The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-17

dreadful deed of blood had been committed.
The stable showed signs OF a desperate con-
hict, being splashsd with gore, while a
sI~x-PRoNGED PIrcHFoRK es,
standing against its side was smeared with
blood and hair, as was a broom and a large
stick near By. Traces of blood were found
leading from the stable to the door of the
boiler-room. a distance of over one hundred
feet, and upon examination these traces
we're foun1 to lead directly to the door of
the gas chamber of the furnace. The horror
struck men stood appalled, for a moment as
the realization of their worst fears burst
upon them, and then spread the news with
all the speed possible. Messengers were dis
patched to the Oliver street station house,
and Lieut.. Bierbaum arrived on the scene
about half past s o'clock, accompanied by
Officer Knoeppe. 1t did not take them long
to determine that the BODY OF the
murdered man had been thrown in
to the furnace, and, aided by the
spectators who had gathered to the scene by
hundreds, they dampened the fire with
water and then fished for the remains.
These were found to consist of the head and
a portion of the trunk and intestines, burned
to a crisp and beyond recognition. Suspi-
cion at once fell upon the Egners, from the
fact that the gate Ina the fence between the
tannery and their yard was wide open when
W~estenbrOck and Hollerbach entered the
premises. They were at once arrested and
aiken to the Oliver street station house.
where a charge of suspicion of murder was
placed against their names. Coroner Maley
was notified and responded promptly to the
call. A reporter visited the establishment
lev, and examined all so far discovered of
Herman Schilling's charred corpse. The
hideous mass of reeking cinders, despite all
the efforts of the brutal murderers to hide
their gnastly crime, remain sufficiently in
tact TO bear frightful witness against them.
On lifting the coffin lid a powerful and pen
Grating odor, strongly resembling the
smell of burnt beef, yet heavier and fOuler,
filled the room and almost sickened the
spectators. But the sight of the black re-
mains was far more sickening. Laid upon
the clean white lining of the coffin, they
rather resembled great shapeless Jumps OF
half burnt bituminous coal than aught
else, at the first hurried glance; and only a
closer investigation could enable a strong
stomached observer to detect their CHASTITY
character-masses of crumbling human
bones, strung together by half burnt
sinews, or glued one upon another by a
hideous adhesion of half molten flesh,
boiled brains and jellied blood mingled with
coal. The
o HAD BURST LIKE A SHELL
in the fierce furnace heat; and the whole
upper portion seemed as though it had been
blown out by the steam from the boiling
and bubbliug brains. Only the posterior
portion of the occipital and parietal bones,
the inferior and superior maxillary, and
some of the face-bones re~mained-the upper
portion of the skull bones being Jagged
burnt brown in some spots, and in others
charred to black ashes. The brain had all
boiled away, save a small wasted lump at
the base of the skull about the size of a
lemon. It was crisped and still warm to the
touch. On pushing the finger through the
crisp, the interior felt about the consistency
of banana fruit, and the yellow fbers
seemed to writhe Ike worms in the coro.
ner's hands. The eyes were cooked to bub-
bled crisps in the blackened sockets, and
the bones of the nose were gone, leaving a
hideous hole. m'
There is a horrible probability tina the
wretched victim was forced into the furnace
alive, and suffered all the agonies OF the
bitterest death which man can die, while
wedged in the flaming flue. His teeth were
SO terribly clenched that more than che
spectator OF the hideOus skull declared that
only the most frightiul agony could nave
set those Jaws together. Immediately after
the arrest of the Egners, the police got news
that a man named George Rufer, who had
been employed in the tannery had been dis
emerged Saturday evening, and that he had
blamed Schilling for his dismissal. Search
was made for him at his residence, No. 90
Logan street, but he had gone out, and his
wife, in response to questions, at first stated
that he had not left the house after supper
Afterwards she convicted herself, saying
that he had gone to Spring street, to &
friends house, in company with her, anC
that he had retired at 10 o'clock. About
. s---
fresh search for Rufer. Before he reached his
residences, however. he found him on hi:
way to the station house, he having beer
arrested by officers Paulus and Kuoeppe a
the corner of Logan and Findlay
streets. When taken to the station
house he was confronted by. Col. Kiersted
who ordered him to be stripped and ex
amined. His face was scratched and con
fused in a terrible manner, and presente'
every appearance of his having been en-
f gagged in a fearful and prolonged struggle
He appeared cool and collected, consideriDI
the fearful nature of the suspicion agains
!, him. His clothing did not present IN,
traces OF blood until he had removed hi
pantalooDs; then the knees of his drawer
were found stifened with gore. He quicki
exclaimed: THAT is blood from the hides
! handled" A govt of blood was also foun
on the breast of his undershirt.
HIS STORY
/, was told partly in broken English an
. partly in German, and was substantially a
follows: "Last Saturday night Mr.. Frei
/ berg told me that work was slack, and ths
, he would a to let me go for a few days
. Well, after supper took my little child an
l went down to Mr.. Egner's, and / had
| glass of beer, and then 1 paid Mr.. Egner m
beer bill. After / had had a couple of NOR
beers, about 0 o'clock, i took my chill
3 and started home. l stopped at a fran
grocery at the corner of Logan and Findla
/, and took a couple of glasses more
) beer and one of wine, and then l wen
: to bed. Sunday morning 1 got up abou
o'clock, and after breakfast
I started to walk to Columbia to see tn
I superintendent of a furniture factory ther
about getting a job of work. 1 could no
3 find the SUPERINTENDENT. as two men toll