St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-22
He KILLED HIMSELF.
Anton Erpelding Blows Out
His Brains With a So
Caliber Revolver.
He Attempts to Murder OFF,
Ger Mochelle, Who Escapes
Death Miraculously.
The Suicide Also Endeavops
to Kill His Wife and
Child.
A Sacrilegious Wretch Who
Robbed an Altar in
Custody.

Anton Erpeldlng presented nlmSelf
with passport over the river StyX yes
terday afternoon, and took the voyage
with curse upon his lips. Anton En-
peldlng was German, fifty-one years
of age, and his place of residence was at
1901 Third street northeast. About $50
he placed a 3S-caliber revolver to his
right temple, believing when he did so,
that he had killed police officer. and
pulled the trigger. Erpelding. accord
ing to the neighbOrs, was drunkard and
ne'er-do-well. About two years ago he
married a widOW of the same age as
himself. 1t was love match. Had it
not been love match Erpelding would
never nave consented to have taken
brood of seven children at the same
time be took the widow. He was a
labOrer and was employed at the Backus
lumber mill. He had saved up consid-
cradle money. however, and purchased
the two-story house wherein the tragedy
of yesterday occurred.
About two months ago Erpelding
came 10 the conclusion he could not
stand the seven children brought to him
by the widow when he wed her. He
had become the father of one of his
own. and he saw the seven eating up
his child's heritage. So he quarreled
with his wife, and the brood of seven
children took sides with their mother.
He was driven out of the house, so
the ueighbOrs say-and his trunk kicked
after him. When he left the premises
Erpeiding swore that he would be re-
venged, and that in a short time he
would return and shoot his wife and
child. Yesterday afternoon about 3
o'clock he came to the house. He forced
his way into the room where his wife
sat with her child. and demanded to see
her alone in the bedroom.
Mrs. Erpelding was fearful he might
put his threats of revenge into eXecu-
ton and refused to 20 with him. Her
husband was drunk and when he took
her child from her arms and went in to
the bedroom with it, she did not dare to
follow him. Once she went to the door
and asked him for Gods sake to give
her back her child. Erpelding's reply
was to open the door and hold a
revolver to the child's head
and threaten to kill it if
she did not go away. Mrs. Erpelding
rushed out of the house and screamed
for help. Her child was dead. she said,
it. Pa;rOlman Chickeroski, who was on
his beat in the vicinity, was notified,
and he repaired to the house. He went
into the bedroom, where Erpelding was
sitting with the child in his lap. The
room was darkened by heavy curtains,
and when the officer opened the
door ne could see nothing. He
heard the voice of the inmate. however,
and the voice told him to get out as
quickly as possible. for he was about to
shoot. Chickeroski didn't want to be
shot, so he called for the patrol wagon
from the North station. The patrol
came, and with it was Officer Harry
Mochelle. The two went into the house,
and MOchelle concluded to enter the bed
room and bring Erpelding out.
Like Chickeroski. he opened the door,
and was Saluted with:
Get out of here, d-n YOU"
Then two shots were fired from the
pitchy darkness of the room. One of
them landed in the easement of the
door and the other landed somewhere
in the officer, where he did not know at
the time Mochelle closed the door hur-
riedly and remarked to Chickeroskithat
he believed he was shot. The two
stepped on the front porch, when third
shot rang out. Erpelding had evidently
heard the officer say he was shot, coll
Guided he had killed him. and so to
avoid the consequences killed himself.
Erpelding'S aim had been fatal. The
bullet entered the right temple, and
spattered the wall with his brains. The
officers found him lying OH the floor
near the bed, and few moments after
they had dragged him to the adjoining
room he gasped and died.
Mochelle then bethought himself Of
looking out for his own wound. He
could find none, for the bullet had been
stopped in its career in an almost mrac-
ulous manner. 1t had passed through
the officers coat in the right
paper note book carried in the
upper pocket of the vest. There is
black and blue spot the size of silver
dollar on the officers side, where the
force of the bullet had bruised the skin.
Mochelle'S escape from death snacked
of the providential. He found the bat
tered bullet several hours after the
occurrence under the lining of his coat.
Coroner Byrnes was notified of tie
tragedy. After examining the body lie
turned it over to the st. Anthony Be
nevolent society, of which ErpeldI e
had been a member. Mrs. ErpeldiI <
was found with her brood of egl
at the house of a neighbor. whit-
er she had gone to recover from the
shock attendingthe terrible affair. She
said her husband had always treated
her harshly, and for the past two
months she had been in constant terror.
He had often threatened to shoot her,
and, had not Providence ordained that
that he was 70 die first, she was sure her
bloody corpse would have been found
some day.