The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-19
THE MURDER OF SCHOOLER.
Victim One Of Three Eccentric Old
Bachelor Brothers.
SCENE OF THE TERRIBLE BUT(HERY.
The Old Man Lived in n Small House In
Stafford 80 The Bloody Traces Left
Behind by the Murderer.

FREDERICKSBURG. VA, Dec. 1S.-
Special.-An epidemic Of crime seems 20
have struck the county Of Stafford, In
this State, which Is usually staid, quiet
and law observing, and this outbreak OF
crime has in the last two or three days
found its elimination in the murder of
Mr.. Peter Schooler. a quiet, orderly and
conservative old citizen.
MIR. SchoOlcr was one Of three brothers
all old bachelors, and all queer but wor-
thy men. Each Of these old gentlemen
lived By himself on his little place, and
each possessed the same orderly and
methOdical habits. No one lived with
either Of the brothers and they cooked,
washed, worked and generally attended
10 their own wants. Yet one Of these
quiet, inOnensiye, peaceable oid gentle
men WIS singled Odt as the victim OF
the most shocking. cOld-bloOded murder
that has ever been committed in TINS
section, Mr. SChOOer's house Is very
small; in fact nothing but q hut, one
story. containing two rooms. one room
with a fireplace and chimney and the
other more ~ a shed addition.
In the little room, 8XiO the old man
lived, surrounded by all of the little odds
and ends. stuck in corners and on shelves
ana around ABOUT, till YOU could scarcely
move in the little room. About the place
everything was 9s neat as a new pin
trees ana vines carefully pruncd, yard
all swept flowers tied up with brush for
the winter, and all of his little truck
patches carefully laid out and arranged.
WEIRD PLACE To8 MURDER.
II was weird and fitting place for "a
murder. The little clearing i'm which the
hut stood is surrounded by sombre pines
that shut 1t off from the outside world
and hide it from the nearest nelghOOr,
about bali Il mile away.
On Friday afternoon last Mr.. Schoolcr
was seen at the nearest country store,
late in the day, making few simple pur-
chascs. Saturday neighbors passing over
the paths did not see any signs Of life
about the place, and remarked that no
chickens were running about rs usual.
Sunday he did not, AS was his custom.
80 out TO visit any OF his ucighbOfS and
about dusk Sunday afternoon Mr.. Lin
brlck, ncighbOr, went over 10 see what
had become OF the old man. When he got
10 The house he noticed blOod-stau on
the walk and "a trail of blood up 10 the
dOOi ana blood on the door sill. lie
thought Mr.. SchoOlcr mad probably kill
tl Il pig or chicken, but thought II
strange he had not washed the blood of
the door sill, as ne was very neat about
such things.
lie tried the door and called Mr.
Schooler. but getting no answer, conClud-
cd the. old man had gone away, and so
MI Limhrick went home and told his
wife what hc had seen.
LADY's SUSPICIOUS.
Mrs. Limbrick's suspicious were at once
aroused, aud she insisted on her husband
goiuS back and breaking open the door
and so, taking boy with him. Mr. Linn
hrlck went back through the growing
darkness. When he got back the second
time Mr.. Limbrick found the door was
not locked, but only the catch was fast
ana shaking 1T loose he entered TO find a
Shdslly and horrible sight ON the floor
lay The body of the old man i'm a pool of
Ia In f1 MIC
clothes and his bed was turned down as
n he had been just about TO retire. The
mead was almOs. entirely severed from
the body. ana across the corpse las an
axe belonging to the old man. with which
the deadly work was done. was smear
ed with blood, and in the floor We're TWO
deep cuts, showing whore the blade had
gone through the flesh and left the marks
in the floor Between the legs Of the
| corpse was small Kerosene lamp broken.
and the burned body and clothes told too
plainly of an attempt TO conceal the
crime by setting fire 20 the house.
The stomach. thighs and less We're badly
burned, aud the burning clothes seemed
ln some way to have smOthered the IRE.
The fingers were also burned, though The
hands lay hiGh mp on his breast and
there was no evidence of the fire having
extended that high on the body
THE HOUSE BANsAcKED.
His trunks had been opened, and also
his cupboard, but nothing was missing
from the house save the Old mans purse
with a tve-dollar bin, which he was
known to nave.
A close examination showed u blow on
the back OF the head, made with the
eye Of the axe, that had cut deep.
long cut opening the head down 20 the
s<lIn bone though the bone was not
broken lie had evidently been struck
with the axe on the back OF the head
outside OF The house, whore the blood
WAS for there the commonwealth At
IA
had struck the ground, which was found
10 be from the head OF the corpse.
THE PLACE VISITED.
Monday morning the sheriff and Com
monWealth'S Attorney went early 10 the
scene of the crime and made thorough
and minute examination OF the premises.
From the woods across The moist corn
field uD TO the hard ground near the
house they traced the footsteps Of two
persons, going 10 the house. one wore
a pair OF new boots and the other
worn pair. with six nails in the sole near
the toe OF each shoe. Side by side they
yaKed across tins cOrn-neid on their
murderous errand.
The same tracks were found leaving the
house going back TO the same woods, but
in another direction, and only OF one
person.
ROBBERY TEE MOTIVE.
No motive can be assigned for the
murder save robbery, as it was thought
NIr Schooler had some little money, and
| il was known he had recently sold some
pork and gotten the money for them,
though he had spent II ana really only
had the five dollars above mentioned.
Schooler was not known 10 have had
auy enemies, as he was a harmless,
peaceable man, attending strictly to his
own business.
no CLUE TO THE MURDERER.
There is no clue to the murderers save
| the footprints. which have been carefully
measured and accurately observed.
ii was noticed that the clock on the
mantlepiece had stopped at five minutes
before twelve, and as it was known 20
be Mir Schooler's inyarIabe habit so
wind it up every night he is believed 10
have been killed Friday night. as had
| it would have been running Sunday when
the body was discovered.
Such is the record of the facts and
circumstances OF one Of the most horrible