Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-28
WELL KNOWN NEW YORK MAN
IN TRAGEDY
L, G. Hampton Of the United States
Trust Company, Shoots Pretty
Woman and Ends His
Own Life
BY Associated Press.

tNpWt uthultAul NoulS WpIldHt III 'iN
Hotel Griffou in West Ninth street
late last night, and then committed
suicide.
Hampton was infatuated with the
woman and they had been together
many times during the past month
They hadebeen at the hotel where the
tragedy occurred since early yesterday
Whether or not the tragedy was the
result of q pact between the man and
the woman to die together has not beer
determined, but the circumstances
seem to show that the young woman
had agreed to die with her companion
Hampton, who was about 60 years
old, leaves a wife and two children.
Miss Taczkow was 20 years old and
lived with her father and invalid moth
er. She was employed in a department
store.
The United States Trust company, OF
which l.. G.. Hampton was assistan
secretary, is one of the largest and the
finest trust companies in New York.
Lyman j.. Gage was its president until
recently, and on his retirement Edward
w. Sheldon was elected president and
Mr.. Hampton for some time acted as
secretary.
The events leading up to the tragedy
have been traced by the police and
according to them the last CHAPTER in
what looks to be an illicit romance be-
gan on Thursday afternoon last, when
Hampton called at the Hotel Criffou
and engaged a room. He said he would
leturn late that night or the next morn
ing.
II expect to have my wife with me. -
he said as he was about to leave, and
then half hesitating he said: would
you like me to register now?'
Returns Friday Night
The maid replied that it would be
time enough to do this when he arrived
at the hotel to take the room. Hamp-
ton then left and nothing more was
seen of him until Friday morning,
when about 8 o'clock he entered the
hotel, accompanied by a woman, and
going straight up to the hotel office he
registered as "Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair,
Burlington, VT"
The woman who accompanied him
was an unusually handsome brunette.
She was fashionably dressed and car
rled in her hand small travelling bag.
The couple took breakfast and then
went to their room. The woman left
the hotel several times during the day,
but Hampton remained in his room.
Soon after she returned from one of
these excursions early in the evening a
light dinner was sent to their room and
request was sent to the clerk to call
them at IL O'Clock last night
1--WE want to be called at II so that
we may catch train" said Hampton.
From that time until half past 10
nothing was heard or seen of. the
couple but the maid, who was in the
corridor of the room which they occu-
pied heard what she thought was an
explosion in the street. She took no
particular notice of it at the time.
At seven minutes to II she went to
the room to call the couple, but when
her repeated raps at the door brought
no response she notified the hotel office.
The room was opened with pass key
and the mystery was explained.
Both Found Dead
On the floor at the far end of the
room, between a large mirror and a
dresser, lay the man stretched out on
his back. In his right hand was
clutched a revolver, while his hat was
held tightly in the left hand. A shot
fired into his mouth had entered his
brain, killing him instantly.
Directly in front was the bed, and
upon it was the woman, also dead Her
feet were on the floor, while her head
was resting on the bed clothes, with
her arm shielding her face.
In her arm were three bullet wounds,
more than flesh wounds, but right un-
der the left armpit was a fourth wound
The bullet had been fired evidently
after the woman had sank back on to
the bed when she had been shot in the
arm, for it entered her body in DOWN
ward direction and must have gone
through the heart
Word of the tragedy was sent to the
coroner's office and as a result of that
officials investigation the identity of
the victim was established. In addition
to valuable watch and other jewelry
found in Hampton's pockets there were
papers which directed inquiry to the
apartment house in West Twenty-third
street where he had lived with his wife.
At the United States Trust company
today it was said that Hampton was
at the office of the company on Thurs
day attending to his duties.
On Friday he telephoned that he was
indisposed, but would be at the office
today.
Hampton Well Liked
An officer of the company said that
Mr.. Hampton's duties We're secretarial
only and that he had nothing to do
with the company's finances. 1t is be-
lieYed the officer said, that his books
were correctly kept.
Mr.. Hampton had been employed by
the trust company for thirty-five years
and was protege of former President
John A. Stewart now chairman of the
board of directors. He was regarded
by the officers Of the company as an
able and efficient man, with good
habits.
The first positive Identification of the
victims of the tragedy was made by
the dead woman's brother He had been
notified that a young woman wearing
iewelry bearing his sisters initials had
been murdered, and went to a police
station to look at the articles which
had been taken there. He at once
a pair of silk garters with
gold buckles as the property of his sis
ter One of the buckles bore the let
ters "V. |. IT," while on the other was
Inscribed al. G. H." Young Taczskow
also told the police that the man was
L. C. Hampton, who had been atten-
tive to his sister for some time
Hampton told us taht he intended
10 marry sister when his mother died, ="
said Taczslow. 81 never knew much
about him, but he seemed TO be honor
able i'm his intentions and appeared to
be very fond OF my sister. Victoria was
! good girl and never stayed out all
light. We thought we knew where she
was every minute of the time"
Louis Hampton had summer home