The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-31
ROBBERY WAS THE MOTIVE.
Sacramento Horror-Stricken by
the Crime.
MURDERERS HAVE ESCAPED
The Victims Were Known to Have
Had a Large sum of Money in
the House at the Time.

SACRAMENTO, Dec 30.-Tnis commu-
nifty was last night the scene of one of the
most fendtsh crimes ever committed here.
An old and esteemed grocery merchant, F.
81. l.. Webber, and his elderly wife were
brutally butchered in their comfortable
home. which was plundered by the muir
derer or murderers.
AS there is no clew TO the perpetrators
Of the deed, and SO many hours had
elapsed between the time Of the commits
sion of the deed and its discovery. the
fiends have had time en- ough to jump an
outgoing train and be 200 miles away.
That the motive was robbery there Is no
doubt Weber did large retail business
at Thirteenth and l. streets, opposite Cap
itol Park, and was regarded as being quite
well off Singular to say, however, he had
no account at any Of the banks, and is sup
posed to have kept considerable sum Of
money about his house. He and his wife
lived alone in the second story of the
building in which he conducted his bust
ness. Yesterday was railroad payday in
this city. and among Webber's customers
were many railroad employees. Just how
much money he had secreted about his
house is not known, but his store daybook
shows that his receipts yesterday were
$685.. This is gone. In fact, not a cent as
found to-day in the rooms occupied by the
grocer and his wife. although the safe
downstairs was not molested. Everything
upstairs, however, was overhauled by the
murderers.
The first that was known about the
crime was about II o'clock to-day, when
Webber's married son, Luther, went to
the store. Seeing some blood on the floor,
and finding that it had leaked through the
ceiling, he FASTENED upstairs to ask his
father what it meant. He was nearly
paralyzed on entering the kitchen In the
rear to find both his parents lying dead on
the floor, their clothing torn from their
bodies in places and their heads gashed
and crushed by blows from an ak. The
kitchen and back porch looked like
slaughter pens. As nearly as can be
judged from the condition OF things and
the position of the bodies, Weber and his
wife had been sitting up quite late. Web
Der had evidently gone upon the back
porch, where he was struck down with the
ak and brutally murdered. His body was
then, or later on. dragged into the Kitchen.
noise and started through the hallway to-
ward the kitchen. when she encountered
the murderer and turned back, for the
back of her head was split wide open by
the blade of the ak. Again and again was
the fendish act repeated, and the heads
and faces of the victims present horrible
appearance.
The ak with which the deed was done
was taken from woodpile in the rear of
the building. and was found to-day covered
with the blood and brains of the murdered
couple. TbeImurderer-if there was but
oue-muss have been dripping with the
blood of his victims, as blood-marks were
found even on the front fence of the open
lot adjoining the store. where ne or they
climed over. This fact may probably lead
to the detection of the fends.
It is apparent that whoever did the deed
knew something about Webber's business
and methods. but thus far suspicion does
not rest on any particular person or per-
s0Da