ing with Mrs. Mott, wrote narrative, in
which he quoted her as saying that her
door had been raped upon several times
during the night in which Mr.. Thompson
was killed. and that though she opened the
door after each rapping as soon as she
could. she saw no one in the halls; The
reporter said also that Mrs Mott told him
that she heard noises during the night in
dicatins that Mr.. THOMPSON rooms were
being set in order and swept:
Inspector Flood, Capt: Gallagher and
other persons interviewed Mrs. Mott after
them all that she had been in her rooms
from o'clock Thursday night until the
middle of Friday morning, and that she had
not heard a sound from Mr.. Thompson's
ROOM
Associates Of Mr.. Thompson in the Ti,nes
Office says that It WAS his habit to carry
money in two separate wallets. In one he
kept his spending money. amounting to
from SO to $50 a week. In the other. which
was large, black, flap wallet, he usually
had from 500 to. $500. Within two weeks
he had occasion in the presence Of several
wallet to lend money to an acquaintance,
and he remarked at that time that he nearly
always had at least 500 on his person. The
flap wallet was not found in Mr.. Thomp-
sons clothing or in his apartments after
lie was found disabled in his room Thursday
morning.
Jacob H. Thompson was about 90 years
old He was a bachelor. and was OF
retiring, studious disposition. He spent
hls time Il. his leisure hours visiting with
his few relatives in this city and vicinity,
and in reading. He was altogether lovable
associates. 1t is told of him that his greatest
grief in life was when he discovered that
one Of the office boys in the Times Office
had been overlooked In his annual distri-
hutton Of five dollar bills to his youthful
friends. In very quiet: Investigations
men prominent in American national life.
The late Thomas B. Reed made it a nearly
invaTiabh practise to call on Mr.. Thompson
at the Times office whenever passing
through New York
Inspector Flood said last night: This
Is one OF the most pulling cases which
have confronted the police in long time.
u is quite apparent that Mr.. Thompson was
murdered. II is quite appa rent that he
was vciously assaulted with a blunt instru-
ment. and that his head was beaten against
the sharp corners Of his bookcase and the
door casing after he was knocked down;
the blood and hair on the blackboard show
This. We are as completely at loss to
account for any motive for the murder OF
Mr.. Thompson az could possibly be. except
mat there is some reason to believe that
teo or $500 ha d been in his possession and
Is now missing
OF course it would be easy enough to
say that a sneak thief was in the rooms
when MIR, Thompson came in at half past
eocock Thursday night and remained in
eSncsament until Mr. Thompson wrote a
letter to his niece, Mrs. Wendell lin which
We learn that he said he would certainly call
upon her in Orange next weekly, and had
removed his cuffs, and then upon being
discovered struck Mr.. Thompson down and
escaped. Making guesses is much easier
man doing good police work, and ] will
nHnrf nlrnt H.