The Shasta courier., 1858-04-24
A HORRIBLE AFFAIR!
TWO MEN MUnDERED.,

John A. Feldbusch, German and Louis, an
Italian, were murdered in most Shocking man
ner near Whiskytown.
tisement in another column, q number of our
citizens have subscribed the sum of $500, which
they offer for the arrest of the perpetrators of
this foul deed, or for such information as may
lead to their arrest.
The following embraces all of the facts elicit
ed upon the investigation before the Corousr's
jury:
The deceased were miners, and working a
claim ON the road from Shasta to Weaverville,
about mile beyond Whiskytown. They worked
together M their claim on Saturday, the l7th
They were hast seen together about o'clock in
the evening, cleaning up the sluice boxes. Mon
day morning one of the Clear Creek Ditch
agents called at their cabin, which is adjoining
the claim and close to the road, for a settlement
He found in the cabin the dead body of Field
busch. Justice Shed held an inquest on the
body in the afternoon, and post-mortem ex-
animation was made by DIR. Pelham. He was
found to be horribly bruised and cut up, with
many stabs, evidently made in q hurry and at
close quarters, and not effective-indicating a
violent and protracted struggle for life.
There were two large pools of blood in the
cabin, and considerable amount of blood out
side, about thirty feet from the door, The de-
ceased, when found, lay on his face under some
of the bed clothes. There were plain marks on
the door sill and ground of his having been
dragged into the cabin. There were five or six
marks of his having been stabbed with knife,
with an effort to enter the cerrical region in
front of the collar bone on the left side, but they
were all too high or too far back to enter. 1t
appears as if the next effort was made lower
down, to get into the hollow, there appearing
three heavy stabs between the lower points OF
the shoulder blades, striking the back bone and
not entering the hollow. The next effort ap-
pears to have been made little lower down
and forward, making two light stabs against the
rib bone, and the third entering deep into the
lungs. This wound was made by a knife about
an inch in the blade and ten or twelve inches
long. His skullwa cleaved with an axe, which
penetrated the brain the size of the blade of the
axe, from about one and half to two inches
deep. His face was also bruised as if struck
with the fist. A Bowie knife was found on the
floor In the cabin, bloody, and the scabbard lay.
ing on the table with no traces of blood on it.
The testimony of the Physician was, that the
axe wound would occasion instant DEATH and
that the knife wound would occasion death in
an hour or so. Verdict of the Jury was, thai
the deceased came to his death from the effect;
of blow on the head with an axe, and a stab
in the chest with knife, inflicted by person
or persons to them unknown.
On Tuesday evening following, the dead body
of Louis was found about half mile from theil
cabin, in an out Of tho way place, but with nc
appearance Of having been placed there for con.
cealment. An inquest was held Oh his body
"Wednesday morning, by Justice She'd and &
Ir,<,C A. Iy
clan. The same class of knife wounds were
found on him as appeared on Feidbaseh, and in
almost the same places and about the same
number, but with better success 1t appear,
that Of five efforts in thssegjon Of the meek, ons
entered; and of two efforts Between the 1owel
points of the shoulder blades, one entered and
of three efforts under the psint of the left shoul
der blade, two entered.
All those wounds that entered wosId pfoyfuc,
death. There was also bad wound entering
just under the lower jaw the left side, and
about half distant from the ear to the chin
passing under and behind, and tosching the
larynx, thence running upwards and passing ou
above and a little behind the left ear. The
wound appeared to have been made by a ball
of the size of eighty to the pound, and with
great force, as if from a rifled bore. 1t touched
no part in its course that would produce imme.
date death, and was not likely to have stunned
OF disabled instantly. His face was also very
much bruised. There was the same general ap.
pearaTcs Of a hard struggle at close quarters
and many light knife wounds. The body hat
the appearance, when found, of having beer
thrown violently down, one leg being doubled
up under, and one arm laying out at full length
There were two rocks, of good size, laying OF
this arm as if they had been thrown against the
face, and then rolled on to the arm. These rocks
! w hl0o1v Thirty orE Ecrfv faat a.
body, there was the appearance of struggle
there having been found considerable blood, g
portion Of deceased's shirt, bloody, and his ha,
partially covered with rocks and = little water
The piece of shirt fit precisely that part
of the shirt upon his body-the portion on the
body being perfectly saturated with blood, and
the piece having none at all on it. There were
traces of blood from this point to the body
There were no traces of blood found between
this place and the cabin. The body was acci.
dentally found by a packer, in berding his mules
and although it was completely out of the way,
being in an open place. the body could be seen
some distance. The only effort at concealment
so far as appearances indicated, was in the ef-
fort to hide the hat.
There are evidences of unusual brutality in
these murders, and much more was done than
was apparently necessary, and some of it was
after death.
There were no facts nor chain of circumstan-
ces elected in the investigation that throw any
light on the transaction. 1t is all involved in
mystery. The deed was doubtless done for rob-
berry, as the cabin was plundered.
The deceased were supposed to have money
and 1t was known that their claim had paid well
for some time.
1t is supposed that Louis was killed nea,
whess the body was found, and that be bad gone
there to shut the water off from the ditch at the
close Of work on Saturday evening. At ali
events the water was shut of, and If he did moi
do it, it is not known who did. The BODY was
found about two hundred yards beyond thit
point.
But, on the other hand, there was more blood
about the cabin than should have been there
from the death of Feldbusch; and at or nea,
where Louis was found, there was but little
blood, and yet his body had been almost COM
| pletely drained of blood. And just SO with ev.
cry other effort at conjecture in every instance
there are some facts or circumstances that mill.
tate against a reasonable conclusion.
| Fe}dbusch was German, from near Bremen
and from his papers was supposed to be named
John A. Louis was an Italian.
There was little less than eight ounces o.
gold dust found on the body of Feldbusch.-
Louis pockets were rified. Two revolvers wert
missing from the cabin. Provisions and MINING
tools net taken.
The verdict of the Jury was that the deceased
came to his death from the effects Of a gun sho,
wound, and knife stabs in the chest inflicted h,
some person or persons to them snknown.
The deceased had expressed themselves as