Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-27
THE KNIFE.
Full: Particulars OF the Washington
County Tragedy.
SENSATIONAL STORY OF CRIME.
A Nan Attempts TO Murder His Wife,
and Kills Il Young Man.
THE WRETCH SHOTBY AN OFFICER.
An Extraordinary Story-The Murderer
Sorry He Did Not Kill His Wife.
saltwater Sun, Oct. 25.

Saltwater Sun, Oct. 25.
Intelligence was received here early this
morning of terrible tragedy and horri
BILE attempt at wholesale butchery in the
town OF Grant, the murderer being Fred
Klingbeil, a man we'll known in this sec
ton. As soon as practicable, after learning
of the murder, Sun reporter set out for
the scene of the crime. The place was
found to be in Grant township, eight miles
from Saltwater and about one mile north
of the new school house in what is known
as the Pffner settlement. 1t is also about
One-fourth of mile north of Pine Tree
lake. The house in which the
MIDNIGHT BUTCHER
did his work. lies off the beaten road on a
bare knoll. The dwelling is rough. one
story building sixteen by twenty-four feet
and has one door, facing the south. AS
the reporter drew near the house, there
were no signs of life visible, nothing what
ever in exterior appearances to indicate
the sickening sight inside.
The dwelling is occupied by an aged
German named Waggoner, and his wife
Louisa. With them of late has been living
Mrs. Klingbeil, her four children and Will
liam Marchinski, grandson Of Mrs. Wag-
goner. The first step inside the door
brought to sight CHASTITY scene,
which perhaps can be best
understood in connection with
description of the general arrangement
and plan of the interior of the dwelling,
Tie one door opens directly into low
cherries room, 14x16, scantily furnished.
III the southeast corner, with its head
towards the south wall, stands a bed.
Another bed occupies the southwest cor
ner, with its head against the west wall, so
that the two beds stand at right angles to
mentioned and near the head of the first,
is window looking south, also one on
the opposite side, looking north. On the
west side of the room runs a partition be-
yond which is the only remaining room,
an apartment 8x16 feet and containing
bed occupied by the old people. This
room is reached through a door at the
north end of the partition, and near the
outside door. AS the reporter entered, old
Mrs. Waggoner was lying in the large
room, in one of the beds, moaning, Sob
bling and writhing with anguish. Her hus-
band sat mutely on the bed beside her.
On the other bed, with her head bloodily
bandaged, blood-soaked wrapping about
her left arm, and her bare bosom marked
with five OR six slashes of the murderer's
knife. lay Mrs. Klingbeil. The younger
children stood about as if awe stricken.
The floor was blotched and smeared with
blood, especially near the north window,
where the evidences of bloody struggle
were all too apparent. Most horrible of
all. however, was the appalling sight pre-
scented by the smaller room. The door
case leading to it was splashed with blood.
The floor, from end to end, was covered
with blood as though it had been blood
painted with mop.
On the bed at the southern extremity of
the room lay the murdered body of Will
liam Marchinski. From his deathly wound
the blood had trickled for hours, and form
ed about the bed large pools of blood,
from which the red rivulets crept slowly
over the floor. The body lay uncared for,
just as he had died. There was dried blood
on his hands and his shirt and drawers
were soaked with blood. Blood everywhere.
In the boys left side, just below the ribs,
was butchers cut, extending horizontally
probably five inches. This was a CHASTITY
and gaping wound from which the liver
protruded, and into which this devil
of murderer had apparently plunged
his knife TO the hilt. As has been init
mated above, no neighbor had yet appear
ed, only the officers Of the law and doc
tor, and so ell the terrible effects of the
murderer's work we're still plain and the
blood not washed away nor the dead body
decently attended to nor composed.
The immediate circumstances of the
murder are as follows, and as taken from
Mrs. Klingbeirs lips: She and two daugh-
tiers slept last night in the bed whose head
faced the wall; her sons, Edward and
Marachinski, both of whom had come home
late from Saltwater, occupied the other
bed with the three little girls. Old Mr.. and
Mrs. Klingbeil had feared some assault
from her husband, and before retiring,au
closed the outside shutters. About 1890
o'clock she was awakened by noise at the
south window near the head of her bed and
saw her husband crawling through the
window. He was at her bedside at once,
and without saying word, seized the bed
clothes and attempted to pull them from
over her breast. She saw the CLEAN of a
large butcher knife and cried: 'Doa't kill
me Fred, for Gods sake" His answer was
blow with the knife blade on the left
temple. Then, while holding her, he
reached over her for the children and
stabbed wildly here and there in an en-
deavor to reach them. His desperate
endeavors are shown by the numerous
cuts in the bed clothing. In the darkness,
his blows missed the children, and then
came the awful struggle between himself
and wife. She seized him and both Crap
pied. He dragged her from the bed and
She shrieked for help. They struggled des
perately across the room, he slashing right
and left and she protecting herself as best
she could with the bed clothing which she
had dragged with her. Only one of the
shutters of the window had been opened
and the moon sent streak of dim liuht