Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-04
AssAssINATED O~EBY ONE.
Four Members of the Detroit KnOch
Family MysteriousIy Killed.
From "a ~ York World.


Family MysteriOusly Killed.
From the Ne1e FORK World.
DETROIT, MICH, Jan. The Knoch
murder case was brought into promi-
nence again to-day by the sudden death of
Mrs. Elizabeth Knoch, the mother Of the
Inflated family. She had been sick only
few days, and yesterday sent tor the Off
GERS for the purpose, it is said, Of making
q statement about the recent case of
arson and murder. Before they arrived
at her bedside she had relapsed into
comatose condition from which she did
not rally. She died early this morning.
In the opinion OF a physician who accom-
panied the officers to her home, Mrs.
KnOch was affected with heart and lung
trouble, but there were symptoms of
poisoning, and an investigation will be
made.
Mrs. knOch's death heightens the mys-
terry enVelOping this quadruDle tragedy.
When the house Of Frank knOch was
burned, on the night of Dec. is, and he
and his wife were found in the ruins with
bullets in their brains, it was learned by
/ the police that the father of the murdered
man also died by the assassin's hand, and
( also Il brother, supposedly, as the latter
/ was found two years ago in his stable
with marks of violence on his body, al
! though at that time the case was dis
missed on the theory that he was kicked
by horse. The fire at KnOch's house
aud the murder of himself and wife, and
the loss OF his two children who persisted
in the flames, are attributed to the fact
that he showed roll of bills to friends on
the evening of the tragedy, and said that
he had 81 600 which he was to pay on his
/ land next day. 1t is supposed that some
one overheard Knoch, and went to rob
the house few hours later.
But an uncle Of knOch refuses to believe
that robbery WAS the only object. and
hints that another purpose enters into the
case. He does not say what ne thinks
this other purpose is, but a neighbor
claims that the KNOCKS stand in the way
OF somebody securing rich inheritance
in Germany, and that If the detectives are
shrewd they will trace the three crimes TO
one person, and that person the least sus-
pected man in the world. II the death of
Mrs. KnOch to-day can be traced to the
use of poison by any other than herself, it
is possible that the deep laid plot to assas-
sinate the entire knoch family, il such it
is, will be laid bare. The various branches
of the family have lived near together for
many years in the vicinity of Detroit.
The KnOchs were market gardeners, and
had accumulated considerable property.
Frank Knoch lived on the road to Wood
mere Village, and three men on their way
home 20 WoOdmere on the night Of
Dec. 16 discovered the fire. They
rushed to the door, but could not gain adj
mittance, and next peered in at the win
dows and saw the body OF man roasting
upon the floor. They attempted to climb
in at the window, but were driven back
by fire and smoke. The flames spread
rapidly and the house was reduced to
ashes and no one saved. In the morning
the ruins were searched and the bodies of
KnOch, his wife Susan and two children,
the latter aged eight and three years res
pectively, were dug up. knoch was
holding in his arms an unrecognizabla
mass OF bones and charred flesh-all that
remained of his wife. The body OF the
elder child was found five feet away, but
the infant had evidently been incinerated.
Knoch's arms were burned Of at the ell
bows and the legs at the knees. The
body Of Mrs. knoch was almost entirely
consumed. Only few charred bones re-
manned TO identity the eldest child.
The discovery That the victims had been
shot was accidental. The funeral was set
for O'Clock the neXtday, and there being
a dispute among relatives AS TO the form
OF burial, the remains OF the father. son
aud wifebeing i'm one coffin and the wife
being Catholic, the Prosecuting Attorney
was appealed to. That official ordered
/ the remains held and postmortem ex-
animation was made, and in the brain OF
/ each OF the adults was found a bullet. An
/ empty revolver was found in the ruins,
and some people suggested that Il domes-
/ tic tragedy had been enacted. 10 was
thought possible that KnOeh ann his wife
had quarrelled and that one had shot the
/ other and then committed suicide, and
that in the struggle of death the table was
I Jared. and the Kerosene oil lamp upset
4 The theory was not belieyded by the pO-
/ lice, because OF the mystery surrounding
/ the death OF the other members Of the
family. and because it was shown in evil
dence that knoch never had n revolver.
Investigation showed traces OF footsteps
made by person leaving the house. The
/ imprints were not made by the men who
/ discovered the fire. Moreover. the post
mortem proved that the man was shot
hrst. while the woman, judging from the.
condition OF the brain, was shot only
moment or two before being burned.
Again, the inclnerated bodies OF man and
vile were locked IN an embrace that indi.
Gated that the woman had seen her hus-
band tail and STOPPING 20 stanch the fOw
| oil blood from his wound had clasped him
I IN her arms just before the fatal bullet
\ pierced her OWn brain. So the suicide
theory WAS dismissed By the police. Ihoy
I hope 70 gee a cline from knOeb'e hired
man, whU, while claiming 10 know moth.
I ing Of The fire and assassination. d. closely
watched.
snow in the Northwest.
ST. PAM Ian Al haavv anoy. stotu,