St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-07
Mrs. Matthias Busch is Bru-
tally Murdered by Her
Husband.
Her Throat Cut From Ear to
Ear by a Carving Knife
in His Hands.
The Life of Their Infant Child
Saved by the Appearance
of Officers.
Bernal, the Mexican Des-
perado, Killed in a
Fight.

CHICAGO, Feb. 6.-The throat of Mrs.
Matthias Busch was slit from ear to ear
this evening by her husband, saloon
keeper. She died a moment later at
the feet of the murderer. The deed
was done at their home in the presence
of their child and the aunt of the vic
tim. Busch was arrested knife in hand
while the blood was yet squirting from
the corpse few feet distant, just as he
was about to Slay his little daughter.
The tragedy was horribly cold-blooded
and premeditated. 1t had its origin in
the covetOuSnesS of Busch, who had
been foiled in his desire to control S10,-
600 worth of real estate that had been
wil]ed his wife by her father six years
ago. Busch, then twenty-five years of
age, and keeping a saloon at 2511 Cot
tage Grove avenue, married his wife,
then Nellie Schank, the twenty-year-Old
daughter of Peter Schank, we'll known
and wealthy German saloon keeper. 1t
was said at the time that Busch only
married the girl for the money that
would one day be hers, and certain it is
that from the wedding day his treat
ment of her was harsh and cruel. If
money was his object, fortune favored
him, for soon his father-in-law died,
leaving all his property to his wife.
Mrs. Schank survived but a few months,
and three yearSa go Mrs. Busch came into
possession of the entire property. This
evening Busch came home to supper
and sat down at the table with his wife
opposite him.
"You made out your will to-day, did
you?" asked the husband, Scewling at
his wife.
"Yes," was the response.
"What did you do with it?''
81 left it to the children"
damn you; what do you mean by
that?"
Finishing his supper in silence he
rose from the table, picking up the
carving knife as he did so, and went to-
ward his wife. He threw his left arm
careSSingly around her neck, while the
wicked blade cleaned in his right hand.
The poor wife, unused to such careSSes,
looked into his face in frightened kind
of way. -...'.'
"You had better give me that knife,
Matthew" said the aunt (who was pres
enD reaching for it.
damn you, take it," said Busch, and
with quick movement, he cut her hand
w puO OOliCs lhOll, WlGiiOuO
word, he turned toward his wife, whose
pale face was still upturned to his, and,
catching her hair in one hand, bent her
head back and drew the sharp blade
| clear across her throat. The warm
| blood spurted clear across the room, and,
as the murderer relaxed his grasp, the
| poor woman rose to her feet,
threw up her hands, staggered
forward two steps and fell to the
floor. The aunt rushed from the
room. Busch sat down and took up his
child, three years of age. One moment
more would probably have been the
little ones last, but just then two Off
GERS, attracted by the screams of the
| fleeing aunt, burst in the door. Seated
in chair was Busch with his three
| year-Old child on his knee and in his
right hand a carving knife. from which
the blood was dripping. ''See, see,"
laughed the child, pointing to the shin
ing knife, as the officers entered. With
curse, Busch threw the child to one
side and dropped the knife to the floor
Then, without another word, he rose
and watched the officers as they bent
| over the body of his wife, feeling the
pulse which had already stopped. The
little child began to cry, and the officers,
taking Busch by the arm, led him from
the house to the station. Busch is an
unattractlve looking fellow, gray eyes
peer from brow wrinkled with a
seemingly perpetual scowl. He refused
to talk when taken to the station.