Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-15
SLAIN IN THE DARK.
Poor Fritz LIchtc Has Hardly Well
coined His Family When lie is
shot Dead In His Door.
Testimony OF the widow and Friend-A
Probable ciew TO the Infamous
Murderers Found.

special Correspondence OF tho Gazette.
GuAuAn, Tx, Feb ii.-Frits iAchto,
a GERMAN residing eight miles cast Of
Graham, was murdered last night by unknown
pariloe wearing masks
I.ichte came 70 Graham from Germany noino
Tine IN November last. purchased farm and
sent for his family, who soon followed him to
his new homo lie was a sober. steady, hard
working ian, and so far az Is known here ala
moi haye an enemy IN the world. Two Ger
man GIRLS. who came 70 Texas from Germany
with the Llohte family. spent wednesday 10
Graham, and returned home In the evening
With Dave Kramer and John Pohllman, to lind
John fichte the only occupant Of the house
ing on the i2ps ea1 sce psnnyc Rsn
son AMI many others hastened TO the scene OF
The ter ibe outrage.
II the guilty partie. could be caught now they
would be sent for trial before tribunal from
which there n no appeal
Below Ia the testimony Of Mrs ma Lphtu,
wife OF deceased, and Vim Rehders, who came
with Mrs lichte from Germany
The Testimony OF Mrs iiehdcra, Who was IN
tho house at the time OF the killlngi DOES not
differ materially from the statement Of Mira
lichte and WIN Rehdcrs.
Mrs.. Anna Liehto being sworn, dcposcs'
was raised n iiolstGln an the Wiie OF
ncd ten years next M.roh. Mr.. Lichte
left Germany the 18th day OF Nosember,
Got to tho United states February 70. Met
William Rehders on the steamer crossing over.
Tie wanted to go TO Boston. ID him my
husband WAS In Texas. and he said 10 wanted
10 go 10 Texas too and work CD a farm. We
came direct from Castle Garden here VIC
were on tho ship six or seven days before
made his acquaintance. lie said II made no
difference what he worked at. told him we
would give him a home In Texas until he got
work don know how much money ne har.
told him my huBbands circumstances without
being asked. knew my husband bad bought
tarm before ! atartod TO this country,
and told Rehders about Z. Renders
made his acquaintance, when I told
him nbout my husband he concluded TO come
evening; lef, weatherford Tor Graham Monday
morning. Sullivan was one Of the men that
broughtus up. don't know the name OF the
other man. I came In suliiyan's wagon.
could not understand anything sullivan said on
the trip up. We gnt her Tuesday evening at
O'Clock. Found Mr.. Sullivan brother In law
hcre.) My husband bought dliterou' STUFF from
sullivan. lie paid him the money at
the fence. Don't know that sullivan know
how much money he had sullivan lett
here about O'Clock D. NJ. with his fun
ily. going aouth There was on old man
mere after sullivan left. Don't know hls name.
WAS sitting Attic table eating supper when
my husband was killed. heard the men talk
Ing, bat could not undo stand what they snid.
! looked 10 the door aud saw two mon with
horses. | got out OF tho door and saw the two
that were talking to my husband before tho
shot him Sir Lichte was oute de. ana HE
men pulled him back Reid was Ia the room
At the time the were pulling my husband. J
did not zoe the men shoOt my husband, hut
heard the report OF the pistol Render shot ut
he mon. Rehdcr aud brought my husband IN
The house. lie never spoke after nc was shot
Don't know how longhe lived, Invent over and
brought Mr., Rogers and whom got bacK he was
dead. kchder's wife was here IN tho room
when tho shooting WAS done. Three shots
wcto bred, two outside aud Rchders fred one
from within. sigucd'
william Rohdurs being sworn ucposrths
liycst ellis house, have been here q day and
H.half came here with James sullivan with
Two teams from Wcathorford AIrs Iichte
wife of deCcased, her Ave children my wife
Emmn HOhmRn AMI Chi time Dozo. two Ger.
man girls, came with me. have been at this
house ali the tlno sin 70 | came nero. was hero
ihis cyonlng, mctthe docchsed Yesterday for
tho hrW time WIS here VIII Ii the kiilng
occurred We wore sitting NJ The snpper table
whom tho dog commenced To bark lust after
dark Nj tiohtc the deceased won't out 10
see what was Tho matter. Deceased tried 10
keen the dog quiet thought u was some OF
hia irundg .nd did II go ont. I looked out
and saw two men etnnding out There trying o
gct into the door 81 this house aud Mr.. Ilchte
told them . goi0ut They got hold OF the DO.
rta cd aud pulled him out OF the door. when
saw that snatchOd my pistol from the shelf
and jumped Tor the door Reforc / got there |
heard the report of pistol aud saw the do
iumpdd back ana nred NJ them Think nit
one OF thGm, Then tho other one shot,nt me-
Tue ballet whistled past my cuts.
They lhen mounted their hOrsrs and cleared
ont. We Picked up deceased and brought him
into the house. He was alive then We
washed tho blood from HIS face, and sent do
ccaHed's wife over 70 Mr. Rogers, and while
she was gone he died. There were two men
dld the shuotiug They had masks over their
faces aud cloaks ON. They were big, .tout
mon, about I've feet soven inches tall Their
horscs were some kind OF graysh color They
had no Runs that pRw. was not acquainted
With deceased. ! came over To this country
with illa wife. and "a cd NrIt hos
The UP. Deceased mover spoke after he was
shot Tho men had on OIL. 10th oyercloass of
a. Sounwlsh Color One 0i tne ieamSlers
named Bud Peel lilo lived at Wcathcrfurd
and the other one, sullivan, lived ut this place
They were about the size OF the men that aid
the numbering, about my height with, "a IA
about i've feet six and u half inchosl. sullivan
had drccased's team deceased had sont the
team after bis family. ! was within six feot OF
The men whom Hnot ut thcm. They ran their
horses of when thcy left They were on the
rght hand side of the door when | ehot at
them, was on the loft hand siuo of the door,
deceased was lying right !, front OF tho door
on hts back .ncro waa q light burning on the
table AZ the timo OF the killing, The table was
close 10 the bed, she moon was shining on them.
lhe mprderors had their arms under their
cloaks, did not have their arme through
nc sic yos. Only one shot was 1rcd before
shot, and the second shot WINS fred at me
lhcy went over the TO- ce. ould not soc the
hortcs we'll enough 20 tell dist nctly their col
9r. talked Win sui ivan and Peel while ON
the trip from Wcathprfordi talked about land
and otner things; did not talk about money
matters. brought thle pistol from Germany.
The deceased has small pistol-~a cartridge
shooter1 Th,ro is also shot gun nboul.the
house, have been In the United states sincO
ISL. have lived Ia HoRton, Mass. went back TO
Germany the latter part of September. lSsa.
We camped about midway the night after we
loil Wcathertord, saw one man, he came 10 our
camp about II o'clock at night, was IN u wagon
and stopped about twenty miaptes,
fartlus from Graham who visited the scene
soon after the murder wae committed, followed
tran made by two horses for two miles when
the trail doubled back and was Lost, The testi.
hony OF Virginia Rogers, q twelve year. old
grit aud her father, Is held back hy request OF
the authorities twill probably lead to the
arrest Of two men living IN Tue noighborhood.