Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-15

WIfe's First Husband
The residents Of the quiet village OF Ja-
maica, L. l., were startled Wednesday
morning at the news Of horrible domestic
tragedy that occurred at the home Of John
kempel, barroom storekeeper in South
street, Tuesday night. About midnight
Tuesday the fire bells Of the village gave the
alarm, and firemen and villagers quickly re-
sponded. They soon ascertained that Kem-
pel's house was on fire. At this time the
lower portion of the house "a two-story
frame structure), was ablaze and burning
fercely. No person was to be seen about
the place, and it was at first thought that
Kempel, his wife and three children, the
two oldest, hattie and Joseph Flachaus,
eleven and seven years old respectively, by
former husband of the women, and an in
FAINT, six months old, were asleep in their
bedrooms in the second story.
Among the first to arrive on the spot were
William Carpenter and John Fitzgerald.
They ran down the alley to the west end Of
the house in order to procure ladder to
rescue the sleeping inmates. On reaching
the back stoop Carpenter was horrihed to
see the body OF Mrs. Kempel sitting In q
rocking chair with her skull crushed In and
her brains scattered on the chair and floor
of the stoop. The back of the chair was
broken as II from the blow of an axe. The
flames of the burning building lit up the
CHASTITY face of the dead woman. The body
was still warm, but life was extinct. Close
to her was the rocker in which she had been
sitting, and near her the baby In an uncon-
sci0us condition.
The men fastened to the barn, their way
lit up by the flames of the building, still
intent on finding a ladder. Fitzgerald ran
into the wagon shed and into q man, to
whom he shouted: "Tell me where can get
IL , LoI
when with dull thud the body swung back
against him with such force as to knock him
off his feet and at the same time drive all
thoughts of a ladder out of his head. He
looked up and was Mortified to find
that the body he had addressed was
that of Kempel, the proprietor of the
saloon. He called for help, and the
body was cut down, but, although It was a
trifle warm, life had fed, and all efforts to
resuscitste the murderer failed. A BIT Of
new hemp clothes line had sufficed to ter
inmate his miserable existence. This had
been put about his neck by the use of a slip
moose. A wheelbarrow stood near, and on
this he stood while he threw the other end
of the rope over bit of plank running
acrose the shed, and not over eight feet
from the ground. 1t was fastened carefully
and then Kempel stepped from the barrow
into eternity. When found, his feet were
barely two inches from the ground.
Coroner Wood was notified, and the two
bodies were removed to Everitt's morgue.
Both Kempel and his wife were fully
dressed, with the exception that Kempel
wore no shoes or coat. When the firemen
came up the flames had gained considerable
headway, but, by the dint of hard work and
steady perseverance, they were ere long
masters OF the situation. There were In
the house only the children of the dead
parents and q colored man, and these were
reused In time and saved.
Samuel Townsend, who occupied a room
In the Kempel house, says that before re-
firing he heard Kempel and his wife quar-
reling, but, as they spoke German, he could
not understand their conversation. He
soon fell asleep, and was only awakened by
the smoke. He lost what little property he
had. Townsend also informed the reporter
that the parties quarreled often; that only
two weeks since he, at midnight, went for
Judge Belts to draw Mrs. Kempel's will,
as she believed that she was then about
to die from injuries inflicted on her
by Kempel, but she refused to make COM
plant against him. Their chickering's were
always Ia reference to the property (Which
10 valued at about S., ,000) left TO Mrs. Kem-
pei by her first husband, John Flachaus.
From every indication 1t would seem that
Kempel, after numbering his wife as she sat
on the back stoop caring for her sick infant,
saturated the bar and shelving in the store,
then set fire to it, intending to burn the
house and its sleeping inmates, and, after
seeing that the fire was under good head
way, ran to the wagon shed and hanged
himself.
Two years ago Mrs. Kempel's first hus-
band, Flachaus, disappeared from his home,
and his body was found lying in a pool of
water near the Two Mile Millpond. His
skull was fractured and large stone was
tied to his neck. The Coroaer's jury found
a verdict that he came to his death by
drowning. 1t is the general belief now
that he was killed and thrown where found
by Kempel, who at the time was a frequent
visitor to the house. Afterward he began
to pay attention to the widow, and about
nine months ago married her. Both KEN
pei and his wife we're Germans, but have
been in this country from their childhood.