Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-12-24
THE STATE AT LARGE.
An Entire Family Burned to Death.

A little north of Woodmere cemetery, about
five miles from Detroit near the Dix road,
stood little one-story cottage, owned by
Frank Knock, and occupied by himself, wife
and two little children. The house was burned
TO the ground on the night of December 10,
and the entire family burned 10 death.
The house was u frame house in the center
Of a nIne-acre lot, in which the young man
raised vegetables for the Detroit market, at
which occupation he made money and was
rising in the world. The house was a modest
one, OF single story in height, divided into
two rooms one a bedroom the other family
or ''living'' room. The father and the eldest
boy slept in the bedroom, the mothe and her
child in arms slept in the northwest corner Of
the other room.
The fire was discovered about o'clock a.
IN. by James Whipple, Joseph Kama and
George Laurain, as they were returning from
lodge meeting. They drove rapidly over to
the scene of the fire, but were too late. The
roof had fallen in and the walls formed a
square Of flame. The hou;e was but fiimsy
concern and could not have been atire very
long before these men arrived, but 1t had done
its work and there was nothing left TO save.
The three men could do nothing but throw
snow on the flames and their efforts were flu
tile. They did not at that time know what
the wall of fire hid. Then the neighbors
gathered and all turned their attention to saw
ing the stable, A line of buckets was formed
to the frozen creek, but the worthless stable
was saved by the fire dying out. While the
people were watching the smoudering ruins
the floor fell into the cellar and In the brief
glimpse of the inside of the house then OBJ
iained the spectators saw the tragedy which
the fire had committed in secret.
This was about four o'clock and twenty or
thirty men who had gathered were reused to
new energies bv the awful sight of the black
ened victims Constable Ropele engineered
he rescuing of the bodies. Snow was thrown
upon the embers till the work of handling the
ruins could be undertaken, and soon the bod
les of husband and wife were tenderly lifted
out. They had fallen together and seemed as
If clasping each other in death, One of the
children was found near them, the other was
so burned that 1t was impossible to distinguish
that 1t was once child.
Everything points TO one of the most inhu-
man butcheries ever committed in the state.
A revolver ready cooked, with all
ruins. It is known that Knoch had been saw
ing up money for some time for the purpose
of paying his taxes and making payment on
his property, and must have had several hun
dred dollars about the house. A short time
before the fire Mr.. Knoch had discharged
hired man, who became in consequence of the
discharge very abusive, claiming that Mr..
Knoch should have kept him through the
winter. Suspicious are strongly aroused that
the discharged man is the real criminal.
The post norton On the remains was con-
Quoted by DIR. Owen at the house of the elder
Mrs. Knoch. in the presence of Prosecuting
Attorney Robinson, Detective Harris and JUS
tice Roulo. The body of Frank Knoch was
first examined. The fore part of the skull had
been burnt away, but the brain remained in
tact, aud lodged firmly within it was a 22-cali-
Der bullet ba lily misshapened. The blood
about the brain was coagulated, showing that
death had taken place some time before his
body was burned. The bullet had evidently
entered the left temple an inch to the left and
above the eye. The course OF the ball was
slightly upward.
The head of Mrs Knoch was next examined
and bullet found in the brain. There was
no hemorragc, and death must have occurred
but moment before the body was consumed
in flames.
The bodies Of the children showed 40 bullet
marks DIR. Owen Is positive, from the rela-
tive course the bullet took in Knoch's brain,
that the pistol was held in the hand of some
person other than himself. The head Of the
woman was in such condition that 1t was
impossible TO judge from what direction the
bullet entered
reward of $500 has been offered for the
apprehension of the murderer, and the officers
are doing all in their power to clear up the ter
rihle mystery.