Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-26
DlAB0LItAL MURDER.
AWFUL DEATH OF A DRUNKEN MAN
AT CHICAGO.

He Rushes Through the street wrappe
In Fiames-Arrest of His Wife, Mother
in-Ii,w and Male Enemy for saturatIn
Him with Kerosene and Setting Hin
on Fire-A Big Robbery.
CHICAGO, June ~ The spectacle of a maj
on fire screaming in his agony aud franti
cally bounding through yards, past window
| ana into alleys, was what threw a portion O
the north side into "A state Of terror at al
early hour yesterday morning Shortly
after o'clock in the morning Mr., knauff
who lives at 20i Mohawk street, was sud
denly awakened by the agonized cries OF
some one outside his window, and looking to
ward it saw what he supposed was a mar
holding high in hand burning brand, The
| face he identified as that OF Matthias
Schreiner, his drunken neighbor
"Matt has the snakes and is going TO fire
the place, was the Immediate thought of Mr..
Knauif, ms he jumped from his bed and
hastily donned his clothing and gave chase.
Out into the alley ran both men, one yelling
"Iielpl help" and the other "Catch him
Catch himp A moment later, however, il
was seen that the frantic Schreiner wns on
fire. The flames grew brighter as they neared
his head, and his cries grew weaker and
speed less. For some unknown reason the
man turned in his course and came back on
IA run to the yard from which he had emerged
BY this time the neighhors had been thor
onghly aroused and had procured wet
blankets Matt Brigansen, OF 30 Mohawk
street was the first TO catch the burning
man. without ceremony he knocked him
down and covered him with a damp blaket
while others emptied pals of water upon
his quvering, roasting flesh. Al recog-
nized the man as Matt Schreiner He was
unconscious and breathed heavily From
his knees to the crown of his head was a
mass of scorched, charred and cooked flesh
MinglinG with the sickening odor of burned
human flesh was that of kerosene oil Pieces
of burned clothing which had dropped from
the mans body as he darted up and down
the alley were picked up with pieces of
roasted flesh attached to them. As soon as
possible the officers at the Larrabee Street
station were notified, and under instruc-
tons from Acting Lieut. Baer the suffering
man was removed to the Alexian Brothers
hospital. Here here gained consciousness long
enough to state that he suspected his mother
in-law, Mrs. Wagner, his wife Lena, and a
man named August Herbst with having
murdeLously S ct his clothing on fire
81 bave life insurance policy for 81 900
I'm the Catholic Order of Foresters, St Mar
tins court, No. "a" said he, between gasps,
as he piteously cried for water, "and it was
for that they so cruelty murdered me ! did
not see them pour the oil upon me, for when
l awoke found myself ablaze and suffering
| ran, know not where, until |
fell and found myself here. My mother-in- |
law hates me and has often wished me dead |
My wife never cared for me, and Herbst has |
fought me frequently ! am drunk but |
the poor fellow again became insensible and |
so until death relieved him at |
O'clock, four hours after the flames were ex-
-ingushed. The police. repaired to 204 Mohawk
street as soon us the statement of the dying
nan had been made and discovered much
which leads them to think the man told the
ruth.
Neither the wife nor the mother in law
aid anything when arrested, nor did they
eem to care for the husbands awful fate
August Herbst, who lives in the apartment
I'd ioining Schrener's, was arrested later and
protested bis innocence but admitted that he
lated ScEreincr, and that he had whipped
lin.
Deceased was Whitewater and calcimin-
II, twenty nine years of age. He was, say
he neighbors a drunken fellow, lazy and
His wife is 20 years Of age and
las one child by him. The father of her cid
st child still lives in ono of the novels in the
enement, though she says she has
ever spoken to or noticed him
ince her marriage. Herbst is
tonemason and was an avowed enemy
+ Schreiner with whom he fought on Satur-
ay night last. They quarreled frequently,
is presumed, about the dead mans wife
'efore his death Schreiner said he desired his
rife to have the insurance money.