The evening world., 1894-04-18
LAST EDITION.
HIS SKULL CRUSHED.
Watohman Loefher Murdered in q
Franklin Street Factory.
Body Found with Bag Drawn Over
Head and Shoulders.
Police Have Made an Arrest, but
Refuse to Give the Mans Name.

a H1ost atroclOuS tnuruer was COmmltr
ted some time last night in Henry
Heide's big candy mandatory, at Ia
Franklin street.
The victim is August Loeffier. the old
night Waterman. who has been en-
ployed there for the last five years.
The body of the old man was found
early this morning lying in a room in
the basement near the Franklin street
end Of the building.
He was stretched out on his back just
at the entrance of the store-room. A
pool OF blood surrounded his head and
his face was terribly mutilated.
His body was cold, and he had evil
IDENTIFY been dead for some time.
LoefIler was sixty-three years old and
wldower He lived at 251 Water street
and has several grown up children. The
police have made an arrest in the case.
but they refuse to give the name Of the
prisoner.
The appalling discovery was made
by Frederick Rebmann, the engineer Of
the establishment, who came to his work
about o'clock this morning. The fire.
man, whose name Is Gottlieb Goethe. 10
| said to have arrived shortly before
Rebmann.
The latter. after attending to his du-
ties in the engine-room, which is located
end of the building, went back towards
the Franklin street side to get some
thing from tn. store-room.
| There. lying near the doorway, he
found Loeffier's body. Without stopping
to make a careful examination he has
ened back and went out into the street,
the Leonard street station. who made
to Capt Doherty at SO 4. NJ.
the The Peee wsrs esy sSeni ns b9ut
spector Mclaughlin. the Chief Of the
Detective Bureau, with several Of his
men; went down to the Leonard street
station to assist in the investigation.
Engineer Rebmann and Fireman
Goethe were detained at the station all the
morning and were with the police ofii-
| until noon, undergoing a most search
| ing examination.
The police refused to give out any. in
investigation All that Inspector Nc
l.auGhln would say was that there was
clear evidence that a murder had been
A couple OF policemen were sent to
guard the factory. and they had In
structionss TO admit no reporters; Tho
body of Loetfier remained all this time
| lying in the basement, just as II had
| been found.
A reporter of 1.-The Evening World"
| sd" MT ltelue, VINO IL the neau OF inc
candy manufacturing establishment. He
talk. and would say very little.
He declared. however, that he was
absolutely certain that neither the en-
glncer nor the fireman had anything to
were free from suspicion:
| THE police are only OBTAINING them
as witnesses. l have not seen the body
of I.oeff'er and I don't want to look az
i. 1t is too horrible. Yes. he must
Inspector Mclaughlin, just before
noon. after completing his investigation
of Engineer Rebmann and Fireman
| Gottlieb Goethe, said:
There is no evidence at all against
either. the engineer or fireman. They
have been released from detention.
| "One arrest has been made. j decline
to state the name Of the prisoner. The
circumstances are most suspicious and
point undoubtedly to murder.
The facts are these: Loenier's body
ENGINEER Rehmann. 4.
He was lying on his. back in the
basement about fifteen feet from the
| windows on the Franklin street side,
| with both arms extended,
"A burlap bag was drawn over bis
head as far as his shoulders.
| "A white handkerchief was tied over
his eyes. There were two knife cuts
not very deep on the chin, one on the
left upper lin and one on the forehead.
There was a fracture OF the temple
There was nothing to indicate from
the surroundings that there had been
no pistol or club
The murdered man was a native Of
SaNony and had lived in this country
thirty-five years. He served in the I'M
ion army during the civil war.
He lived at 25l Water street, with his
son-in-law, Fred Gebhardt, a saloon
keeper at that place, who is married to
other children are Edward twenty
years old; Annie, sixteen years old. and
Martha, fourteen years old. who all live
with their father.
The police sent word to the family
early this morning of their father's
the awful news. Gebhardt went Inn
mediately to the station in Leonard
street.
He said that his father-in-law had no
enemies, and that thieves must have
killed him.
The Investigation of the premises made
by the police and the Coroner this morn
ing points conclusively TO robbery as the
motive for the crime.
Coroner Dobbs visited the scene OF the
made an examination or Loetfier's body
and Of the premises. He also gave a
permit for the removal OF the body 70
The undertaking shop at lT Varic<
street. This was done shortly after
noon. .
An examination of the body showed
that beside the knife cut about the head
the victim lad been struck "A frightfui
blov In the left side OF the head With
some instrument, probably an axe or .
Ratchet, which had crushed In the en-
lie was probably attacked from behind.
This blow would have produced instant
death, ~