The Penn's Grove record., 1888-11-17
A DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.
Banker Howe and His Wife Killed at
Their Home In WenOna-The MUIR
derer Commits Suicide.

CHICAGO, Nov. IA special des.
patch from Wenona, ILL.,, says: This
| village is in a fever of excitement ovei
a double murder, followed by the sui
eide Of the assassin this morning.
TIE victims of the brutal assassina-
ton are Peter Howe, senior member OF
the banking firm of Howe Il Son, OF
this place. and his wife, the former aged
- years and the latter SO. They lived
IN a large two.st frame house, sit
uated about half a mile from the town,
The only other occupant of the house
was a domestic.
At 6 O'Clock this morning, as she
came down stairs, the light of a lamp
which she carried fell through the open
door of Mr. and Mrs. Howe's bedroom
and revealed a CHASTITY sight. The
walls and bed clothes were covered with
blood, and lying on the floor was q car
coupling pin, to which adhered haii
and cletted blood. She ran TO CON-
municate the terrible story to a Mr.
irwin, Mr.. Howe's sOn-in-law. The
latter at once suspected Charles Burk-
hart Of committing the deed, and d
watch vas placed on the rooms where
he resided, with his wife, over a gro
Gerry store, situated in the prin
cipal business block of the town.
Burkhart was observed walking
up and down the hallway. apparently
in great agitation. 1t was not Ions
until he discovered that sentlnels had
been posted outside. and he went into
his bed room, procured a razor. and
cut his throat from ear to ear, and was
a dead man inside of five minutes.
His wife, who had been in the adjoin-
ing room, heard bis dying groans.
When she reached the room. he re-
quested her, as bsst he could, TO ''care
FOR the baby" The cause of this terri
BILE deed is attributed to a petty spite
on the part of Burkhart.
The domestic in the house of the
murdered couple, Sarah Richardson, a
handsome lass of 10, and Burkhart's
Step-daughter, vas often imporjuned
to come and live with HIM, but she re
fused to do so, and he thought the
Howes were at the bottom OF her OBJ
jections. He therefore concluded to
murder them.
Some time during the early hours OF
SblS w ulhS bO iCtt hio RPat ltltChbot
procured Il ladder, and entered a
second-story window, descending to the
room where the fearful crime was CON-
mitted. Nothing vas taken from the
room, Burkhart's only desire being
murder.
Peter Howe. the murdered man,
has amassed a fortune of S250,0 00. He
was very charitable and possessed .
spirit of PHILANTHROPY which led him
some time ago, to endow the Howe In.
stltute at New Iberia, La, and the
Baptist Institute at Memphis, Tenn,
the latter being a college for the edu-
cation OF INDECENT persons of both
races. The murdered wife is u sister
of George Parks. the Magnolia, Illi-
nois. millionaire. Burkbart, the
murderer, was a ~dissolute, drunken
fellow, and very dangerous when un.
der the influence of liquor. The citi-
zens of WeAona emphatically express
themselves to the effect that had not
Burkhart committed suicide they
would have lynched him. Sheriff Nor
rissey. of Ottawa, with three deputies
arrived IN the scene at noon, appre-
hensive Of difficulty of this kind. but
the desperate man chose death in pref
erence to being taken alive
The Coroner this evening obtained a
statement from Domestic Sarah Rich
ardsoD. She said that her %stepfather,
Burkhart, the murderer, came to the
house last night, did his fiendish work
down stars, then came to her room,
told what he had done, and, after an
attempt TO assault her, left the house.
She lay all night, not daring to give
the alarm lest he waylay and murder
her.
Apparently, the assassin's motive,
aside from revenge and liquor, was to
.nable his step-daughter to come into
possession of a sum of money promised
her by the old people. provided she
would stay with them during their
lifetime.
1t would seem that the murderer lad
a crazy idea that, with the girl once i'll
possession of this money, 1t would be
easy matter for him to secure it.