The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-10-26
DASTARDLY Y D0uBL z MURDER
Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Kramer Found
Dead at Their Home in West
Hancock.
The Bodies We're Horribly Mutilated-
The Motive of the Crime Was
Evidently Robbery.

| der ever committed in the copper district
was perpetrated early last Saturday
morning, about l o'clock, the victims
being Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Kramer, the
former aged about d5 years and the lat
ter several years his junior The couple
lived in one;storv house, opposite the
cemetery, In West Hancock.
The facts, as given by the copper
country correspondent TO the Mining
journal, are as follows: : On Saturday
morning August Kramer, an elder
brother of the deceased, who works at
the Osceola mill, went to Hancock to pay
his brother a visit. He had not seen him
for more than year. He walked from
the station to the honse and raped at
the door. There was no response. and
after rapping second time without get
| ting an answer he tried the door, which
| gave way to his touch, and he entered
the room. All of the window shutters
were tightly closed. and but scanty light
entered through the open door. He
called loudly, but there was no answer.
Frightened at the stiffness he retreated
10 the neghboring building, which Is
occupied by blacksmith. and stated
his fears tha. all was not well with his
brother Michael Lee, who was at the
shop. volunteered to go with him.
The two men returned to the house.
u,ae 10 hot hn
as their eyes became accustomed to the
gloom OF the darkened room, they were
horror stricken to observe great pool
| of blood upon the floor almost in the
center of the room. There was trace
of blood leading from the big pool to the
trap door which gave access to the cell
lar. The trap door was lifted, and Lee
descended the stairs half way and light
ed match, The sight which met his
startled eyes caused him to quickly ascend
and leave the house. At the bottom of
the stairway. with one leg caught upon
the railing and his head upon the floor
lay Fred Kramer with deep cash
across the right side of his throat Ly-
ing partially upon her husbands body
was the corpse of Mrs. Kramer, the left
side of her face battered beyond recsgni-
| tion. the skull crushed, and her head
thrown back. showing cash in the
| throat from ear to ear.
Lee and Kramer left the house as soon
as the terrible sight at the foot of the
cellar stairs met their gaze, and the
news OF the murder soon spread. Mar
shal Malherbe and Justice Finn reached
| the place within short time after the
discovery Of the crime, and were joined
few moments later by Sheriff Dunn. A
| jury was empaneled by Justice Finn,
and the bodies were viewed as they we're
found.
| DR.. w. ii. Burnham made an examina-
tion of the bodies. He found that the
skull OF Mrs. Kramer was fractured, as
we'll as the bones of the face broken.
Kramer had bad bruise upon the fore
head, which might have come from q
blow, but probably came from the i'm
pact Of his head upon the hard floor Of
the cellar when his body was thrown
down the stairway by his murderer.
Both OF the victims had their thr0ats
cut.
An examination OF the premises showed
that stand containing papers had been
ransacked, and that trunk in the bed
room had been forced open and its con
tents overhauled. The trunk was of old
German style, secured with a paddock.
In forcing of the paddock strip had
been broken from the trunk. Whether
there was much money on the premises
nobody knows. Kramer was Of secre-
tive disposition, and may have had quite
sum In cash hidden away.
| A hammer was found In the examina-
tion of the premises, showing stains oil
blood, with clotted hair adhering to the
head and haft. 1t was this weapon with
which the murderer of the poor old
woman dealt her the cruel blows which
fractured her skull and smashed In the
bones Of her face, breaking the. nose and
jaw, and almost forcing the left eye from
its socket. The terrible blows had cut
the lips so that the teeth and gums pro.
truded and the face was barely recognize.
able as that Of human being.
A cartridge was also picked up near
the bedroom door. II was q A calibrs
center fire revolver cartridge, presum.
ably dropped by the murderer, although
SO far as known there were no shots
fired, the crime being committed by the
hammer and the hatchet or knife with
4 which the throats of the old couple ware
cut before they were thrown into the
CELLAR The bodies were nearly colo
when found, and the slaughter must
have been effected not later than
; o'clock OF the same morning.
II Since the discovery Of the horribl,
crime several arrests have been made
! but no definite clue has as yet been Oh
tained.
The funeral Of the victims was hell
| Monday afternoon.