St. Paul daily globe., 1890-12-30
The Boy Breathes His Last
Uttering Curses for His
Father.
Minnie Reher Also Very Low,
and May Die Of Her In
juries.
Thrilling Story Of the Check
cred Lives Of the HAS
sorted Lot.
Special to the Globe.

correspondent has just returned from
the scene of the atrocious murder and
suicide which occurred near Carlisle,
fifteen miles from this city, Saturday
night. The horror of the tragedy was
even greater than was described in the
dispatch sent last night. Henry Reher,
son of the murderer, is expected to die
any moment from exhaustion and loss
OF blood, and his wounded sister is in a
precarious condition, more from mental
agony and terror than from the direct
effect of the bullet wound in her shoul-
der. The cabin of the Reher family
was sur rounded by an eager crowd of
perhaps fifty persons, ali of them
anxious to get sight of the hor-
rols of which they had been
told. while others were constantly ar
rlving with teams or on foot. News
like this spreads with astonishing
rapldlty, even in the country, and some
OF those present had driven fifty miles
since daybreak to see the cabin and
corpses and to gossip about the crime.
The bodies of Carl Reher, the murderer.
aud of Mrs. Reher were stretched side
by side on biers improvised from boards,
waiting the arrival of cOffins from
Breckenridge. Their son lay in Mr..
Schomann's house. two miles across the
prairie. Inside the cabin very little had
been done to remove the traces of the
tragedy. Everything was smeared and
covered with great red splashes, awful
In their Significance, and several gar
mentS
Soaked Through and Through
with blood had been kicked care
lessly under a bed. The place looked
more like a butchers shambles than
an abode of civilized beings. Outside
large group gathered about spot in tie
field where the frozen ground was req
with blood which-had frozen on it. This
was where Reher made his final on
slaught upon his wife and finished her.
The woman's body showed the effects
Of his wild lage in nearly fifty cuts and
gashes, several of which were neces-
sarily fatal wounds. A trail of blood
led from this spot to the house, showing
where the woman painfully dragged
herself after receiving her death
wounds. All the surroundings of the
place showed lack of thrift-the house
tumble-dOwn structure with bundles
of rags stuffed into some of
the windows, the barns with straw
roofs full of holes, the door yard Uttered
Wlth garbage OF every kind. The
Rebers are reported to have some
money, but their home showed little
evidence of it. The family has hard
reputation in the, neighborhood. The
son had been under arrest more than
once for various crimes and misdemean-
ors, the mother was accused of a lack
OF honesty and willingness to receive
the society of other men than her hus-
band, and one of the daughters has
bad reputation. The father, from all
testimony, was the best behaved mem
Der of the family, and the neighbors
had little to say against his character,
except that he was always
sour and churlish. So far as
could be learned the only dl-
rect cause of his awful crime was law
suit brought against him three or four
weeks ago by Henry Schomann, the
neighbor previously referred to, in
which the son, Henry Reher, gave evil
dence against his father, which the lat
ter claimed was false. The suit was de-
cided against Reher. and it was imme-
diately after quarrel following this IN
which the other members of the family
sided with Henry
Against His Father.
that the latter left home and went to the
village of Elizabeth to open shoe shoD.
1t is surmiSed that he brooded over his
supposed wrongs until they became so
great in his eyes that he determined to
kill his whole family and then end
his own life:, If his aim had
not one of the family would
now be alive. The youngest dauhgter,
rather a good-looking girl, told her
story of the affair as follows: ~ was
talking with Mary" she said, when
the door opened and pa walked in. He
scared me, he looked so fierce. but he
| spoke so pleasantly that l thought it
was all right. He came to the table and
patted mother on the back and said he
had brought her a present. and laid
down bottle of whisky and some pack
ages of candy. And Ive got some more
for you,' said he. l was watching him
because l was always afraid, and he
scoWled so when he said that that got
near the door. Then the shooting be-
gan, and ran out and hid in the straw
pile. oh. it was awful.'
She could not be induced to tell the
other details of Reher's final assault
on his wife when he found her creeping
across the prairie. The coroner of Will.
kin county has visited the scene, but de-
cided that an inquest was unnecessary.
The funeral of the victims and MUIR
derer will occur to-day.
The Third Death.
Henry Reher died from his wounds
| and the loss of blood late Sunday after
noon at the home of Henry Schomanp.
| where he was being cared for. His last
words were in eXecration of his father.
The wounds of Minnie Reher are more
serious than first supposed, and she
may yet make the fourth victim of Carl
| Reher's tinsane rage. She was
| shot in the arm as we'll
as in the back, and lost
so much blood that recovery is doubt
| full. Additional facts have come to
| light to-day to help explain the motive
| of Reher's terrible crime. Among other
things the following is told: Twoyears
| ago Fred Kurth, one of Reher's bitter
| enemies, who lives in the same neigh
borhood, lost his buildings, hay and
| grain by fire. Circumstances pointed
! strongly to ReheI as the incendiary.
| The Insurance company settled with
| Kurth for the loss and sued Reher for
damages, and secured large judgment
| against him. To evade this Judgment
Reher made over his property to his
wife. The latter and her son worked
the farm and, in time, paid the judg-
ment. After that the old man
tried to get the properly back.
but the wife refused to give IT
up. This was Ine cause of MANY
bitter qnsrrels. The son and others of
INrv frA A-+-- d., III, Il