Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-02-22
HnrrihIe TRAGEDY.

CHICAGO, reDruhrJ - N sPeSi0'
from Minneapolis, Minnesota, gives an
account of horrible tragedy enacted
in the little town of Wasica. A German
woman named Mrs. Buser was last week
brought before the Grand Jury on the
charge of adultery. She had for two
years been living with man not her
husband by the name of Ruff, but the
the Jury were unable to indict her. This
morning it was reported that the house
in which they had lived in was locked
and that Ruff could be seen from the
window lying on his face near the bed,
and that bleod was plainly visible on
the side of the bed, but nothing could be
seen or heard of the woman or her child.
The coroner was Immediately notified,
who proceeded to the scene, broke open
the door and then the terrible scene pre-
scented himself. Ruff was lying on the
floor, with his face down, in a pool OF
blood, with his throat cut, and upon a
bed near him lay Mrs. Buser, with her
head almost literally cut from the body,
the cash extending to the right shoulder,
and so far mutilatiHg the joints as to ex-
pose the entire surface Of the bone. In
her left arm lay the little girl Annie,
only two years old, with her throat cut.
On the body of the woman lay the hor-
rid butcher knife that did the work.
Upon the door, written in German, was
an expression of regret that the other
daughter, Minnie, who was at school,
could not go with her, and stated that
she waited till twelve o'clock. The lit.
tie girl came from school at four o clock,
but was unable to gain admittance, and
went away. Upon the table we're sew
eral statements in writing, made partly
by herself and partly by Ruff, intended
to explain this terrible affair. One OF
them was as as follows:
Let nobody charge this deed to Ruff.
John Dedrick and Alex Buser drove
him TO it. follow him cheerfully, and
thereby the world shall see that our afec-
ton was sincere.
[Signedl ANNIE RIrTER.
His statement was as follows.
Alex Buser and John Dedrick are the
murderers of dear Annie. She was
ready to die, and swore would follow
her God will judge, and the world viii
set it right
Signed A. RUFF.
The woman seems to have dressed
herself for the deed. She wore her
night clothes, all perfectly clean and
white, excepting where they were satu-
rated with blood. Evidence showed that
Rufkilled the child FIRST, then the mother,
himself standing by the side of the bed,
and they dying upon it. He wore no
boets; his stockings being saturated
with blood left marks all over the room
and outside the door. he seems then
70 nave DOTTED the door and nave gotten
into bed with the murdered woman and
child, for the foot of the bed was bloody
from his feet. he seems then to have
arranged her clothes decently and put
the child, as if sWeetly sleeping, on the
woman's left arm, and then cut bis own
throat In his death struggle he must
have rolled from the bed and struck
upon his face. in which position he died.
Her face wore the look of a broken
hearted woman who had lived sad and
eomfortless life. The child was sweet
faced babe, all dressed for burial. It's
little bosom was red with blood to the
waist and the hands convulsively elasped
as in the agonies Of death.