The record-union., 1894-12-31
Their Sons Horrible Discovery
Yesterday Morning.
Robbery Supposed to Have Been the
Cause for the Deel.
Their Skulls Crushed With an Ak, and
Their Faces Disfgured With Many
Terrible Wounds.

Inc community was startled aOOut
noon yesterday by the announcement
that F. II. L. Weber and his wife, who re-
sided on l. street, between Twelfth and
Thirteenth, had been brutally murdered,
and investigation proved that it was un-
fortunately too true.
About IL o'clock, Mr.. Weber's son,
Luther, went into the store, and after get
ting cigar behind the counter, passed
out into the middle of the store, where be
discovered a pool of blood, which after
wards proved to have leaked through
from the floor above. Going up stairs to
ask his father if he knew the cause,
young Weber found him lying dead on
the floor OF the dining-room. He lay
upon his back, with his head to the
south, about in the center of the room,
his head and face terribly hacked, nearly
all the upper part of the left side of the
skull from the medal line down to the
ear, having been chopped away. His
head lay in large pool of blood and
brains.
His arms lay by his side, the hands
covered with blood. Only the WaiStband
button of the front of his trousers was
buttoned, and his vest was unbuttoned
and the pockets of his coat, vest and trou-
sers were turned inside out. His spec
tacles and small note book lay near bis
head. He was in his stocking feet, his
stockings bearing no sign of blood, and
one Of his slippers lay near, with no blood
on IL. The other was afterwards found
on the outside porch, with blood on the
sole.
About a foot from the body, and half
way between it and the dining table
which stood at the side of the room, was
a carvingknite belonging to Mr.. Weber.
the blade of which was covered with
blood which had dried.
Just out of the diningroom, in hall
that opened from IL toward the front of
the house, lay Mrs. Weber on her back
with her head toward the north her face
Smeared with blood, and her hair, which
lay in a pool of blood, clotted with blood
and brains from a fearful wound in the
back OF her head. Her dress was open in
front, as if search had also been made on
her person for money or valuables.
There IS toilet-rOOm on the back porch,
and TO the left OF the door OF it was a great
pool of coagulated blood. Just at the
right of the closet was candle and candle
stick, bloody and broken, and under it a
small quantity of gray hair. Near the
floor, on the corner of the closet, close to
where the candlestick lay, was mark
that looked as il Mr.. Weber had fallen
there, striking his head. All over the
porch were the marks OF bloody bare feet,
the marks OF the toes, big and little, being
plainly defined, and showing that the
murderer had large foot.
There is a wash sink adjoining the
closet, and near it lay the slipper be-
fore mentioned, on a clean spot but with
several stains of blood on the sole. The
bloody footprints ran to the stairs leading
down from the back porch, and near the
bottom OF the stairs was a smear OF blood
ont 10 of thnC t.,i,
tracks close to the side and marks OF a
blood-stained hand on box just at the
bottom, as if the murderer had felt his
way down in the dark alter committing
the deed.
on the right of the Lall in which Mrs.
Weber lay was small bedroom, which
had been ransacked, the bed clothes
thrown on the floor and the feather bed
and mattress turned up, as if in search
for money, Opposite was the bedroom
of MIR. and Mrs. Weber, the bed and mat
tresses in the same condition. while an
empty canvas money sack lay on the
floor at the loot of the bed. The drawers
of the bureau in the room had been taken
out and were on the floor, the clothes
having been thrown out on the carpet in
a heap, and on some white article of
wearing apparel was bloody smear
where the murderer had evidently
touched his foot In trying To step over it
to go into the parlor. On the door-sill,
between the bedroom and the hail, was
the imprint of the bloody foot.
Adjoining the back part OF the store
and the porch, on the east, is shed in
which barrels of vinegar and empty bar
rels and boxes were stored. Here was
found sack, on which the murderer had
evidently wiped his bloody feet before
putting on his shoes, and close by was
found the ak, the handle and blade COW
cred with blood, with which the awful
deed was committed. There was also
some hair adhering to the back of the
blade.
a door on the south side of the shed
opens into the yard Oh the east side of the
store. This door iastens on the inside
with peg, hanging by a string. On this
peg was drop oI blood i ne door is
made selt-closlpg by weight fastened to
q rope, running from the top OF the door,
over pulley, and the weight and rope
hanging on The outside. The rope had
been cut, leaving about two feet fast to
the door.
On the door was smear Where hand
had held 1t open while the murderer
passed out. and on the right side of the
door frame were two blood stains As
many persons had been allowed to coma
into the yard, there were so many loot
prints as TO preclude the chance of identi-
fying those OF the murderer, but on the
rail of the picket fence, adjoining the front
OF the store, was drop of blood.
This. with the stains on the door frame
OF the shed door aud the peg, may indi-
cate that the murderer was wounded in
the struggle, or may have dripped from
his garments, which must have been
bloody. as it is evident that Mr.. Weber
was dragged into the dining-room and
laid on the floor, in the position in which
he was found. The screen door between
the dining-room and porch indicates this
to be the case, as il is smeared with blood
as if from the body being dragged by it.
Near the bloody ak which was found
In the she'd was hatchet, which had,
however, no blood on it, and close to the
ak was Mrs. Weber's ring, covered with
blood. which had been torn from her
hand. Close by was pocket knife and a
piece OF comb, which may nave fallen
from the murderer's pocket, while he was
putting on his shoes, as no one who be-
longs 10 the store recognizes them.
As the railroad employees were paid of
on Friday and Saturday, and many OF
them traded with Mr.. Weber. he received
in the store on Saturday $40, besides
some money for rent, and this is gone.
Is is probable that the murderer was cog