New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-16
A MYSTERIOUS MURDER.
Store Broken Into and Afterward
Burned-The Till Robbed and the Store
keeper Brutally Murdered-His Body
Missing.
From the st. James. Sentinel.I

Burned-The Till Robbed and the Store
keeper BrutalIy Murdered-His Body
Kissing.
From the ST. James SentnelI
On Thursday morning last our commu-
nifty was thrown into excitement by the re-
port that the little store which stands on
the levee in front of Madam Welhams
place, some four miles below here, had been
burned to the ground, and NO trace could
be found of the young man who was in the
habit of sleeping in the store. This report
proved to be correct.
The store i'll question, we are informed,
was the property of Mr.. Chopin, overseer
of the Welham plantation, and was doing
good business, several hundred dollars in
gold having been received from Chinese la
borers in exchange for goods but few days
previous. The building was situated some
distance from any habltatiOn, and was
guarded at night by young man, whose
name we have not been able to ascertain
brother-in-law of DR.. c. Beard, of New Or
leans.
Circumstances indicate that the store was
broken into between the hour of midnight
and four o'clock in the morning, as one of
the coast steamers landed short distance
from it about midnight, and it was un-
harmed then. Among the ruins, next morn
ing, were found two shotguns which the
young man who slept there was known to
have kept near his bed, and one of them
was cooked giving rise to the theory that
he was awakened by the noise caused in
breaking into the store, and had seized and
cooked the gun, but was assaulted and over
powered before he could use it.
What wraps the affair in the greater mys-
terry is the fact that no trace can be found
of the body of the murdered man flor there
appears to be no reasonable doubt that he
hat nf
fOundland dog that was kept in the store.
The most likely theory is that the perpe-
traitors of this terrible deed sank the bodies
of both man and dog in the river, it being
improbable that they would be so entirely
consumed by the fire, if left in the store, as
10 leave no trace whatever.
1t is said that an oyster boat was lying at
the levee near the store the night of the oc-
currence, and it seems very strange to lis
that the men ON it were not arrested and
examined next morning, as it is somewhat
improbable that they should be so near and
yet know nothing of the occurrence-the
more so that there was some gnnpOwder in
the store, the explosion of which must have
made considerable noise, even supposing
that the man and dog were overcome in
silence. OF course there are no direct cir
cumstanees to implicate the men on this
boat, but in a case like this, no stone should
villains who have committed this outrage.
A rumor was atioat yesterday evening
that the body of the young man had been
found III the river, two miles below the
scene of the probable murder, but just be-
fore going to press we learn that the report
is untrue.
1t is rumored this morning that some
goods supposed to be stolen from the store,
were found in the laborers' quarters, but so
WI, nd I,nt,,r
ports are circulating that we scarcely know
when to believe and when to discredit.
DR.. Beard came up from New Orleans last
night, and we are told that he will prose-
cute vigorous investigation, for the pur-
pose of ferreting out the villains who have
apparently murdered his unfortunate rela-
tive.
The Times of yesterday morning reports
the case as follows:
At twelve o'clock on the night of the
tenth instant, Mr.. Frank Menteath, a clerk
employed in the store of Mr.. Chopin, on
Mrs. K. ID. Welham's Homestead planta-
ton, two miles below College Point, in the
parish of St. James, was murdered by un-
known miscreants, and the store was burned
to the ground. Two special officers, at the
request of the relatives of the deceased, Wis
tied the scene, and returned to the city last
formation TO enable them to trace up the
murderers, but as there have as yet been no
arrests we omit, for obvious reasons, the
particulars of their discovery. Nothing un-
usual had transpired on the day previous to
the murder.
Mr.. Menteath, in the morning, sent one
hundred dollars to Mr.. Chopin, to be re-
mitted to the city, and paid one hundred
dollars taxes. He was seen about as usual
during the entire day, and at ten o'clock in
the evening the Overseer of the plantation
called in and remained a short time. At
twelve o'clock the place was discovered to
be in flames, the fire bursting out through
the front The steamer Flicker, which was
passing at the time, rang the alarm, and the
neighborhOod was at once aroused. The
building was consumed, and after the first
confusion was over Mr.. Menteath could not
be found.
When an investigation was made, it was
discovered that no one had seen him during
the progress of the fire. Thirty eight dol
lars in gold and two silver watches were
found under his bed and the waistband of
the trowsers he wore the night before were
discovered short distance from the ruins.
1t is believed that just before the fire party
called at the store, and that while Mr.. Men
teath was getting over the counter to let
them in, he was struck with a blunt instru-
ment and either stunned or killed. His body,
it is thought, was then thrown into the river
and the place was fired to prevent suspicion.
A reward of five hundred dollars is offered
for the apprehension of the murderers, and
as before stated, it is thought all will be ap-
pretended. The property is insured for tif-
teen hundred dollars, but the loss will ex-
ceed this thousand dollars at least.