Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-02-07
THE STATE.
A FRIGHTFUL AFFAIR.
Triple Murder Attempted-A Woman
KilIed-Her Husband and Grand
daughter Wounded.
Robbery the Motive.

About eight miles from Lansing in the
township of Delhi, on forty acre tract
situated some eighty rods back through the
woods from the road, Christian II. Stochal,
aged 80, for five years has lived with his
wife and son Fred. He was apparently at
peace with all the world. With the family
also lived their motherless grandchild,
Minnie Faltz, l3 years old. She attended
the German Lutheran school in Lansing
during the week, returning TO her grand
parents on Friday evenings. They were
poor honest, hardworking Poles and lived
after the manner of their race. Their
house was rude log cabin consisting of
but one room with an unfinished loft
overhead. The furniture consisted of a
dilapidatcd cook stove, two rude cots, n
table and few wooden chairs, the whole
worth less than twenty five dollars. The
loft was reached by ladder In clean
to- at the rear Of the house was a quantity
of farm produce and implements, while
further back stood u rude matched shed
which sheltered their only horse, and
which was surrounded by II barnyard con-
tanning two small couple of cows.
Five years ago when the Stochals bought
the place il had just been cleared, and since
then every energy and every dollar had
gone to improve and pay for il. The son
Fred had helped his parents in their strug
giles and was apparently dutiful and faithful
Having paid for the place their next object
was TO build barn. They had recently
sold several head Of catt'e and from this
and other sales had saved $l35.
Saturday night, Jan. 26 at o'clock Min
ME had retired 10 cot in one corner of the
room, her grandfather being asleep in am
other cot. The grandmother was disrobing
when gun was discharged through the
window. The charge struck Mrs. Stochal
in the breast. At the report Minnie raised
up in bed, when there was another shot,
and this time Minnie received glanciug
charge across her breast. arms and face.
The wounded and terror stricken grand
mother, looking for place of safety. called
TO the child TO climb up into the loft. She
did so and Mrs. Stoch1l followed. AS the
latter's hands were on the top round OF the
ladder another charge struck her in the
back, just below the first wound, and she
fell 10 the floor below.
At this juncture the old man. aroused By
the reports, sprang from his bed, and
scarcely awake underworld to take in the
situation. Another shot, doubtless intend
ed for him, was fired. 1t missed its mark,
however, bat few stray shots struck him
below and above the right eye, but not de-
Stroying the sight.
The old man started to give the alarm.
and as he passed through the barnyard, he
saw the assassin, but was not observed by
the latter, and recognized him. The child
ventured down from the loft and, lighting
lantern, walked TO the house of Charles
Grant,, half a mile south.
Deputy Sheriff Cook and Coroner Ben
nett of Lansing were te!egraphcd TO from
Holt and went 20 Stochals place. 1t re-
CURED very little time 10 convince them
who the murdurer was almost beyond the
possibility Of q doubt.
August Tanto, 10 years old, who is well
acquainted with the Stochals, the day be-
fore the murder borrowed Winchester re-
peating rife of Amasa Turner who lives
four miles from Lansing and near TantO's
parents. Young TautO filled the cham her
of the gun with cartridges, loaded with bird
shot, and went to Stochal's where he re-
uained from to o'clock in the afternoon.
He then left, saying he was going TO Chas.
Grant, house. but instead the officers
found that he had hid behind "A haystack ten
rods from the cabin, TO which he afterwards
returned by circuitOus route, as shown
by the tracks. Outside the window were
found two empty shells, and one loaded,
which cOrrespouded exactly with shells
Tanto had secured at Turner's. The muir
dercr stood so near the window in firing the
fatal shots that the sashes were burned by
the powder
After the shooting Tanto went to Holt
Station, three miles away, and bought a
ticket for Mason, going south on the . 30
Michigan Central passenger train. a tele-
graph operator of whom he purchased the
ticket has fully identified him by a descrp-
ton since furnished. TGnto is Of medium
height, round, German-lOoking face, ana
slight sandy mustache, with bushey hair
brushed up under his cap.
Fred Stochal, the .0-year-oid son Of the
murdered woman, came to Lansing the day
before the murder was committed and
stayed with friends there. He has been
arrested and detained on suspicion Of being
implicated with Tanto in evolving the
crime. He evincod no emotion whatever
wheu informed of his mothers death, and
absolutely denied, at first, knowing anyone
by the name Of Tanto, but afterwards ad-
mitted that he knew the whole family and
had been acquainted with Augustsince they
yypto children