St. Paul daily globe., 1890-12-19
IS STILL MYSTERIOUS.
No More Light Shed Upon the
Spearman Murder at
Shakopee.
The Supreme Court Of South
Dakota on Original
Packages.
It Holds That Such Bundles
Do Not Signify a
GroWlep.
Fargo Citizens Say There Is
Nc Destitution in Dick
ey County.
srecial to the Globe.

Erecial to the Globe.
SHAKoPEE, Minn., Dec. 1S.-When
our report of the Spearman murder
was sent yesterday the bodies had not
been moved or examined, except by
looking upon them as they lay where
they fell. As no sign of violence was
visible upon the body of MI. Spearman,
and he sat peacefully in his chair. with
his feet crossed upon the stove hearth,
one hand lying in an easy position
across his lap, the other hanging by his
side, and his head thrown back, with
his eyes closed, it looked as though he
had gone TO sleep in that position, and
quietly slept his life away without a
motion or tremor. Judging from these
first appearances, many thought that he
had killed his wife and grandson and
then taken his own lite with an opiate;
bat in so Judging, terrible injustice
was done to the memory of John Spear
man. Further examination has shown
beyond doubt that instead of being a
murderer he was the first one of the
family to be murdered. Coroner Heis-
cher was in Minneapolis when the crime
was discovered, and was Immediately
telegraphed, Sheriff Weiland in the
meantime placing
Guard Over the House
and permitting nothing to be touched
until the coroner arrived. AS soon as
the coroner returned late last evening
jury was empaneled and the inquest
commenced. The bodies were then
carefully examined, and Oh raising Mr..
Spearman'S head, much to the surprise
of all, it was discovered that he was
shot i'll the back of the neck, the ball
passing through and shattering the yer
tebr@, Severing the spinal cord and
lodging in the trachea. The character
of the wound at once explained his
peaceful attitude. He was sitting by
the kitchen stove with his coat and vest
off, and his bare feet on the stove
hearth, leaning back in his chair, with
his right hand resting upon his lap in
such position that the slightest mo-
ton, or even tremor. as he died would
have shaken it off. No other method of
destroying his life than the sudden sew
ering of the spinal cord, producing in
slant paralysis of the whole body, could
have left him i'll this position. Mrs.
Spearman lay in the adjoining room,
Shot Through the Head.
The ball entered back of her head on
the left side, passing out over the right
temple. She evidently. upon hearing
the shot which killed her husband,
started toward the kitchen and met the
assassin as he entered the sitting room.
There he placed the muzzle of his pistol
close to her head and fired, the ball Just
touching the top of her tight ear, and
sped out through the door leading to
the parlor, through a picture OH the op-
posi1e side of the room and lodged in
the plastering. She then turned to fee,
and was shot in the back of the head.
She was fully dressed. The grandson,
George Russell. was lying in a bed
made up on the floor up stairs, with a
bullet in his head. He was shot also in
the back of his head, the ball passing
through and lodging just under the skin
above the right eye. lie was also fully
dressed, even having his boots on. He
probably, when
The Shooting Commenced,
ran up stairs and jumped into the bed
to hide. but was followed by the assas-
sin and murdered in cold blood to pre-
vent his being witness against~the
murderer. No other reason can be con-
ceived for his murder, Nothing definite
Is known as to when the murders were
committed. The house stands alone in
field, several hundred feet from the
street. and the old couple, while hav-
lng no enemies, rarely visited anv of
their neighbors or received visitors. So
far as known, no one had been to the
house for more than a week. The last
time Mr.. Spearman was noticed on the
street was Thursday, the 18th. The
cause of the crime is known as yet only
to the murderer, or murderers, if there
were more than one. 1t does not look as
though robbery was the object, as thev
never kept much money by them, ali
their money, about $1,000, being
Deposited in Banks.
and the house had not been ransacked
III search for money or valuables. En-
nifty could not have been the cause, as
they had nc enemies so far as known.
and it is difficult to conceive of de-
gree of enmity which could lead to such
wholesale murder, and the peaceful at
tltude of the old man showed there
could have been no alarm or quarrel.
They left six children, five of them
daughters, of whom four are married.
and one son, who is married. Three of
the daughters and the son reside in Min
neapolis, but none had visited their
parents for several weeks or months.
The coroner's jury are still in session,
If the officers have any clue to the per-
petrators of the crime they keep it to
themselves, and 10 the general public
all is mystery. All we know positively
is that one of the most horrible crimes
ever committed has been perpetrated in
our midst, and that no effort will be
spared to detect the assassins. The
city council have to-day offered reward
OF $1,000 for the arrest and conviction OF
fl1p orirOiDaIc