The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-23
THE CHICAGO DAILY.
Another Blood -Ourdling Story from
the Garden City.
The Brutal Beating of a Wife Un.
earths a Horrible Murder.
How Edward Vermula KilleaRHis
Ten Near-Old step-son and Cen
cealed the Crime

CHICAGO, June 22.-Edward Verrnula, an
ignorant Bohemian, and who is now dohbly
murderer with hands and soul stained with
the blood of his little son and his poor wife.
hes In the Hyde Park Jail, if the enraged
people have not taken him to the nearest tree
and wreaked terrible vengeance. The
story of Vermula's crimes are sickening in
the extreme He resided with his wife and
little child on Ninety fifth street, near Miehi-
gan avenue, and was employed as a mm-
ber-shover at Pullman For several years
he has made a practice of brutally
beating his wife, and on Saturday last gave
her terrible pounding, kicking her in the
stomach and sides, and breaking a number of
ribs. On Sunday the poor woman gave pre-
mature birth to child, and began to sink
rapidly despite the efforts of DR. Cook, of
Pullman, to save her Yesterday morning
she rallied somewhat and arose from her bed,
when her brutal husband again attacked her,
outdoing all his former cruelty Yesterday
afternoon the woman thought she was dying
and made her ante-mortem statement to the
physician
Mrs. Vermula recited her terrible wrongs,
and then confessed that her husband had
murdered his stepson, her child, aged 10 years,
and had buried the body in a hole under the
kitchen floor. The murder occurred one
Sunday night about eight months ago. Yer
muia had sent the boy on an errand to Rose
land with "a in cash, and when the boy re-
turned with the articles desired, the change
was few cents short. Vermula became 'en-
ragged and cursed at a terrible rate, frighten-
ing the boy into confession that he had spent
8 cents. The bTute's anger increased and
seizing club, he battered the defenseless bows
skull to a jelly. Mrs Vermula cried and
screamed and protested, but to no avail The
maddened brute kept on be 4ting the boys
body until it was a shapeiess mass of flesh
and bones
When convinced that the little fellow was
dead, VeTmula compelled his wife to hold
lamp while he raised the boards in the
kitchen and dug hole three feet deep. Into
this he cast the body of the boy, clothing and
oil, and carefully replaced the dirt and the
boards Then he grasped his wife by the
throat, and holding carving knife at her
breast swore that he would plunge the
weapon to her heart if she would not promise
never to tell OF course she had no alteIna-
tive.
In day or two the neighbors begsn in
quiring for the boy, and Vermula said he had
disappeared suddenly; that he was probably
drowned. The river and lake and neighbor-
ing bitches were searched, but no trace of the
missing boy was found, and SO the neighbors
gave it up. The woman could say no more,
and the doctor hastened to inform the police
Sergt. Shendon and officers Wink and
Miller soon arrived at the house, and scarcely
entered when Vermula came in He was
firmly grasped and accused of the murder,
which he denied, One of the officers guarded
the prisoner, while the others began digging
up the cellar They worked for ah hour with
out avail when Vermula seeing concealment
useless, confessed his guilt and pointed out
the spot where he had buried the boy In
less than ten minutes the willing officers came
to the remains, and were driven back by the
awful stencil Ten minutes later they had re-
moved the body, and bore it away to the Ken
sington Jail, accompanied by the prisoner
The news of the murder few fast, and, i'll
less time than is required in the writing, p
900 enraged men organized as committee
of avengers, and, armed with a battering-
ram, began an assault on the jail, The Off
GERS bravely stood their ground, but the mob
would not listen to reason, and insisted on
the life of Vermula Like the brutal coward
he has shown himself for years, he begged
Protection, and cried piteously. The shrek
of locomotive whistle was heard, and the
officers at once determined on a strategic
movement The last train for Hyde Park
had Just pulled into Kensington, and would
remain two minutes. The officers seized the
prisoner, hurried him out of the back door of
the JAIL and successfully landed him on the
tram just as it was starting,
The enraged mob in front of the Jail at this
moment succeeded in breaking in the door,
and finding the prisoner gone, at once guessed
the Tuse, and with yell rushed toward the
train The engineer seemed to catch the
spirit of the time and pulled her wide
OPEN sending the train flying away from
the mob Twenty minutes later Vermula
was safely landed in the Hyde Park Jail in
care of Capt Hunt and secure from any or
dinarV effort of mob. But the Hyde Park
people quickly came to know of the horror
and at midnight a party of $50 men had
gathered at the Jail and began talking of
lynching Capt Hunt warned them off, and
said he would kill the first man Offering vio-
Lence to the building. The people understood
what this meant, and quietly withdrew. But
their numbers increased with every moment,
until at last accounts thousands OF men and
women had assembled at the Jail, and the
mob from Kensington was expected as soon
as they could arrive
Later in the night Mrs Vernlula rallied
sufficiently to add to her statement. She
said VeT1nula had made all arrangements to
kill his child, aged years, and bury it in the
same hole with the unfortunate boy. He
had continued his threats of death every day
and night when he suspected his wife might
reveal the murder, and always accompanied
them with more or less of beating.
At 2 O'Clock this morning u large crowd
was still gathered about Vermulas house,
and several men were digging under the
building in search of further evidences of
murder, but none could be found Threats
were freely made that Vermula would not
he permitted to have a trial, and that the
mob, reinforced by lot of workers
from Iron1ale, would take the prisoner from
the Hyde Park Jail this morning, hang him
to a tree, and riddle his body with bullets,
A party of stocE-yards men will join some
South Chicago and town of Lake men in
aiding the Kensington people to wreak their
vengeance.
Mrs. Verrnula was dying at last accounts,
but sne may uVe ioaS eiio"Bh W Sifo Ahoio
detailed and coherent story of her life with
VernrIla and his crimes.
LATER.-yermula denies beating the boy
to death; says he whipped him for stealing,
but not severely. He has been held without
bail by the coroners jury. Mrs Vermula IS
still alive, and may recover. The report OF
mob violence in denied.
Canada. Southern Railroad.
New YORK, June 22.-Ata meeting of the
directors of the Canada Southern railroad
the following officers were elected: c. Van
derbilt, president; C. f. Cox, vice president;
N. Kingsmill, secretary; Allyn Cox, treas
urer.