The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-03
EXPLOSION FOLLOWS SUICIDE
ESCAPING GAS CATCHES FIRE AND
FOUR ARE BURNED.

Gust of wind From tho Hall Blows outside
Flame Into the Room Suicide, Thought
te he Injured Only, Hurried TO Hospital
I'm an Automopile-WOman Badly Hurt
An EXPLOSION followed the finding OF the
body of a man who committed suicide oy
oas in a furnished room house at 2so West
Fiftieth street last night and our persons
were seriously burned. II was thought al
first that the man had been burnett death
and the police borrowed an automobtie at
a nearby garage and took the BODY 10
Roosevelt Hospital. In the meantime those
who really needed medical attendance were
in the house waiting for an ambulance
One had BEEN summoned, but the order
was countermanded by the police. VINO
did not know Of the burned persons.
II was half an hour before another
arrived. The lead man is supposed to De-
according to letters found. H. &. Murden'
a printer employed on the New York Aner'-
can. The injured are Mrs. Margaret Lyman,
who kept the house her grandchild, hichard
CLAYTON. 3 years old; Michel Lyman a
grown son. and Joseph Riley, who roomed
in the house. q,
Mrs. Lyman smelled gas n with Richard
in her arms and followed by the two men
she traced it to Murden's room. The door
was broken open. A gust of wind blew a
flame from an outside gas jet to the door
of the room. The explosion followed. Mrs.
LYMAN was knocked of her feet. Flames
ran up the sides Of the walls and ignited the
paper. After the fire had been extinguished
the body was discovered and hastily x
to the street.
Policeman Duncan Chisholm summoned
an ambulance, but when the body was
taken away in the auto asked that u hou
be sent. Upon going through the mouse
later he came across the injured persons IN
TO Roosevelt Hospital. Mrs. Lyman was
the most seriously burned, Her injuries
were about the face and head. and she
suffered the loss OF her hair; h cnlo
was burned about the right side OF IT'S lace;
Riley was burned about the hands ana
arms and LYMAN about the neck and chest.
According to Mrs. Lyman, Murden came
10 the house last Saturday and gave a name
which she did not remember. ne was
accompanied by a woman VINO. ne saio.
was his wife. Another woman called az
the house Yesterday afternoon and said
that she was Murden' g legal wife and wanted
10 see him. When Murden came in about
s O'Clock in the afternoon the h~ousekeeper
told him about it. That was the last seen
Of him up to the time of the explosion.
MurdPn DOuy was tOuhu eutppcA
Roth gas burners in the room were turned
wide open and a long rubber tube ton
netting with one was on the hoor Just
below the dead mans head. There was q
letter on the bureau addressed to Thomas
Hartrey, 53s-A Monroe street, Brooklyn.
All the letters in the dead mans effects
were addressed to Murden and had been
opened. Mrs. Lyman said that that was
the name the woman had given her as
Murden's right name.
The woman that had been living at the
Fiftieth street house with him, Mrs. Lyman
said. had not been seen since yesterday
morning She said that Murden seemed
to he in good spirits until informed that his
wife had called. Then he appeared to
grow downcast and left tho house with
out speaking.
Murden, she said. told her that he was
employed in the proofroom Of the american
and that he had formerly lived at 53sA
Monroe street.
A telephone message from the Office
Of the American said that Murden had
formerly been employed in the composing
room, but had not worked there lately