New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-08
AHATCHET A DEALS DEATH.
MYSTERIOUS MURDER OF A DRUG CLERK.
THE ASSASSIN ESCAPES WITHOUT LEAVING THE
SLIGHTEST oLEw.

sLIGHTEsT cLEw.
A mysterious and brutal murder was committed
yesterday in the drug store Of Otto Doepfner, at
No s37 Thirdlvc., and, as the assassin escaped
without leaving any clew TO his identity, the
police may never be able TO unravel the mystery
Of the crime The murdered man was Gunther
Wechsung, an unmarried German, about twenty
nine years old He had been in the employ Of
DOepfner three years, and did not know that he
had an enemy in the world. He slept at night
IN small room in the rear of the drug store. Be-
tween bis room and the prescription counter was
a reception room with q lounge in it. Back OF
his room, but not connected with 1t by any door,
was larger room, in which Doepfner slept.
Alta M yesterday Willie Grulich, boy who
runs errands and sweeps out the drug store rang
the bell Of the front door. and Wechsung got out
Of bed to open the door. Willie went behind the
prescription counter and hung up bis overcoat.
Some OF Wechsungs clothes lay on the lounge IN
the reception room, where the clerk usually un-
dressed himself The bedroom was only large
enough to hold tie bed. Willie noticed that
the bed was In the rumpled condition in which
Wechsung usually left it, Nobody was In the
room then. As Wochsung sat down on the lounge
to finish dressing himself for the day. the boy
went ont to get some rolls for breakfast at
neiehborinR bakery He heard Wechsung whist
ling lively air as he passed out OF the drug store.
Fifteen minutes later, while the lad was loung-
| ing in the bakery, IL. McCreery, plumber, whose
shop Is in the basement went upstairs TO the slde-
1 walk and entered the drugstore to get some
melioine that he had ordered on Wednesday. See
inr nobodv IN the store, he called out: Wech-
sung. are You there 2o From behind the prescrlp-
| ton counter came faint reply. McCreery d1o
not catch the words but he waited, thinking
| that Weehsung was busy dressing. Pretty soon
stranger entered the store in quest OF meuic'no'
| McCreery impatiently tapped tho hoor win MS
foot, and called out sgain; Wechsung you arc
| wanted herel" lie heard faint moan tnat mauo
him suspect the drug clerk was SICK etepp'ns
behind the counter, he saw Wecnsuhs s0eC'.sN ~
out on the Hoof in front oil the lounge WIN nlo
head badly injured. McCreery's shout Tor help
called the other customer behind the counter, and
tbev lfsed the wounded clerk from the hoor ana
laid him, unon the lounge When Willie Grulich
yap IN little later he was sent to call the ponce.
Wecbsine wns able 70 speak, although his nead
had been hacked on the top in several places anu
his s,,ull was broten in. The fingers OF DIS rIshV
| hand had been cut of. On the foor was iounu
| the weapon with which the assassin hao oea'
| ,he murderous blows. 1t was hatcheh sueh ID
| Is ,sed for cutting up kindling wood, With an
| a6o, ,,ve inches wide and handle Ioot Ih
iono,h T. was new, and probably had been
rrrcbased expressly for the murder The sharp
steel had been turned at the eusc
H. contact with Wechsungs skull In few bro
| ken sentences Weehsung said he was ntong on
abe lounge and bending over to On ne e, ms hs SesS
f,,nes when the blows began TO fan on MS 1eau. s
~ as,, mn his hand 70 protect his head and MS
| fingers wen cut by the next blow inca ne En
/ 70 the door. stunned and dazed, ana WIS unaoS S
l 40 rise again He did not see his assallanC anu
| he had not heard football before inc nrs' DiO"
wa A. s ambulance carried Wechsung, % bellevue
HospitaA The surg ons togk scvSfs eat .he wound
/ in the tor Of his head had been made oy at ieass
| = dorm blows with the Ratchet lie was aoie 70
talk little after the opessaonb the ous person who
struck him and he did not Know any rgason @ t. ~.
the ASSAULT he died at p m, wnlle InspscySos .Ss
WaIjams Sergeant Price and the deteeuves Oh ILs
Tssntv -tbird Precinct were making efforts 70 nnd
| some nerson who had seen the assassin enter anu
| depart from the drag store. - -,..,, hgs
Doepfner was asleep IN ms own IooT1 Iv,TI,e crns
| oIcrs Jgas struck down in the store: wine Sru-
| iJ.h had not noticed any stranger hanging soouo
| the place when he started to get tne [ohs tor
! Wechsung's breakfast McCreery ana tne otnea sa
cnstoner had not eau ght sight Of the assassin, VINO
| MA done his bloody work in the brief 1nterveI
| between the departure of the boy and edcCTeery
entrv. One feature Of the murder at nrsS iookso
BIKE explanation had Inc Contained SasSUn only y fee few dol
haa 2een ssdhlv thief had watched his chance
10 enter and strike down the clerk Tor the SAKE =,
the money However, the detectives were ncrneo 81
| 10 think that the robbery was only phhd "
| cover mn the real motive for the murder
Wechsnne's coat was found on the door IL had
been engbed In several places with the nhtcneb. as
| Wschshn0 AID not have his coat on when ne was
| assanlted the detectives thought the gashes in
| tbe rarfnent explained how the person VINO com
mitted such murder could emerge from the store
without any bloodstans on ms oi9snes 70 ns;, sSSSS
| bad tbrown the coat over Wechsungs head oetore
| the blows were struck with the hatchet At tne
same time the coat would eoncsai Iie , Sa;ias
| faoe and uroyent recognition II the blows ialled
to kill u,.,,h.. -
| the Laederlranz Society lie was lnterestsd IN
several election contests in the society," and also
talked freely about the recent interference OF the
| poIiee about the soGetys ball lie .ls>incnhed 10
believe that the blows which killed bis clerk were
intended for his own head Altn0ngn ne vas y, he ny
| enemv he was not willing 10 mention any names
! exceut 20 the detectives in confde nee some OF
said Ss n stose and while they
were ready 70 believe that the assassin wished to
| kin him, they thought robbery was the motVe 1or
| the crime Some persons suspected young uru-
Hcb also beoause the lad had been 80 long absent
| from the drug store and had not purchased the
| rolls at Henry Steiners bakery, on the opposite
| corner but had gono 10 place at distance.
| Steiner however, had some valuable 1nforma-
| ton abont the probable assassin. He said no
| saw weJl.dressed man knock at the drug store
door at a little before a. H. and falling to get
in that way, pass into the side door ryn, which is
| orens frorn a narrow hnll at the rear OF which
Il M a door leading into the room behind the drug
gists prescriphon counter. Steiner said the
stranger carried hatchet in hs nana % wnen me ne
! desorintion Of the man Il was learned that Wech-
sung waS ont late on Wednesday night and was
drinking freely before he went to his room to get
some rest ife NAV have gone into the drug
| store through the rear door and left the door
unfastened.
4 LONG SERIES OF ROBBEETES