Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
MYSTERY IN SHOOTING
Staten Island Physician Muir
derously Assaulted.
=.
ATTACKED IN HIS HOME
Awakened by Man Who Declares Pur-
pose to Kill Him.
TELEPHONE WIRES WERE CUT
Assai1ant Fires Three Shots Into His
Victims Body in Presence Of Wife
and Then Escapes. |
TELEPHONE WIRES WERE CUT

NEW YORK, January 26.-Dr. Charles
w. Townsend. one Of the best-known ply
sicians and surgeons on Staten Island,
was shot and probably mortally wounded
while in bed in his home at New Brighton,
g. l., early today. The case Is shrouded by
mystery, but from the meager details which
have been permitted to leak out by the
officials 1t is believed that the doctor was
the victim Of q man who sought vengence
for some real or fancied wrong.
That tho crime was not the act Of a bur-
glar, as was first believed, appears to be
borne out by the fact that not a single ar
ticle was taken from the house. although
hundreds Of dollars worth Of jewelry and
silverware. was within easy reach. This
also is believed to be borne out by stories
which have been told the coroner by both
Dr.. Townsend and his wife,. who witnessed
the shooting The coroner has declined to
make known any of the information OBJ
tanned from DIR. Townsend and his wife.
He decla red that to do so would tend to de-
feat the ends of justice. From this state
ment it Is inferred that the identity of the
assailant is at least suspected and that the
connection with the case.
Dr. Townsend,s house Is handsome resi-
dence block from the New Brighton rail-
road station The doctor and his wife &C.
cupied the front bed room on the second
floor. his aged mother slept in a room In
the rear of the doctors, and his four chill
dren in another room on the same floor
''' Stranger in the Room.
About 3:45 o'clock this morning the doc
tors wife was awakened by some noise
and saw a strange man in the room. In
one hand the intruder carried lighted
match and in the other revolver. The
lower part of his face was covered with
a handkerchief. Mrs. Townsend screamed
and her husband awoke. The stranger adj
vanced on the doctor and declared that he
was going to kill him. He ordered DR..
Townsend to get up, and it is understood
that he said something. but what 1t was
the coroner will not reveal.
DR.. Townsend was in half sitting posi-
ton when the intruder fired. The bullet
struck the doctor a glancing blow in the
stomach and then buried itself In the bed
clothes. Again the stranger fired, and this
time the bullet hit the doctor in the abdo-
men and pierced the intestines. "A third
bullet lodged near the heart infiicting
wound that Of itself may prove fatal"
As soon as he had fired the last shot the
assailant fled from the room, ran down
stairs and escaped
There are three telephones in DR.. Town
sends house. One is In his bed room. an
other in the hall on the second floor and the
third in the office on the first floor. Mrs.
Townsend, as soon as the stranger disap-
peared, ran to the telephone in the bed
ROOM but found that the wire had been
cut She then FASTENED to the telephone in
the hall, and found the wire cut there also
Then she ran down stairs and found that
the telephone In the Office had not been
tempered with. This telephone has con-
nection with the doctors stable, in the
rear of the house. and Mrs. Townsend
called up Nick Nathan, the stableman, and
told him what had occurred.
Dressed Husbands Wounds.
Nathan hurriedly put on some clothing
and then started for the house, shouting
'murderw "police!" as he ran. His cries
brought out Lawrence Crabtree, the son Of
Herbert Crabtree, a coal merchant who
lives opposite the Townsend home, and he
and Nathan entered the house and did what
they could to help Mrs. Townsend. Mrs.
Townsend, who is herself a doctor. imme-
diately set to work to dress the doctors
wounds, while Nathan called up the West
New Brighton police, three miles away.
The police were unable to find any trace
Of the man who fired the shot. All the doors
and windows were securely locked and no
marks Of any kind had been left by the
fugitive. Despite these conditions, however,
the coroner appears to be satisfied that the
man will soon be apprehended.
The Townsend home is scarcely half
mile from the home of Charles l.. Spier,
which, not more than year ago was the
scene of a tragedy strangely like that of
today. Sper was shot in his home during
the night and died from his wound 1t was
at first believed that he had been the victim
of a burglar but an investigation proved
that he had taken his own life.