The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-07-11
THE OSKALOOSA HERALD.
Thursday, July i, 1872.
From Burlington Hawkeye.l
liioA uiiihS boh iAa"hSJS'I
THE WEST POINT TRAGEDY.

THE MURDER OF MRS. WAHRER-A
HISTORY OF THE FAMILY-A TER.
RIBLE ENDING To LONG CAREER
OF DOMESTIC INFIDELITY AND inf
CILITY-DR. WAHRER THoUGHT TO
BE THE REAL MURDERER-HE AND
HIS HoUsEKEEPER ARRESTED, ETC
ETC.
From all iterview with two or three
resldentsof W est Point, We learn full
particulars OF the murder of Mrs.
w ahrer, III" wife of DIR. Wahr,r, Of
that plavr, together with some ac-
count Oh III" previous history "t thr
family
DIR. Wahtvr caIle from Germany
and settled aL West Point, Lee Couu
W, 1T arly a quarter OF century ago,
bringing with him the victim of Sun
days tragedy. She was not then his
wife but was, in fact, the wife Of an
other in Germany, whom she had
forsaken to follow the fortunes of DIR.
w. Though living together as man
aud wife, and having several chill
dren, they were not formally par
ried until they had been here quite Il
number Of years. As might have
been expected, their cO-partnership
being IN crime, was never happy
one. Mrs Wahrer was large and
vigorous woman, of decided temper,
and ready 20 take her own part. DR..
Wahrer is quick tempered, passion
ate, and given TO strong drink. Family
broils were the frequent occurrence.
Sometimes, it is said, the wife was
terribly beaten; and again, he would
drag her through the yard Ey the
hair of the mead.
This STATE of affairs, of course,
could not last always. The two al
der children who are girls, took their
mothers part, and they several
years ago, were sent away from
home. The boys, of whom there
are three, were taught by lhe faith r
to belive that all the fault was on the
mothers side, aud to regard her with
aversion. Several temporary separ-
atoms have taken place between the
doctor and his wife, and for some
time past he has been trying to get a
divorce, but TO this Mrs. w. would
not consent unless he would give her
the property OF which they had con-
siderable amount. He would not do
this, and she would not permit him
TO have a divorce without. Sometime
last fall or winter he brought anOth
err woman into the family, a Miss or
Mrs. King, recent y from Germany,
and installed her as his hOusekeeper,
Mis-. w. having accepted employ
n.ent AT the State Reform School,
which * situated only few miles
from West Point.
4 SO ago, II L. said, he D"ct"r
&"Ir It," thaI lac Was going TO, Ne"
York a'h, apparently at least,
lett h"!ir Towards the latter part
Of the week the boys went over to
the Reform School and persuaded
their mother to come over and visit
them during their fathers absence.
She went. and was about to return
on Saturday, when the boys coaxed
her to remain until the next day when
they would take her home. She was
pleased with the unusual kindness of
the boys and consented to do so.
The oldest of the boys is about six
teen years old, and small of his age.
The other two are still younger.
Sunday evening the inhabitants of
the village of West Point were
startled with the news of Mrs. Wah-
rer's murder. Her body was found
in the barn covered with a horse
blanket. 1t bore the marks of five
severe stabs or cuts. The right
and left jugular veins were both cut.
There was also a stab in the back
of the neck, apparently aimed at and
did reach the spinal cord. There
was still another in the left breast,
going into or near the heart. And
still another in the right brrast-tive
in all, and any one OF which it is
thought would have pro .uced death.
The boys first told of the tragedy,
and the younger of the two oldest,
now under arrest, went to TT. Madi-
son and telegraphed to his father at
Keokuk to come home, that one of
the children was sick. The boys
have told various stories about the
death of their mother. The first
one was that they had killed her in
self-defense that she wanted the
keys of the wardrobe and the money
drawer, and threatened Cat five
O'Clock SuundGy morning( to Kill
them with a butcher knife If they
did not give them to her, and there,
upon they ran into their fathers
surgical office and got some Of his
knives, and following their
mother, stabbed her to death. AT
forwards tn y told different story.
They said that mother had to
bekilled, and that they thought
that they had better do it than that
their father should. That they were
so young that they would not be
punished rluch, even if they were
found out, 1t was evident that
the boys was telling fixed up-story,
and very little confidence was put
in what they said. ... ..-
On Monday evening DIR. W. came
home. The first thing that he did
was to order everybody out of the
house and yard. Some neighboring
women who were there were fright
ened away. The men-not going
quite so quickl as tie DIR. wished,
he fell upon one OF them with his
cane. The man thus attacked
the Dr. down. giving him Il
pretty severe blow with brickbat.
Later in The evening, some 200 per-