River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-02-21
s->lOOY UeEDS.

$1,000
Mother and Fer Two Daughters Slain 4
at GlenviIle, Mimi. by a Brutal Re /
tative, Who Afterwards Ends His own /
Life "a Michigan Man Murders His 4
Wife and Two Girls, and Fatally shoots /
Himself
CHENILLE Mimi, Feb. S-JOseph, Chem /
eleck Friday night killed three persons and /
then committed suicide by shooting himself /
through the head The motive Tor the /
triple murder is involved in doubt About /
Il o clock Friday evening Chemeleck went to /
the residence OF NJ /. ChemeIeck, his half /
brother, 70 spend she evening About II /
o'clock he picked up his hat and went T
out of doors 1t was expected that he
was going 20 return, but instead OF coming
back he went to his father home and pro-
cured a double barreled shot gun He went (
back 10 NJ l. Chemeleck 5 and secreted him 4
self in a grove near the house. About mid I
night Mary Chemeleck aged .. and her sister f
Rose, aged II, stepped out of doors, and a /.
few minutes later two reports were 4
heard The father rushed to the door and /
and as he opened it Mary and Rose stood on T
the steps. the blood trickling down their I
faces We have been shot by Joe Cheme-
leck = exclaimed Rose as she fell faintiug
TO the floor 4 half-witted boy was scnt
for help. and, not returning, the father
went in search of aid As soon as he had
left the house Joe Chemeleck entered
and going upstairs shot down the
mother of the girls. Mary, who
was half dead from loss of blood, managed
TO get out of the door, and arefooted and
half-clad made her way a 4lf-mile through
the snow to a neighbors there she fell TO
the floor dead The mu ferer, after COM
plotting his bloody work, 7. she'd cut of the
house into the yard where 9ices from the
road caused him to halt 5, eng that es-
cape was impossible, he placed a revolver
TO his temple and sent bullet through his
brain
The girl Rose died shortly after midnight
and the bodies of the two girls and their
mother were taken to an upper room TO
await the action Of the coroner. The muir
derers body lay all day where he had killed
himself and until Saturday evening, when
it was picked up and taken to his fathers
house.
AWFUL CRIME IN MICHIGAN.
TEcUMsEH Mich Feb. 1s-One of the
most terrible crimes ever enacted in Michi-
gan took place Saturday night at this place.
Frank l.. Silvers, prominent horse breeder
and well known citizen, shot his wife his
two daughters aged and II years, respect
lively and ended the awful deed by shoot
| ing himself
The crime was not discovered until Sun
day morning. About 10 o'clock some of the
neighbors noticed that the curtains of the
Silvers house were closely drawn and that
| there was no sign OF life about the place
Their curiosity was excited, and after wait
ing for an hour it was decided to inyesti-
gate. An axe was procured and the rear
door was forced open.
The kitchen was deserted The dining
door stood md nch
ing it open the party entered the parlor,
! where a horrible sight met their gaze.
| There upon the floor near the stove,
full dressed and with her CLASSY eyes
staring at the ceiling, lay the body
of Mrs Silvers in a pool of blood But if
this was not calculated TO torrity more
terrible one was in store for the investigat-
ors After searching the lower part of the
house they wended their way up stairs En-
tering a small bed room directly above the
parlor. they found the Lodies OF the two
little girls only few feet apart while at
the foot of the bed lay the form of Mr.. Sill
vers weltering in blood, and with life
most extinct. The victims had al been shot
| through the temple, and with the exception
of Mr. Silvers, all had died instantly.
The murder was carefully planned and
coolly and Systematically executed, Early
Saturday evening Mr. Silvers entered hard
ware store and bought 32-caliber revolver
of the Smith & WessOn pattern and box OF
cartridges. He betrayed no agitation, and it
was supposed that he intended TO use the
weapon in shooting rats He walked around
town awhile after making his purchase and
spoke with several of his friends in his Gus
tomary free hearted easy manner. He re-
turned home about 5 clock, and as the
bodies of his victims were cold when fOundit
is supposed that he shot them before retir-
ing and did not take his own life until sew
eral hours later This theory is strength
ened by the fact that the neighbors were
stirring very early in the morning and
would undoubtedly have heard the shots
had they been fired at that time.
Frank Silvers came e.e about ten years
ago He belonged TO a highly respected
! family and was raised on a farm about four
miles north of here He married a Miss
Sheppard in Lynn, n. Y, and had been liv-
ing in the house where the tragedy occurred
for nearly ten years.
Those who have known the family say
that Mr. and Mrs. SiIvers were a seemingly
happy and affectionate pair They went
out together frequently and their
home seemed bright and cheerful al
WAYS. The little girls were I'M
commonly pretty and attractive, and,
taken al ia all, the family seemed to be
one of the happ1esU that could be found
any where. This being the case no
cause can be ascribed for the crime.
note was found in Mr. Silvers pocket
requesting his friends to break open
the safe and find directions for the disposal
of his property and keepsakes The note is
written in a bold steady hand and in it the
writer declares that the reason for the
dreadful crime will never be known. The
coroner is at work on the case but no clew
to the cause of the tragedy has been OBJ
tanned and the crime bids fair to prove one
of the most mysterious rs it is one of the
! most atrocious ever committed in Michigan
AN AWFUL FATE.