The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-11-19
A REVOLVING TRAGEDY.

A REVOLVING TRAGEDY.
A Double Murder Followed by Sui
cide-The Murderer Would Have
Been Lynched If He Had Not Sui
cided.
A dispatch from Laredo, Texas, says
that on last Monday evening a tall, fine
looking man, accompanied by a woman,
registered at the Hotel Hamilton as
@. Schiller and family. With them
was o pretty girl eight years old. Tues
day at 3 o'clock the man hired q buggy
and took the woman and girl to the
depot, despite the inclement weather.
AT 5 O'clock he returned the buggy and
ate supper at the Hotel Hamilton, re-
firing afterwards. Last night a shop
herd discovered two bodies lying in the
brush in ChacOn bottom, just beyond q
small reservoir, two and a half miles
from Central City. He noticed trails
where the bodies had been dragged
through the thorns, and prints Of bug
gy wheels on the ground. Being afraid
to touch the bodies he came in and no.
titled Recorder Pierce of what he had
seen. Officers proceeded at once to the
place and found the bodies of the wo-
man and child. They were identified
as h persons who had gone riding
WlOh SCluloE luCSudy SNGnlUS.
While the news Of the find was flying
over the city another chapter in this
horrible affair was enacted al the Hotel
Hamilton. AT 6 O'Clock in the morning
the proprietor of the hotel knocked at
Schuler's room and asked him where
his family were He replied that he
had taken them last evening to Aztec
where they had taken the limited train
for Msxico.
81 think you are mistaken" said the
proprietor, your family is not in Mex
ico."
Schiller shut the door and d, awing a
revolver shot himself h tough the
heart. On his person was found a cigar
case with owe ST., 900 in greenbacks.
The cigar a contained the name OF
Sam Kuntz.
1t Is said his brother is in Fort Worth,
and he was at once notified of the trag.
edy. Schuler stated during his STAY
that he had been master mechanic for
a railroad. Schiller spent most of his
time in saloons and his actions indica-
ted that he was either unbalanced or
meditating the horrible murders he
committed.
In the murdered womau's trunk was
found u marriage license bearing the
names of Catharine Mem and Theo.
"Shh' "A hSOoOi "do lOuuu III UDS WO-
mans effects dated October 4th, from
q. b. Brown, a Fort Worth, Texas,
merchant, addressed to Mrs. Caroline
Mem, Dallas, Texas, the merchant re-
questing her to send g Ick for S25.
From this it is inferredS oman had
q bank account. 1t is s, -Ithat Mr..
Christen, her son, kept a nbtel at Fort
Worth, and it is believed Kuntz stopped
at this hotel, found out the woman had
money, enticed her here to murder her
and get her money.
The wounds in the child's body and
the position in which it was found, in
Dictated that she died a lingering death.
She was cut slightly on the left knee.
as though she had fallen on u sharp
stone, and the LETT side of her head was
cut as though by Il glancing blow of a
club. There "a another wound on the
top OF her head, but death had come
from a knife wound in the neck in the
Jugular vein n carotid artery. The
body was found OF its back, the little
arms raised as though to ward oil the
murderous blow.
Mrs. Mem who was rather stout, and
about forty years Of age, was shot in
the breast n probably struck a crush
Ing blow on the head breaking the
skull. The fend in observation-disclosures
style then used his knife, stabbing his
victim once on the front side OF the
shoulder, the blow ranging downward,
once in the centre of the left breast.
twice in the stomach, once in the alb
domen, n once in the right side, be-
tween the sixth and seventh ribs. The
blood stained murderer then probably
killed h child with his knife to make
sure there would be no living witness
of his deed.
The suicide and his victims were
taken to Fooser's morgue which was
cltlZens who would have made the
lynching party If the murderer had not
cheated them.
when the news Of the finding of the
bodies In the gulch was made known to
City Marshal Bartholomew, he and a
night policeman soon discovered the
clue which led to the tragedy. They
learned that the stranger had hired
the buggy, and they went to the hotel
and ordered him awakened. In the
meantime, mounted officers were
searching the'scene of the murder for
evidence, finding a woman's bloody
handkerchief, d derby hat which was
identified as one Kuntz wore, the muir.
derer buying q new hat on his return
from the gulch. On his return to his
room. kuntz washed his blood stained
cuffs, but the marks are still on them.
AN insurance policy for So, 900 in his
W favor, q deed of trust, executed by
Catherine Mem, on property in St.
Louis, O photograph OF Kuntz and pic
lures OF @ handsome young woman and
q child of six were found in Kuntz's
trunk, besides the letters addressed to
VIM. Kuntz, Kansas City.
KuntZ was once chief engineer of the
Helms brewery, Kansas City. His
name Is believed to be either William
or Samuel Kuntz. The cigar case bore
the name Sam" but the letters were
addressed to VIM. Kuntz.
VIM. Kuntz, connected with the trae-
edy In Laredo, Texas, was employed at
the Helms brewery, Kansas CITY, as
chief engineer last February. He was
o tall, fine looking gentleman, dark
eyes and hair, he was smooth faced.
He had u wife and little girl who an
swer well the description of the woman
and girl murdered in Laredo. He was
about 80 years of age and we'll liked, |
He VENT to Kansas City from st. Louis
where he was chief engineer of the
Greentree brewery of hat place. He
left last July for Fort Worth, where he
had accepted the position of chief en-
gineer OF the Fort Worth brewery.
Rates TO the Baptist Con-
yentiOn.
The pn,t pn,a1 o., moatn.. -