Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-02
WILLIAM MILLER'S DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
He Stabbed Hia Sweetheart to Death and
Then Shot Himself

| Then Shot Himself
Minna Rauhauser, a pretty German girl, liv-
| ing in fiat ut 207 West 66tb street, New York,
was stabbed to death by William Miller, her
| lover, on Friday last His body was found the
next day sitting bolt upright against tree on
the brink OF the Palisades. between Fort Lee
and Coytesville, with bullet hole in his
! temple, two ugly stab wounds in his throat and
three small cuts directly over his heart APP
parent!y he had fed directly to New Jersey
after locking the door upon his lonely victim
in the little fat. Beside HIM lay 32-caliber
American bulldog revolver and a paper con-
tanning several cartridges. Two morning papers
were spread out before him, from one OF which
he had carefully torn out the story OF his crime.
Minna Rauhauser was seventeen years old
and WAS known AS the pre.tiest girl in the
neighborhood. She had light brown hair. blue
eyes and regular features. Miller had few
friends He was treated by tho Hauhausers as
one OF the family. He worked for Strauch
Brothers. piano action makers, in Little West
l2th street. John iauhauser worked in a shop
across the street from the factory and Rose
Rauhauser worked down town. John left the
mouse friday morning at o'clock, Miller at
clock and Rose between and y. Mrs Rau-
hauser, the mother of the family, had been
away from home since Sunday on q visit and
Mlnn8 was alone.
THE CHASTITY DISCOVERY.
On Friday night when Rose came home and
discovered tine corpse she found on the bureau
Ill the room which she occupied with Minna
pitcher containing pint OF milk, partly
emptied whisky bottle and two glasses that had
been used. Miller doubtless brought the whisky
In and made milk punches for himself and
Mlnna. There was every evidence of a struggle
on the bed and the blood found there looked as
~ had r<,1
Is probable that the first blow severed Al artery
The rest of the story of the struggle is told
by the wounds OH her body and by the trail of
blood through the house. 1t led from the bed
into the room used as dining and sitting
room, all around that and into the hall. Every
thing In the room was sprinkled with blood.
The trail led finally into tho other bed room
the dark little room where the body was found.
The clothing on that bed, too, was twisted and
rumpled. The girls own clothing torn
and there were the marks Of bloody fingers on
the underclothing. She kept up the struggle
here perhaps tor two minutes. and in that time
the three other gashes that nearly severed her
head from her body were made.
She defeated the mans purpose, the doctor
said yesterday, if his purpose was anything but
deliberate murder. After she died the MUIR
derer pulled the bed clothing half up over her
| and hid his knife by her side underneath the
clothes. He then went deliberately to work
and changed his clothes and washed the blood
from himself and redressed in clean clothing.
THE MURDERER's DELIBERATE ACTIONS.
Mrs. George Smithwick said that she was 60
ing through the hallway at about o'clock in
the morning and she saw Miller come out of the
apartment, lock the door and hang the key on
a nail in the closet in the hall, where members
of the family always hung it. He did not ap-
pear to be in the least disturbed and there was
nothing in his action to create suspicion. He
has do har fy,o oh fyl
walked of. What direction he took she does
not know.
The theory that jealousy was the motive for
the murder is strengthened by Rose Rauhauser.
She says that in the six years that Miller had
| lived with the family he had watched Minna
continually. He hated to see her in the COM
pany of any men. When he saw her speak to a
| man he would ask her what she had said, and
he made practice of reading all the letters she
| wrote. ..My sister looked on him as n big
BROTHER" Rose said, that was oil. But he
seemed to think more Of her than a brother.
She never told me he had asked her to marry
him. ] am very sure she would have refused
him if he had. Once in while he had fl Is Of
insomnia and then he would say he guessed he
init suicide
Rose Rauhauser also said that Miller read the
papers TO them evenings and took great delight
in reading stories of murdered women. He
used to remark then: "Oh. Minna, what should
do If you were ever murdered?'
He did not drink much and spent nearly all
of his time in the house.
He taught Minna to play on the piano. Rose
said she was surprised not to find him lying dead
by her sisters side. She was sure he had killed
himself.
Miller had asked Minna to be his wife, but
she had refused. He was earning only $40
week and SIS of this he paid for board The
slight prospect before him Of being able to
make a home for himself and to induce Minna
to share it and the determination that she
should marry no one else impelled him to the
double tragedy