Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-06-05
BUTCHERED HIS BOY.
rhe Terrlble orime Of Farlner sec.

Cincinnati enquirer.
About half-past ten o'clock yesterday
morning point half q mile east of Snow
Hill, Franklin county, Ind, and five miles
northeast of Harrison, this county, was
the scene of one of the fouIest murders
in the history of the Hoosier State. The
crime was the fatal shooting and almost
instant killing of Solomon. H. Steyer, a
steady, industrious young man, aged
about twenty-one years, by his father,
George II. Steyer, a German gardener.
The crime was without any provocation
whatever.
At the time of the shooting, Lemuel
and Albert Williams, sons of a neighbor-
ing farmer, were tending some stock in
the vicinity, and heard the report of a
gun, but paid no attention to the matter
until they saw a riderless horse, geared
for riding, galloping furiously along the
road to Snow Hill. Suspecting some
thing wrong. they hurried to the road,
where they found trail of bloodleading
over a rise in the road. On reaching the
top of the rise they saw man staggering
aimlessly about in the road some dis
lance in advance, they saw him fall
heavily face downward on the road side.
They ran to the spot and turned the man
over, and were Mortified to find a school
mate breathing his last. His clothing to
the knees was saturated with blood, and
a terrible wound over the right lung told
plainly that murder had been COM
mitted. The alarm was given, and soon
a large crowd had gathered and prepar-
ationS were at once made for tracing the
murderer. In the mean time old man
Steyer had returned to the house and
prepared team to go to Brookville, the
county seat to give himself up. However,
A1essrs. Kip Davis and Eugene La Rue,
two neighbors, took the unnatural father
in charge, and the trio started for the
county Jail within half an hour after the
killing.
When an Enquirer reporter reached
the scene of death the corpse was lying
where it had fallen, protected from the
rays of the sun by a sheet, with the
edges held down by stones and rude
improvised roof of rough boards, support
ed at one end by table. In answer to a
inquiry as to why the body was allowed
to lay there, the reporter was informed
that they were awaiting the arrival of
the coroner from BroOkville. Late in
the afternoon kind hand provided ice
and better coverings. AT this writing the
corpse is still in the road awaiting an in
quest, In a conversation the reporter
had with Mrs. Steyer, the heart-broken
woman stated that the killing was the
result Of hard feelings between the father
and son that dated from the time Solo
mon started to work for himself. When
he brought home his first wages as farm
hand the father demanded portion and
the boy naturally refused knowing that
the money would go for drink or for some
purpose equally bad. This enraged the
father very much and he repeated his Oft
spoken threats of killing the entire fami-
ly, Solomon in particular. However, no
attention was paid to the old man, and
Solomon continued to give his mother
the greater share of his wages. He took
his meals at home when employed in
the neighborhood, but as precautionary
measure slept at the residence Of Mr..
Holden, a neighbor. Finally the old
mans persecution became too severe and
Solomon, obliged to leave home, obtain
ed employment at the factory of Mr..
Frank BrOtherton, in DreWsburg, Ind
In the mean time the old man concluded
to sever his, connection with the family,
to their great relief as he had been beat
ing and abusing his wife and smaller
children.
Steyer took up his residence in house
on the Ferguson estate, where he kept
bachelors hall and supported himself by
cultiYating about two acres of ground for
early vegetables. When he left the home
stead he took the best furniture in the
house including the parlor chairs and a
Brussels carpet. He also took a gold
watch chain and a pair of bracelets, the
only souvenirs Mrs. Steyer possessed of
maiden days.
Solomon was working away all the
time, contributing to the support Of the
family-for Steyer refused to give them
a cent-and paying away what money
h to ], ], al,
he could command better wages for the
support of his aged mother. Finally he
accumulated money enough to purchase
one horse, ond he called on his mother
yesterday, riding his purchase, and wear
ing a new suit of clothes.
After greeting the family. kindly he
announced his intention of going to call
on a neighbOring young man, Samuel
Kinman, to show his purchase, and start
ed, promising to be back soon and spend
the remainder of the day with the fami-
ly. However, he was warned that they
led past the old mans door, but he start
ed, laughing at the idea of pap shooting
me-" What followed is not definitely
known, as there were no witnesses to the
shooting. Ben Wall, neighbor, says he
saw two persons whom he took to be the
father and son talking excitedly together,
and soon after he heard the report of the
gun, and hurried to the spot in time to
give the alarm.
Had Steyer not been hustled unceremo-
niOusly to the Jail it is probable he would
have been stretched on an apple-tree,
Several years ago Steyer threatened to
kill young Wall for driving some hogs
belonging to the former out of his
(Wall's) wheatield. Steyer was then
arrested, and, falling to give bonds to
keep the peace, was locked up in the
BroOkYille Jail.
Council Grove Cosmos Some fellow
broke the seal on q Mo. Pacific box car
that had been switched OF at this depot
and took therefrom a pair of shoes ont
Of box consigned to Beach & Stocker
and q hunk of Bologna. belonging to Nc