The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-01-06
A FOUL CRIME.
Layton Leetch Murdered His Wife
Brutally Assaulted and at the Point
of Death.

|
ing. The victims are Layton Leetch and
his wife, married about two years ago, young
and highly respected, living on their farm
one mile east and one-half mile south of this
village. While both are yet living at this
hour 1t is declared impossible that either can
survive their injuries. The murderer seems
to be farm hand named Burns.
About o'clock this morning as Thomas
Sturgis, hay-presser, went to arrange for
the days work at the premises adjoining the
Leetch homestead, he heard faint cry of
murder from the yard. Going there he
found Mrs. Leetch lying I'm the snow only
partly conscious and learned that dread
full crime had been committed.
The face and person of Mrs. Leetch
showed evidences of the most brutal treat
ment. She had been shot through the side
of the neck with a charge of fine shot tear
ing handful of flesh and leaving a gaping
wound. The face had been pounded until
twas mass of bruises and quivering flesh.
Her clothing was torn and bloody.
In whispered words the lady related to
sympathizlng neighbors, WHO quietly assem-
bled, the terrible story. which has also been
obtained by the authorities rs an ante NOR
! tenn statement.
Sunday evening about six O'Clock the man
working for Mr.. Leetch on the farm told
|
| low log near the barn and asked him to go
out and help get them. The two went out.
| The man came back in few moments
alone. Mrs LeetCh asked him where her
| husband was. Instead of answering he
struck Mrs. Leetch a sudden and unexpected
blow. So violent that she lost consciousness
OF what followed for the next twelve hours,
she can scarcely remember anything.
| SIGNS OF STRUGGLE.
The blood which drenched the carpet and
| Spattered the walls; the broken lamp and
disarranged furniture shows that there
must have been mad struggle. The
| charge of shot which went into the wall be-
hind Mrs. Leetch shows where she was shot
| but she does not remember hearing any re-
| port The marks of blood in all parts of
the house indicate q search for plumber after
the deed was committed and preparation for
| hasty flight, supposing both victims were
dead Mrs. Leetch in her conscious mo-
ments after being discovered remembered
| the mad struggle, the confusion,/ the blind
| cropping about tie house and through the
| snow outside, the weary waiting and wan
dering, the half conscious efforts TO find as
sistance through the long night, AS only the
confused part of horrible dream.
| The house is only few rods from q main
| highway and has close neighbors on each
| side.
Mrs. Leetch stated that she did not know
where her husband was, not having seen
him since the evening before. A party in
Guiding Mr.. Leetcl's father started out to
look for him.
Opening the door OF the basement of the
bars, they were Mortified to see lying close
by an open door in the rear the body of Lay
ton Leetch. The ground around was spat-
tered and clotted with blood. His cap lay
at little distance. BY his side Jay an AK,
the bit and the handle bathed and spattered
with blood The skull had been cleft just
behind the forehead TO TIE depth OF one inch.
His face was pounded and bruised so as to
be almost unrecognizahe. He had lain up
OH the ground all night, and yet was alive.
lie has not as yet had q moment of con-
sciOusness and probably never will anl 81
the details of the struggle are unknown.
MAY HAVE MARKED HIS MURDERER.
Mr.. Leetch was strong and powerful
man and If ne received the bruises first can
hardly have failed to leave some mark on
his murderer though Mrs. Leetch failed to
| notice any when he returned to the house.
1t is supposed that Mr.. Leetch had about
$50 on his person and that this was taken by
| the murderer. a watch was missed but
was afterward found on the premises.
The murderer was q stranger in this
vicinity, having worked for Mr. Leetch
about two weeks and boarded in his family
The name by which he was known here was
Burns. He was about twenty-five years
old, weighed 1865 to us pounds, height
about five feet nine inches, had dark brown
hair, very slight sandy mustache, wore
dOuble-breastei Chinchlla overcoat, light |
coored striped pants, rubbers and felts.
The father, George S. Leetch, has offered |
reward of 500 for the murderer.
This deplorable affair occurred on the first |
day of the newly elected sheriff of Sha
wassee county, VIM. T.. Jacobs, but at the |
earliest possible moment this forenoon he
appeared on the scene and directed efforts |
for the apprehension Of the murderer with
his usual energy.
Layton Leetch is about thlrty-Gve years
old, has been deputy sheriff of this county, |
was man of mild and noffensive temper |
and he and his wife, Hannah Lowcock, of |
Venice township, this county both belong to |
families widely respected in Shiawassee |
county. --Tribune.
LATER-The husband fingered until |
Tuesday noon, without recovering conscious |
ness, when he died, so the story of his |
struggle with the fend will never be told.
The wife. who was formerly Miss Han |
nah Lawcock. of Venice, and is well known |
in this city, still survives and has told what |
she could of her fight for her life, and fully |
established the identity of the murderer, |
who was tramp who had come to DuraLd |
about month ago from this city, having |
formerly been working for u. Lindsey. in |
New Haven, for a short time. He Is a |
thick-set man about twenty-five years of |
age, with round, red face, small mustache |
and very thick nose. He gave the name of |
Burns, out his right name is said to be Sui |
Ivan and formerly worked in the Flint !
wagon works.
The officers are doing all In their power |
to apprehend him, and the Board of Super |
visors now in session, on Wednesday auth |
Orized the Sheriff to offer reward of $500 |
for his arrest and George Leetch, father of |
the murdered man, offers 500 additional. |
--Jourual