Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-05
Millionaire Starch King
and Civil War Hero
Shot to Death While
He Is Asleep.
SLAYER, BELIEVED INSANE,
is GUARDED IN HIS CELL
Calls Police to Home in Brook
: lyn After Committing Deed
and Gives Himself Up-De-
clares He Meant to End His
Own Life.
Especial to. the Evening star.I

NEW YORK, May 5.-General
Hiram Duryea, Civil War veteran
and wealthy starch manufactures,
was shot to death early today as he
slept in his house, 120 Eighty-fifth
street, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. by his
son. Chester B. Duryea. Seven shots
were fired into the aged mans body,
some from an automatic revolver and
others from a high powered rifle.
Any one of the wounds inflicted
would have caused death.
After several hours investigation
the police had been unable to learn
any motive for the shooting and are
inclined to believe that young Dur
yea may have become suddenly in
sane.
General Duryea was eighty-one
yeaurs old. His son is forty-three.
+, Son Gives Himself Up.
The shooting occurred at 2 a. m.
Young Duryea had been in the house
for several hours during the day, ac-
cording to servants. General Duryea
returned about midnight. The son
remained in the library. After the
shooting he summoned the police and
gave himself up. He is now pris-
oner in the Fort Hamilton police
station.
DIR. Grabin, ambulance surgeon of
the Norwegian Hospital, declared he
was undoubtedly insane.
1t was shortly after 2 o'clock that
Police Sergeant Fitzgerald, of the
Fort Hamilton station, answered the
telephone to hear a voice say.
please send assistance. There has
been an accident" +
Leads Detectives to Body.
The voice since identified as Dur
yeas then gave the name and adj
dress. When Detectives Lake and
Henne arrived young Duryea ad-
mitted that to the police. He was
clad only in his pajamas and had a
bathrobe over his shoulder. There
was blood on his hands.
my father has been shot," the de-
tectiyes said Duryea announced. He
then led the detectives to an outdoor
sleeping pavilion. Detective Lake
stumbled over something and on
turning on the lights found 1t was
the body of the general. The body
was lying face downward on the floor
near the bed. The two weapons used
in the killing were nearby. Two shots
had been fired from the automatic re-
volver and five shots from the other
weapon.
An ambulance was summoned and
after the body of the general was re-
moved the younger man was ques-
toned.
1--WE had a little trouble" the de-
tectives said Duryea told them. He
began mumbling and complained of
being faint. He was given a glass of
water and resumed mumbling to him
self.
sT'm Justified" Says Son.
'Im justified in what I have done, y
he declared. 1T was right that
should do it. People will know 1 did
it."
The detectives said young Duryea
would be quiet for time and then
would declare Historically;
People will know it. But I'm
right. I'm one of those second sons.
The police do not know what he
meant by the latter remark. w..
Chester Duryea's marriage to Marie
Smith, daughter of Franklin Waldo
Smith, of Boston, in 1898, and their
divorce in 1902 attracted wide atten-
ton Mrs. Duryea charged that do
mestic trouble started on their honey
moon, when her husband displayed
violent bursts of temper. General
Duryea appeared as a witness and
| denied other allegations of his daugh-
ter-in-law, but she won her suit.
General Duryea was of a distin-
guished family and won fame as a
soldier. He organized the Fifth New
York Volunteers. His regiment in the
Union Army was known as Duryea's
Zouayes.