The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1877-11-20

Bottom Tragedy-Carl Strahl
ConNesses His Guilt and Dies
SieninGa Confession. he il Hang.
ed ct once-The Dreadful Scene
on Yesterday in the Woods-Two
Brutal and cowardly Murders
and Q Nameleos Crime.
The following is an account Of the
last act Of the terrible tragedy that
occurred in Columbia bottom. opposite
st. Louis. a week ago Yesterday.
Strahl killed Henry Goetz AMI his
wife, rifled the house Of clothing, took
their mules. wagon AMI heifer. fled
to st. Louis, when he disposed Of
Of them. The body If Mrs. Goetz
was found. Strahl was pursued and
arrested in ST. Louis, dressed i'm the
murdered mans clothes. lie was
taken back tn Illinois. and his confess
sion AMI subsequent lynch;ng BY the
Indignant people is thus related by the
st. Louis R,p"'a;u" Of Yesterday:
Strahl Wa: interviewed by several
parties at the calabOose. To- whom he
told different stories as 10 how he came
to do the killing. One time he said
Goetz was trying To shoot himself. and
in interfering e. prevent him he
tStrahl) accidently killed him. An
other was that Goctz tried 10 compel
him to 20 b Philip StumPf AMI make
amends for the theft oi the SD and u
pair Of lr,ot.. and he didn't want t.,
80 he shot him To- i,c rid "i' his impor-
tunitics. Another was that he and
Goeiz were in the house of the latter,
when Gvctz took his rifle ami tried to
compel him To go and apoloyizc iu
Stumpf, AMI he took the rifle AWAY
from Goeiz AMI ran. Getz pursued
him with a shotgun, and when he ;,nt
across the creek liz the cop.r. AMI
Goetz Wa on the other side, he lurnc,i
and told Goctz hc would shoot him If
he came further. Goetz turned IL run.
and he shot him through the hack Of
the head. Then he went over AID
found Goetz groaning. Then he
caught him bv the feet AMI dragged
him into the thick bushes and covered
him with leaves. Then he Went to
the house and told Mrs. Goetz that he
HAD KILLED HENRY.
Fearing she would tell on him, he hit
her with the axe. She made too much
noise; 81 he hit her again and quoted
her. lie dragged her into the cellar.
and left her there; still croaning. lie
was very closely questioned a- to
or not he had ravi>hed Mrs.
Goe.z. Al first he sionilv denied IL.
but after awhile lac WAS les positive
in his denial. ard finally. Ia DIR. 10
den and others, he made u half way ad-
mission that he did d. it. AMI that.
too, after the first blow had been given
with the axe. This, it may I've re-
As the only adequate explana-
ton Of the double murder.
Here Coroner Hilton took up the
thread again. Being informed that
Strahl had consented To show where
the body of Goetz was. he went out to
the bottom about ten o'clock yesterday
He found that a crowd had
preceded him with the prisoner and
had found the body. He at once pro-
ceeded to hold an inquest, and took
only the testimony Of Strahl, which
was rs follows:
srIAHL's TESTIMONY.
The murder was committed BY me
On Sunday, November 4, while out
hunting with him. Goctz asked me
to 60 to Philip Stumpf, to account for
The money that | had stolen from him.
ran of with Goetz' rifle through the
woods. He followed me up To the
creek with his shotgun. when l told
him if he did not stand back l would
,hOot him. He turned around AMI /
hot him in the head. After shooting
him | pulled him through the WOODS
mi tried To conceal the body. then
vent back To my >hanty. but did mol
20 in. | then went back to Goeiz house
md told Mrs. Goctz' that had sho,
,er husband. She ordered me out Of
he house. I then took the axe from
he woolpile and struck her on the
,ead. She was standing in the door
It the time. struck her the second
lime with the axe OH account Of her
;ries. then took her by the arm
lnd foot and threw her into the cellar.
She groaned after / struck her the
asst time. | killed her because !
cared she would tell on me. / then
ook Goetz' trunk. rifle, wagon. mules.
md one heifer. then went to Ca
with the team and sold the
refer to a butcher named klock for
~. After that went to st. Louis
nd tried to sell the team. / sold the |
cam and was arrested, but was re-
eased on the payment Of % commits |
ion to the sale stable. | then sold !!
he team to Isaac Meier for $40. ! |
,ot s25 down. | left that money with |.
man by the name Of Patcr. I kept |
i've dollars back out Of the twenty
i've. | am 81 years old. anu come
rom Bu'gan. Canton Argan. Swiizer-
and. ! have been two years in thi.
ountry. Mr.. Goetz never gave me
ause TO hurt him, and would not
ave injured him had he not wanted
ne to 60 to =. Stumpf. ! killed him ut 5
clock p. m. Oh Sunday, and his wife
etween 6 and o'clock the same
vening.
This was signed in a clear, bold
and. which showed that Strahl wa
to use the pen. In fact.
e gave many evidences Of q good cd