The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-24
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
The Wife of Andrew Kprner Muir
dered in Her Sleep.
KOerner Suspected and Arrested for the
Crime-CircumstantiaI Evidence Indi-
eating the Husbands Guilt.


living on the the Three-notch road, south of the
city, was murdered early Saturday morning in
her bed in manner of fiendsh brutality. The
discovery of the murder was made shortly De-
fore daylight, and three hours afterward the
husband of the dead woman was arrested on
suspicion of having committed the crime, the
evidence, although, wholly circumstantial, con-
clusvely indicating his guilt. He loudly pro-
tested his Innocence, and in his
endeavor to divert suspicion from him
self, wildly charged tn at the crime had
been committed by his brother. who lived near,
but when the officers refused to give credence to
this apparently unwarranted accusation he de-
clared that tramp was the murderer and
finally, i'll his frantic efforts to avoid arrest,
charged tGe crime to a man whom he had dis
charged from his employ. The promiscuity of
his suspicion his improbable and contradictory
statements and the circumstances of the muir
der caused the officers to take HIM into custody.
KGRNERs BRUTAL NATURE.
The evidence and information forming the
particulars of the atrocous affair are damaging
in the elimination of KGrner as the murderer.
He is known to his neighbors and acquaintance
as a man of savage disposition. His wife has
often suffered from his brutality on very slight
provocauion, and the elimination of his ferocity
nearly approached, is a thing to be expected
simply as natural sequence. "Ihave expected
it before now" remarked a neighor upon hear
ing that Mrs. Kerner had been murdered, land
am not much surprised"
KGrner and his wife had been married seven
years. Both were native Germans and the maid
en- name of the women was Mary Owenburger.
They had three children, the Oldest being only
six years of age Although earning sufficient
from his business as a dairyman to support his
small family in comfort, economy was strained
in their living until their home had the most alb
jectly poverty stricRen appearance, They lived
in single tenement house of three rooms and
Kmrner. been reduced to the minimum.
The man seems to have had genius for max
ing himself and all around him miserable. His
home was little less than domestic hell. His
cattle and his wife were made the objects of his
savage brutality, and he never hesitated to
strike either with the first thing that came con
veDient. He has been known TO hurl stove-wood
at his wife, and one one occasion when the two
were quarreling, he threw one of his milk cans at
her, striking her on the back and knocking her
down short time ago he was fined
on a charge OF assault and battery
for beating her, but the oiiense
last quarrel occurred on the day before the wO-
was murdered. She had requested K@r-
ner to buy some cider, which she needed in max
ing mincemeat. Instead of cider he brought
home bottle of wine, and insisted that she
should use it, She refused, and he endeavored
to force her to drink some of it, One or two OF
the neignbOrs were present during a part of the
quarrel, and Kerner refra1ned at the time from
INDUCING his passion for beating his WIFE,
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS.
In the evening, after supper. Kmrner,
Henry Wamp. whom he employed to
assist him in his dairy work and a
nelghbor. engaged in game of dominoes, and
they did not cease playing until after 10 o'clock,
ally slept. Shortly after 2 O'Clock IL the morn
ing Wamp claims that he was awakened by the
noise of some person moving about in tho room
where KUrper and his wife slept, but as there
was nothing alarming in the disturbance he was
soon again sound asleep. 1t was the custom Of
KWner and mis- emplOye to arise at O'Clock
and milk the cows. Wamp was called at the
usual time. and after they had been
working for an hour or more at
house for the purpose, it was supposed, of get
ting his breakfast before starting to the city TO
make the regular morning delivery to his GUS
toners. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, how
ever, KHrner called him TO the house aud eX-
claimed when he entered, "My wife has been
"Who has done itG" was the question which
II have enemies abOut here" K@rner replied,
"NIy brother killed her."
Wamp says that he told Kprner not to make
any any accusations 5 against his brother
to which Kerner made no reply
He became very demOnstrative in his grief and
could not be quleted some or the mghbors
were at once called in. and among those who ar
rived first j. B, Freeiand. Leaving the
house Immediately after learning what had hap
pened, he met Patrick Kelley, the sexton of the
Catholic cemetery, and informed him of the
murder. Kelley has the powers of police Off
GER and, after instructlng Freeland to notify the
the house, where he found AUrner
and Wamp with the children, in tho Kitchen.
ises until the officers arrived, and then asked
KgrneP who had committed the murder. The
daiFyman reiterated the charge that his wife
had been killed by his brother.
PARTIAL CONFESSION.
"There is no use IN you telling me that" re-
piled Kelley. "You did it yourself"
"Well," answered K9rner, 81 did not know
what was about"
superintendent LANCE and Sheriff Hess reached
the place shortly before 7 O'Clock, and after
closely questioning K@rner, placed
him under arrest and brought him
to the city. After again accusing his
brother of the crime, he said that he believed
tramp had committed the MURDER because his
trousers, which had been hanging on nail III
of the rooms We're missing, sea rich for
something TO substantiate the statement was
instituted, and the missing trowsers were found
in the yard, partly covered with snow, while the
tracks of a man led down the yard to the fence,
and then down the road for a short distance The
shoes worn by kGrner exactly fitted the tracks,
and this together With his suspicious conduct
and contradictory statements, re-
garded as sufficiently strong and cir
cumstantial evidence to warrant his arrest.
KGrner afterward remarked that may be a man
whom he had once discharged from his employ
had killed his wife for revenge. He was placed in
Jail, where he was quite boister0us in lamenting
the death of his wife, and in expressing concern
for the welfare of his stock. He sent for Gordon
& Bailey after he had been imprisoned few
hours, and employed them as his counsel. He
was instructed not to talk about the murder,
and has since been reticent rega riding the at
fair
SUPERINTENDENT LANGES THEORY.
The murdered woman when found was lying
on the bed, fully dressed. She had been struck
over the bead and face with some heavy. blunt
weapon, and the skull had been crushed, while
the jaw had been broken and the face was badly
bruised. The bed clothing had been thrown
oyer her face, and the youngest child, scarcely