St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-13
JUDGE LYNCH CHEATED.
The Cowardly PerpetratOr of a
Dual Murder Commits Suicide
Rather Than Be Taken Alive.

Inc COWaruly PerpetratOr or q
Dual Murder Commits Suicide
Rather Than Be Taken Alive.
WENoNA, ILL.,, Nov. 12.-This village
is in fever of excitement over double
murder, followed by the suici de OF the
assassin, this morning. The victims of
the brutal ASSASSINATION are Peter
Howe, senior member of the banking
firm of Howe & Son, of this place, and
his wife, the former aged Seventy-three
years and the latter sixty-nine. They
lived in large twO-Story frame house.
situated about half a mile from the
business portion of the town. The only
other occupant of the house was do
mcstic. AT o'clock this morning, as
she came down stairs from her
bedroom to begin her daily duties
the light of lamp which she
carried fell through the open door of
Mr.. and Mrs. Howe's bedroom and re-
vealed CHASTITY sight. The walls and
bedclOtheS were covered with blood,
and lying on the cOverlet was q car
coupling-pin, to which adhered hair and
clOtted blood. She ran to communicate
the terrible story to a Mr.. Irwin, Mr..
suspected Charles Burkhart of commit
ting the deed, and watch was placed
on the rooms where he resided with his
wife, over grocery store situated in
the principal business block of the town.
Burkhart was observed walking up and
down the hallway, apparently in great
agitation 1t was not long until he dis
covered that sentinels had been posted
outside, and he went into his bedroom,
procured razor and
CUT HIS THROAT,
from ear to ear, and was dead man
inside of five minutes. His wife, who
had been in the adjoining room, heard
his dying means. When she entered the
room he requested her as best lie could
to scare for the baby" The cause Of
this terrible deed is attributed to a
petty spite on the part of Burkhart.
The domestic in the house of the mur-
dered couple, Sarah Richardson, hand
some lass of nineteen and Burkhart'S
stepdaughter, was often importuned to
come and live with him. but she refused
to do so. and he thought the HOweS
were at the bottom of her objections.
He therefore concluded to murder them.
Some time during the early hours of this
morning he left his apartments, pro-
cured ladder and entered second
story window, descending to the room
where the fearful crime was committed.
Nothing was taken from the room,
Burkhart'S only desire being murder.
Peter Howe, the murdered man, had
been resident of WenOna for nearly
thirty years, and had amaSsed a
fortune of S250,000. He was very chari-
table, and possessed
A SPIRIT OF PHILANTHROPY
which led him, some time ago, to endOw
the Howe institute at New Iberia, La,
and the Baptist institute at Memphis,
Tenn, the latter being college for the
education of INDECENT persons of both
races. The murdered wife is the sister
of George Parks, the Magnolia, H.,
millionaire. Burkhart, the murderer.
was disSOlute, drunken fellow, and
very dangerous when under the in
fuence of liquor. The citizens of We
mona emphatically express themselves
to the effect that had not Burkhart COM
mitted suicide they would have lynched
him. Sheriff MorrisSey. of Ottawa, with
three deputies, arrived on the scene at
noon. apprehensive of difficulty of this
kind, but the desperate man chose death
in preference to being taken alive.
The coroner this evening obtained a
statement from the domestic, Sarah
Richardson. She said that her STEP
father. Burkhardt, the murderer, came
to the house last night, did his fiendiSh
work down stairs, then came to her
room, told what he had done, and, after
an attempt to ravish her, left the house.
She lay all night not daring to give the
alarm lest he waylay and murder her.
Apparently the aSsaSSn'S motive, aside
from revenge and liquor. was to enable
his step-daughter to come into possess
sion of sum of money promised her by
the old people, providing she would
stay with them during their lifetime.
1t would seem that the murderer had a
crazy idea with the girl once in pos
session of this money it would be an
easy matter for him to secure it.