St. Landry democrat., 1884-02-02
A FrENDISH CRIME.

the Tragedy.
ST.. LOUIS, Mo-, Jan. "a.
About five O'Clock yesterday afternoon
Justice Lippeman, residing in the vicinity
of Trenton, Mo-, walked hastily into Chief
Harrigan's office and reported that newly
married couple named Bodicker had been
murdered in their bed in a log cabin four
miles south of Fenton, in Jefferson county,
Mo. In December last Bodicker married a
young girl in this city named Josephine
Glatt, who lived at 1904 Hickory street.
The young couple Immediately moved to
a log cabin on the High Ridge road, few
miles south of Fenton, where her husband
had.rented land, which he intended to Gull
tiyate in the spring. They were esteemed
by their neighborS, and to all outward APP
pearances the honeymoon in the log cabin
was as happy as the young folks could de-
sire. Both were industrious, and were in a
fair way to gain the better things of the
world in the future
Yesterday morning a resident of the
neighborhood, named Thomas Harrington,
had occasion to pass along the High Ridge
road, which runs past the threshold of the
humble cabin. On reaching the home
of the young couple he noticed the
ing to the door, wide open. There
was suspicious silence about the
house which caused him to stop, and
on looking at the gate more closely he no.
ticed some bloody marks which seemed to
have been imprinted with a wounded or
bloody hand. A second glance at the
cabin showed the front door open. He hall
loed to the occupants, but there was no
answer. Fearing that something unusual
had happened, he determined to inYesti-
gate matters. The cabin was divided by
partition into two rooms-a kitchen and bed
rooms The kitchen door, which was ajar,
was on the north sidetof the cabin. On enter.
dead body of Bodicker lying on the kitchen
floor literally chopped to pieces. He shud-
dered at the sight and ran to neighbours
named Mrs. Ford, where he reported his
bloody discovery. A man named Stock,
who was present, volunteered TO go with
him and make a further examination of the
cabin. The two men entered the cabin and
found Bodicker lying in frozen pool of
blood.
His head was SO mutilated and hacked
that it was barely recognizable. The floor
of the cabin was a mass of CONCEALED blood
and brains. He was lying on his back with
his head toward the door and his feet di-
rectly under the stove, which stood near the
center of the kitchen. The body was robed
only in night clothes, and life had left it
several hours before. The men pushed
open the door leading into the bedroom
and their horror was increased two-fold by
the sight that presented itself To their
view. Lying ON the floor beside the bed,
was the body of Mrs. Bodicker, bathed in
blood from head to foot.
Her throat had been cut from ear to ear
and the head only hung to the body by o
strip of flesh. The body was hacked and
chopped in frightful manner, and a
ghastlier looking object than her dead body
clothed only in night garments whose
whiteness could be seen only here and
there in the blood-soaked garment, could
hardly be imagined. The bed-clothing was
saturated with blood, and the walls
blotched and stained with brains. The men
attempted to place the body in the bed and
found that it was frozen to the floor, the
hair and limbs being meshedi in blood.
Turning away from the sickening sight
Harrington noticed a bloody trail leading
from the room across the kitchen and out
toward the road.
He followed it until he reached spot In
the middle of the highway, which gave
every evidence that deadly struggle had
taken place. A portion of the woman's
bloody night garment was found on the
ground, and the ruts and cavities of the
country road were stained and filled with
blood. The trail again turned and led
back toward the house, but the back track
was of different character. The ground
it. On further examination the men found
that Mrs. Bodicker's body was covered
with earth, showing that she had been
dragged from the road back into the house.
The next discovery made was that trunk
which stood in one corner of the room had
been forced open by some bloody imple-
ment and rifled. Bloody finger-marks were
imprinted on the cover, and what was left
of the contents Of the trunk were fiecked
with gore. The shirt which the assassin
wore when he committed the deed was
found rolled up in one corner Of the kitch-
en-. The sleeves and breast were saturated
with blood and the murderer, after wash
ing, evidently put on one of Mr.. Bodicker's
shirts which he found in the trunk.
Outside in the yard bIood-covered ak
was found with which the terrible crime
was committed. It was sharp and deadly
and an examination showed pieces of flesh
and hair still adhering to the blade. The
tracks Of the murderer were plainly dis
cernible around the cabin, as the ground
was soft and muddy Tuesday night ard did
not begin to freeze until early yesterday
A probable solution of the mysterious
crime has been accepted by nearly all the
neighbors. Tuesday evening, it is sup
posed, a tramp came to the cabin and asked
for lodging, and pallet was prepared for
him In the kitchen. During the evening his
eye rested on the trunk and learning the
habits of the young people believed that it
contained money and valuables. After the
couple retired he concocted his deviIish
plan OF double murder. After being as
sured that husband and wife were sleeping
soundly, he rose from his impromptu bed
and searched around until he found the ak.
He then stole into the bedroom of the
sleeping couple and dealt crushing blow
on the head of the nan. The noise awak-
ened the young wife and she started up in
alright. The murderer then struck the
woman, but she partially evaded the blow,
receiving it on the shoulder, and leap
ing up grappIed with the assassin, and in
the struggle reached the door, where she
broke away and ran into the road
The murderer pursued aud finally over.
took his victim in the public road. There