Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-30
YOUTH WHO SHOT
FOUR SAID TO BE MAD
MAJOR HUNTINGToN's HOME is
SCENE OF TRAGEDY
Young Man Fires at Brothers and Sis
ters While All Had Gathered
at Deathbed of Their
Father

BY Associated Press.
VERSAILLES, July 29.-Grief and sor-
row reign today in the residence near
Neptune Park of the stricken Hunting
ton family, where last night Henry Hunt
ington, son of Major Douglas ST. George
Huntington, shot down two sisters and
two brothers at the moment the mem
bers of the family had gathered around
the deathbed Of the father.
Major Huntington died late this after
noon. The condition of Elizabeth and AL
sono Huntington is today declared to be
desperate, although not hopeless. The
wounds inflicted upon Edith and Doug
las Huntington are not serious.
Mrs Huntington, their mother, is COM
pletely Frustrated from shock and con-
fined to her bed A few blocks away
Henry, who is regarded by his family
and friends as demented, is In jail. He
is dazed and confused and hardly real
ICES the terrible thing he has done.
Major Huntington is one of the best
known Americans in Paris. He and his
family have long taken prominent part
in the social and official gayety of the
French capital. Once he lived in Chi
cago, where he was an associate of those
prominent in army and business cir
cles. In Paris he became well known for
his after dinner speeches at the Amer
lean club, where he was one of the or
ganizers and recently the president.
The following correct account of the
occurrence last night was obtained to-
day:
Henry, the youngest son of Major
Huntington, has been considered unbal-
anced mentally for years. He had
mania that he had solved the science of
curing disease and constantly concocted
the most preposterous remedies.
No Family Estraneement
His father. having found it impossible
to control him, gave him an allowance
and permitted him to go his way. Henry
has lived in Versailles, where some time
ago he married the daughter of doc
tor There was no family estrangement.
When Henry arrived yesterday in re-
Spouse to a message he intruded into
the bedroom of his parent mumbling
about his father not receiving proper
treatment. He did not kneel at the bed
side and ask for forgiveness, as has been
reported, but he began interrogating Ma
ior Huntington. When his father, whose
mind was wandering, replied incoherent-
ly Henry turned abruptly to the family
and said angrily, Don't you see that you
are killing him?"
Henry at once became more exclted.
The family tried to persuade him to go
into the drawing room and talk the
question over there. He refused and in
sisted the only way to cure his father
was to administer the blood of dog
mixed with sea water, remedy which
he had invented.
firing of his persistence, his brother
Douglas finally opened the door and
said:
"I am the oldest and I ask you to
leave and not return
Edith Huntington also asked her broth
er to depart and create no disturbance.
They pushed Henry toward the door.
Suddenly he drew a revolver and fired
one shot each at his brothers and sis
ters.
In the meantime one of the guards of
the Versailles Park, who happened to be
in the kitchen downstairs, accompanied
by the household servants, rusnLI to the
room and wrenched the revolver from
the hands of the madman.
When interrogated by the examining
magistrate Henry Huntington admitted
the shooting. He declared his acts were
an outcome of family troubles and he
manifested no repentance for them.
According to the police Henry Hunt
ington, the son who is now In jail, at
tempted suicide in his cell with a silk
neck and fastened to the bars, seeking
to strangle himself slowly by means of a
tournequet. The jailer, who had been
instructed to watch the prisoner closely,
detected the act in time to prevent seri-
Gus results and it was announced that
Henry had not succeeded in injuring him
self