The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-06


crime hinges.
found secret from every living soul except
his mother that be had q large sum Of
money IN his passion or in the bank The
ola woman had been regular applicant
for relief at the Bureau Of Associated
Charities. and had obtained donations OF
food and clothing several times. and Fett-
ing hirnssIf had always been 20 al ont
ward appearances . poor man. Daring
the weeks that the gold was in the trunk
in the OFT cabin the Otis were abb
soIuteIy ignorant Of it. On Nednes-
day last. however. young man
named LOUIS Bohn. grandson
OF the murdered woman and son OF the
wife Of James King. by former husband.
came over from Tacoma. where he lives,
On visit 70 his grandmother. In some
way be learned Of the existence OF Fet.
ting's wealth and told the OTIS that IL was
in the trunk ~ their house. Fetting was
on needles at once and made haste TO re-
move il TO his own house.
Now James King. the son-in-laT OF the
murdered woman, is widower with
large family Of children. When bis wife.
q daughter of the murdered woman, died
about two years ago King was left
with eli the children to take care OF.
He worried along with them until last
June, when he went to Tacoma 10 work
and left the four smaller children with hts
mosher-in-Iax. Mrs. Fetting. She gave
them to Mrs. OFT. the wife of the man ar
rested today, to be cared for. agreeing TO
see that King should pay SIS per month
for their board aud lodging. King did
not get steady work and was unable TO
paw this amount, IL seems. for when he
took all but the Youngest child, 2-year-
girl, away from Mrs. OFT on the
first Of the present month he had
never paid her a single cent This
fact caused great deal Of hard feeling be-
tween the lettings and the Otis. although
IL is denied by the latter family, for of
course Mrs. Fetting having made the bar
gain she was expected to pay the board
bill. The lettings, however. pleaded pow
erty and took il out in reviiing King for
not getting work and paying the amount
due. So when Bohn found on his last
visit that Fetting had plenty OF money. he
remembered the nagging that his step
father had received and went at once TO
the Otis and complained of the misery
actions OF his grandmother and uncle.
saying that they were rich and yet they
would not help their relatives and were
trying 20 live at the expense OF the county.
Then the row occurred between Fetting
and the Otis and the former removed his
money from the OFT house. As q result of
the row Fetting decided to leave
the neighborhood fearing. as he says. that
the Otis would do his mother some injury.
This was on Saturday, and on Monday
night the old woman was killed. On the the
DRY that this injury has been done the ar
rests OF the Otis and Waldron are supposed
to have been made.
Some of the neighbors make a great
show of luminosity against the Otis, and
openly charge them with numbering the
old lady Fetting for her money and re-
venge, saying that they knew of the
money being In the trunk, and they alone
Waldron. these parties think, was a tool
of the Otis.
If yoang Charley OFT and his companion
Waldron can satisfactorily explain where
they were during the afternoon and even
ing of the day of the murder they will do
a greatsdeal toward cleaning up the mys-
tery and freeing themselves.
The fact that Louis Bohn was where the
money was concealed is also commented
on by many. He is said to be a dissolute
person. but his uncle. the son Of the muir
dered woman, scouts the idea of his having
had anything to do with the crime. There
are others not so charitable. however.
One thing Is certain--the crime was
committed by some person or persons who
knew where the money was. Robbery
was the primary object and the murder
followed because the old woman recog-
nized the rohber. The person who killed
her was doubtless one she knew very
well indeed and her list of acquaintance
was extremely limited. When she opened
the door TO the rohber or robbers a cloth
was thrown over her head. An attempt
was made to use the chloroform, but IL
was foiied by tho cork breaking. Then
struggle ensuei and the old woman recog-
nized the robber or robbers. Murder fol-
lowed to prevent detection.
The bottle - which the chioroform was
found vas taken around to several drug
companies. but il was unfamiliar TO them,
and in their opinion the bottle is not of a
pattern used by any retail druggist in
Seattle. at least. The label being defaced
OF course renders 1t impossible to trace the
bottle 10 the druggist who sold the drug
by It's aid.
Coroner Horton impaneled jury Ives
terday morning to investigate the crime,
and careful examination of the corpse
was made at the morgue. The wounds in
the head were found to be of less conse-
quence than was at first supposed. They
consisted of several deep cuts in the scalp,
the principal one being over the
left temple. The skull was not
fractured. In the coroner's opinion death
was not caused by these wounds. but by
Asphyxiation from the gag placed in her
mouth. Two large bandana handkerchief
had been pushed far down her throat, and
then large wooden sock had been tied
over these. the result being that the
woman was stranglei. On the arms
and body were found several rather
severe bruises. aud one of the
shoulders was dislocated from the fall
when she was thrown 20 the door. The
body will be examined further today, as
the jury had not completed their investi-
CATION yesterday.
Mrs. Fetting vas 81 years old and Ger
man. She could not speak q word of
English. From old age she was very
feeble. and she was also a sufferer from
asthma and rheumatic troubles
Mrs. Charles OFT, whose husband and
sou are now in jail on suspicion OF muir
dering the woman. was seen by Posr-
lSrEii1agScKR reporter yesterday. She
expresses great surprise that they should
he suspected OF the crime. and
says that up to the very night
81 the tragedy the relations between
her family ard aha .suyria-aa wa~~a1