New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-01
HE MURDERED HIS FAMILY.
TERRIBLE CRIME IN PEACEFUL DOLCE
WILLIE
BOHEMIAN GIVES ARSENIC IN COFFEE TO HIS
WIFE AND FOUR CHILDREN-Two WERE
KILLED BY THE POISON. AND HE CUT
THE THRoATS OF THE REST
THEN COMMITTED SUICIDE

NO KNOWN MOTIVE


NO KNOWN MOTIVE.
Dolgeville March 81 (SpecaD-It would be i'm
possible for any one unfamiliar with the general
character Of the population here to understand
the feeling Of sorrow that pervaded the COM
munity when 1t learned this morning that
Fritz klotzler had murdered his wife his four
children and himself. They were all well known
in the village-Kl0tzler as a vicious physically
powerful and dangerous man. and a son Of the
leader OF group of Anarchists: his wife as
something akin to a shrew and his children as
exceedingly pretty and bright pupils in the pub
lie school,
The community is essentially Industrial nearly
all of the working people being employed in the
factories established through the enterprise Of
Alfred Dodge Most OF the wage-earners own
their own houses. they make good wages. and
in other than Democratic times are prosperous
and happy. Dodge lille has never had labor
troubles or tragedies.
Kl0tzlers awful crime was committed about 8
o'clock last night, at which hour most of the
villagers were in bed The details were not gen.
erally known until this morning All day groups
OF men have stood about the streets discussing
the horror. Business In the stores was almost
suspended. Nobody could do anything but talk
about the crime, the first Of a tragical nature
that has ever occurred here. When Coroner
Douglas arrived from Little Falls at 1890 a
crowd of two or three hundred people surrounded
Kl0tzler's house on Spencer-st
The position of the bodies as found by the Cor
oner showed that Kl0tzler had given his family
coffee in which arsenic had been put. Two of the
children, Elsie. aged four. and Paul, aged ten, had
died OF the poison. and their bodies We're not
mutilated. Bruno aged six. had his throat gashed
and there were also gashes In the throat Of
Frieda, aged thirteen, aad of Mrs Kl0tZler. whose
age was about forty. The bodies were all COW
cred with blankets save that Of kl0tzler himself.
After butcherng his family he lay down upon
their bodies and severed the carotid artery in his
left wrist. from which wound his lifeboOd flowed.
Bedcothng had been placed around the bodies to
prevent the flow of blood from spreading over the
floor Everything indicated careful premedita-
tion. The sight ghastly in the extreme
K0Zler had something over $50 and abund-
ance of provisions in his house. but had sold his
furniture. and the house was bare Of everything
the stove and bedclothing. The knife used
a shoe knife ground down to a fine point The
Coroner found an open package OF arsenic in the
house bearing the label of GloVerSvlle drug
gst named Stone. 1t is supposed that finding the
poison too slow, Kl0tzler made sure Of his work
by cutting the throats of his wife and the chill
dren who were not already dead.
Most of the villagers believe that Kl0tZler was
induced to commit the deed by some mysterious
influence on the part Of Anarchists with whom
Alfred Dodge and had recently refused offer Of
work in the shoe factory. He a Bohemian
and came to this country In 1885 In no way can
the tragedy be attributed to poverty There has
been no distres in Dogeville despite the hard
times elsewhere.