The morning call., 1891-06-07
MURDER AND
INCENDIARISM.
4 House Set on Fire to Con-
Ceal a Crime.
The Body Of a Sacramento ExpTeSSman
Found In the Ruins With Ills
Skull Crushed.
Special TO THE MORNING CALI.

SACRAMENTO, June b.-AN Oiu man ualHeu
Peyran. sleeping in the house of John Olsen,
on Sixteenth street, between II and l. was
murdered about II O'clock last night and the
house set on fire. After the emberS had
died away in an examination of the rooms of
the house. the outlines oily of which re-
manned marked in the charred rafters which
were standing. there was made most CHASTITY
discovery. There, in the front room, lay the
black and unacceptable body of man.
the z inning skull of which, entirely barred
of flesh, told no story of who the haDless
creature might be. Every bit of clothing
had been burned away and the body was a
horrible sight
The little cottage was the home and
property Of John Olsen. a prosperous Ger
man citizen. who for years has been
street-sprinkIing contractor. Olsen, since
the death of his wife eight or ten years ago,
has lived there alone-that is, he slept
there, but for two years he has taken his
meals downtown. Immediately after the
arrival Of the first train from San Francisco
this morning Mr. Olsen. who had been visit
ing that city, made the following statement
10 Bee reporter:
Il went to San Francisco last Friday, and
intended TO be gone about two weeks Be
fore 1 left I asked my old friend, Philip
Peyran, to sleep in the house until I got
back. BE and l have been close friends.
aud he was very good man. I do not
think Phil had a great deal of money, but
he always made comfortable living and
may have saved a little"
Olsen said he had no doubt, after hearing
the facts, that Peyran had BEEN murdered
Tor purposes Of robbery. and he believes
that the assassins expected to find Olsen
there instead of the cid man.
That Peyran was murdered there appears
10 be no reasonable doubt. The skull OF the
body found in the burned building shows
that it had been struck by a Ratchet or
hammer. and there is little doubt that
the old man was thus murdered, and the
house pnlaged before the scoundrel sought
to cover his awful crime by setting fire to
the house The little front room where
Peyrau's body was found was the apart
ment occupied by Olsen when hstwas a
home, and was the one where the unf0rtu-
nate old man slept last night until his slum-
bers we're awakened for an instant by the
assassin's cOwardly and bloody assault. In
one corner was bed. but when the body
was found not a vestige of the bed-cloEhing
could be discovered, it havingd isappeared In
the flames. How the body came TO be on
the floor and some little distance from
hara tina heG stood j. q uuIaEc
theory Of a struggle with the murderer be
accepted
There were traces of incendiarism notice
able particularly the fact that the odor of
c0al-0I was clearly discernible as if the
duid lad been pretty thoroughly scattered
about the house and some OF it mad not been
completely burned.
There is nothing now known to indicate
that the murderer will ever be discovered.
The fact that the three latest of the great
crimes committed in this city within a short
time were cOnsummated in the same man
ner, by crushing in the skull of the victims
leads some people TO believe that members
OF the same gang were the perpetrators of
all of them, but the officers do not share
this belief.
Philip Peyran, the victim Of last nights
murder, had reached the age of 81 years, In
earlier years he lived in North Bloomfield,
Nevada County, but came here some twenty
or more years ago. He owned an express
wagon, which for long while has stood at
b and Eighth streets. Some years ago his
wife, well-knOwn saleslady in different
local stores, procured a divorce from him.
lie was the father of Miss Belle Peyran, a
teacher in the Sacramento public schools,
and Charles and Philip Peyran Jr. Tie
sons. who are grown men, live. one in the
State Of Washington and the other in San
Francisco. Those who knaw the old man
speak highly of bis habits, his industry and
his integrity. The murdered man has for a
couple OF years lived in the rear of 1908 II
street