The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-05
TRAGEDY IN SOUTH SEATTLE.
An Aged Woman Gagged and Beaten
10 Death With q Piece Of Iron.
The HorrIbie Spectacle That Cosfrontsd
she Victims Son on Restraining Home
His Mother Dead In Her Bleed snd
shs Rocns On Ccnfusion--shs Opened
she Door TO Admis the Demons Whe
Killed Her.

Gers IN the history o. tne cay ~ ~'@
woman. - years Of age, named Charlotte
Fetting, had her brains beaten out with
an iron stove plate, ana her little trunk
was robbed Of the savings OF herself
and son for years. $50 in gold coin ne
nend or Eends who committed the DEED
are unknown, and have probably left the
city with the gold for which grsy-haired
mothers life was sacrificed.
Mrs. Fetiing. with her son Ernest Fet-
ting. lived at the crossing OF the
broad gauge and narrow gauge tracks In
the southern part Of the city, In what Is
know u as the "shsntytoEn" district. They.
are Germans. The son Is tail. innocent
looking man. about 80 years Of age. with
fiaxen hair and blue eyes, and Is wood
cutter.
For the past few days James King, OF
Tacoma. q sonjn-law of Mrs. Fetting. has
been stopping with the mother and son.
He is an Irishman Of good appearance,
about 50 years old. Yesterday even
ing as O'Clock Ernest Fetting
and James King left the little
shack and went 20 the Peoples
theater. They were the last persons who
saw the old lady alive. When they re-
turned at / o'clock this morning they
found the door unlocked and partly open.
Fethng exclaimed. II have been
robbed" King replied that perhaps
- was not so and they went
across 20 the little cabin Of Charles OFT.
stone mason, who lives n short distance
away. They woke the OFT family and got
q match. Returning TO the house they
pushed back the door aud the sight that
met their gaze was enough 10 freeze their
blood.
On the floor, between the low bed and
small cook stove standing In the center OF
the room. lay the poor old woman.
Her face was turned sideways pressing
against the oven door. lie was mass Of
clotted blood. while her gray hair streamed
I'm tangled bloody strings over her Shout
ders. Several large gashss were visible.
but were filled with ciotted blood.
In her mouth was stuffed large cotton
handkerchief. and q strap passing across
the handkerchief and under the chin
formed a perfect gag. She was In her
night dress. which was Of white cotton
and not much disarranged.
The little room had been simply turned
upside down. and not a thing was left in
place. The garments hanging on the wall
had been torn down, the trunk had been
empticd. the chairs had all been over
turned. and there was ample evidence of q
terrible struggle.
When the two men realized what had
taken place, the son was for moment
stunned. Walking mechanically over to
his dead mother he lifted her in his
arms and placed her on the bed. Then he
gave way 10 q iit of grief, which was
heart-rending. Without stopping an in
slant King started for the city 10
notify tho police lie was about
20 walk the three-quarters OF mile TO
headquarters. but the telegraph operator
at the signal box. not fifty yards from the
cabin. stopped him aud ieiegraphed In the
news.
From the telegraph station the news
was teiephoned TO police headquarters.
and Lieut.. Osborn and Detective Philbriek
started for the scene of the awful crime.
There they found tho victim lying on the
bed as her son had placed her. Her head
was so beaten as to be- only
q bloody mass. The officers, therefore.
made no further examination. but shut
the door to await the ARRIVAL OF Deputy
Coroner Greene. BY this time the
whole neighborhood was aroused.
and nc least twenty men were
gathered around the tall German
who with pitiful sobs was relating the
story Of his mothers murder. The news
paper reporters then arrived az tho spot
and another examination was made OF the
cabin.
The condition in which the room was
found seems 20 bear out this theory of the
murder; Tho cid lady had retired, but
Was expecting her son back. When the
demons who murdered her came she rose
from the bed and with the key unlocked
and then opened the door. Then the men.
for there must have been more than one,
threw cloth over her face and shut oil her
cry of alarm. Then gaggiag her they beat
her head 20 q jelly with the iron stove
Plate found near her.
After doing this they ransscked the
room for the money they knew she had
concealed. In her trunk they fonnd il
and then aed.
The door with the key still in II va:
found partly open. there was no light LEFT
burning and small window was half
pushed back. why, no ono can say.
When the body wss found IL was cold
On one side, bat the side ON which she
Was lying Sas stil, wagm. She must have
been dead then about two hours. the deed
having been committed a, ABOUT n O'Clock
The detectives win nos say whether q,
not they have clue. The son Saws nc
one hat Charles oss. she nelghnor before
mentioned, knew Of the acnev heins in
the house, and he only wlthln the last few
days
The murierers mast have Known Of sbe
large sum in geld ia the little trunk bal
who they were there Is 40 one To saw IL,
the people wha live "a the hgn
drcds of Little shseks ha4dlesi Aroan5
on tie hillside witsin a radius % so ward,
Of the cabin. svvefal BEING bat thirty a
feFty feet away, heard rot the siixhscs
sOand Nor did the mzn Who vide awak,
and attentive sas in the little tslewrapl
station few rods Away
The Fetssaks bad lived in the eahir
about tao meatks. Previous - thai am,
they lived FIVE weeks With NJ. ott. asa
before that they lived in easj n on Cuees
Anne hill, in Rigsiaw's addition. near,
tSa wars pRriar that ssuiv FesgIaE. a h,
l. = professional wood chopper. sa.a rsooS
In NoFsh seattle. The s7sAiwas the rneae,
NhlcA he and rs mother had savesi a
those yeafs. At reeseat Fsitlag Is chop
rsng woad soath * the eisy.
TnE Asrt-CHtSEsg MOVEMENT.