Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-22
LIFE TENN FOR KUHNI.
Dane County Murderer Enters Plea of
Guilty.

LII Ia l. uItWA IOIO IN u llNls
Dane County Murderer Enters Plea of
Guilty.
MADISON, Wis, Jan. i6.-John Kuhni,
who murdered William Christian in the
town of Primrose. on December II, 1888,
to-day pleaded guilty of the crime and
was sentenced to life Imprisonment.
The crime was the most atrocious ever
committed in Dane County, and at the
time attracted widespread attention.
Christian was cheesemaker, and with
himlived John, or Hans, Kuhni. About
December %, 1883, two boys, while
fishing on a creek near the cheese fac
tory, found sack in the water. They
opened it and found therein portions of
human body. Christian and kuhni
were missing and evidences Of murder
were found in the factory. It was
found that Christian had been killed,
his body cut in small pieces, part
of the remains burned, part placed in
sack and thrown in the creek, and
others packed in a valise and carried
away by the murderer. Kuhni was
traced to Philadelphia, whence he had
sailed for Europe. A cablegram to
after long struggle with English law
he was brought back for trial. He has
since been in jail.
It has been the theory of the counsel
for the defense that Kuhni was insane
when he killed Christian. It developed
to-day that just prior to the opening of
the November term of court the prison
er's two lawyers and physician called
at the Jail to get the MUIR
derer's story of the killing.
At that time Kuhni made
q full confession of the crime. This was
the first statement he made regarding
the crime and his first admission that
he killed Christian. The confession has
been religiously guarded by those who
received it, and until to-day not even
the fact that the murderer had told the
story was known.
Kuhni's story shows that his crime
was horrible one. 1t was told with a
view to showing that he was religious
fanatic, and that his crime was COM
mitted while laboring under religious
excitement. He said that for some
time prior to the day of the murder
Christian had rldiculed his (Kuhni's)
religious notion, and had laughed ut
him for reading the bible. On the
night of December IL, Kuhni SAYS.
he was reading his bible at his
bedside before retiring, as was his Gus
tom. Christian again ridiculed him.
They took drink of alcohol and re-
tired, occupying the same bed. Kuhni
says he could not sleep; that Christians
lack or religion troubled him. He lay
OH the bed and pondered over the mat
ter until about Y O'Clock, when he de-
cided to kill his companion. Crawl
ing over Christian and getting out
of bed, Kuhni secured a stick of wood
and struck the sleeping man on the
head. The blow did not kill and even
failed to stun. Christian sprang up in
bed and cried: Don't kill me, John
DIN you, don't do that again % at the
same time springing from the
bed and graphing with his
assailant. They struggled for
some time, Kuhni continuing to
shower blows upon Christians head un-
til finally the man fell to the floor un-
conscious. Kuhni then ended the
mans life by blow on the temple.
Kuhni says he decided to ascertain if
Christians heart was black He secured
an axe and cut off the dead mans head,
and opened the body and removed the
vitals. He lett the mutilated BODY in
that spot until the following night.
The remains, except the heart,
and head. was then carried about halt d
mile and buried. The heart was buried
IN another spot. The head and other
vitaIs were placed in a sack, and thrown
in the creek where they were found.
He then returned to the house and de-
stroyed, SO lar as possible, all traces of
the crime, packed his things. took what
money could be found, and fled
After carefully looking over the con-
tessiOn, Kunni's lawyers became con-
vinced that while the story OF the kill
ing was true, that part of it relating
to the causes was fabrication
intended to strengthen the plea of in
sanity. 1t was considered by them to
be very weak, and Kuhni seems also to
have arrived at the conclusion that it
would not save him. He to-day asked
TO be taken into court and given an op-
portunity to plead guilty. This was done
without tormality.
In sentencing the prisoner, Judge
Bennett. who occupied the lsench in
Judge Slebecker's place, read the MUIR
derer severe lecture on the enormity
of the crime committed, and conclud ed
by adding to the sentence that the
first two days of the prisoners
incarceration be passed in solitary con-
fnement. as should each 18th day of De-
Gem Der Of his term. Kuhni received
the sentence stolidly.
The prisoner was taken to Waupun
this afternoon