, 1888-11-13
DOUBLE MURDER.
A Wealthy Banker and His
Wife Cruelty Murdered.
The Terrible Deed Committed
Through Petty Spite.
An Assassin Ends His Life
With a Razor.
Horrible Murder.

WINoNA, ILL.,, Nov. 12.-EarlY this
morning this town was thrown into a fever
heat of excitement over the murder of
Peter Howe, a wealthy banker, and his
wife, aged 70 and 60. About half a mile
from the business part of the city stands
the Howe residence, a large two story
frame structure. Here lived the aged
couple with one domestic. At 6 o'clock
this morning as she came down stairs the
reflection from the lamp she carried shot
through the open door of Mr.. and Mrs.
Howe's bedroom and revealed a CHASTITY
sight. The walls and bedclothes were
covered with blood, and lying on the COW
erlet was a car coupling pin to which
adhered hair and clotted blood. The girl
ran to communicate the terrible story to
Irwin, Mr.. Howe's son-in-law. The latter
at once suspected Charles Burkhart Of
committing the deed and a watch was at
once placed on the rooms where he resided
with his wife over a grocery store in the
principal business block of the city. Burk-
hart was observed walking up and down
the hallway apparently in great agitation.
1t was not long until he discovered that
sentinels had been posted on the outside,
duu nC mGuU luIO lie DCuIUOul, DTOCuTGu Il
razor and cut his throat from ear to ear
and was a dead man inside of five min
utes. His wife, who had been in an adj
joining room, heard his dying means and
entering the room he requested her as best
he could to care for baby"
The cause OF this terrible deed is attrib-
uted to petty spite on the part of Burk-
hart. The domestic in the house, Sarah
Richardson, a handsome lass of 10, and
Burkhart's step daughter, had often been
i%mportuned to come and live with him,
but she refused to do so, and he thought
the Howes were at the bottom OF her OBJ
j%ections. He therefore concluded to muir
der them. Some time during the early
hours of the morning he went out aud Sc
curing a ladder entered the second. story
window, descending to the room where the
fearful crime was committed. There was
nothing taken from the room, Burkhart's
only desire being murder.
Peter Howe, the murdered man, has
been a resident of Winona nearly thirty
years, and amassed a fortune here of
$3.50, 900. He was very charitable, 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 a college for the education of
INDECENT persons of both races.
The murdered wife is the sister Of Geo.
Parks of Magnolia, a millionaire. Burk-
hart, the murderer, was a dissolute,
drunken fellow and very dangerous when
under the influence of liquor.
Citizens of Winona emphatically ex-
press themselves that had not Burkhart
committed suicide they would have
lynched him. Sheriff Morrisey of Ottawa
with three deputies arrived on the scene
at noon, apprehensive of a d~ificultyof this
kind, but the desperate man chose death
rather than being taken alive.
The coroner this evening obtained a
statement from the domestic, Sarah
Richardson. She said that her step
father, Burkhart the murderer, came to
the house last night. He did his fendish
work down stairs and then came to her
room, told her what he had done, and
after an attempt to ravish her, lett the
house. She lay all night, not daring to
give an alarm lest he waYlay and murder
her. Apparently the assassin's motive,
aside from revenge, was to enable his
s~tep.daughter to come into a sum of
money promised her by the old people
provided she would stay with them dur
ing their life time. 1t would seem that
the murderer bad the crazy idea that with
the girl once in possession of this money
it would be an easy matter for him to Sc
cure it.