Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-14

ard, who IS thought by the police to
have been insane killed himself, wife
and five children last night. The dis
covery was made by the police to-day.
Upon forcing open the door Of Houga-
ard's residence they found the whole
family asphyxiated. Hougaard had evil
IDENTIFY waited till all were asleep and
then turning on all the gas jets had
calmly laid down and awaited his own
death.
Hougaard was a Dane living at Isl
Sixty-frst street. He wrote letter to
friend yesterday telling him what
ne was going to do, saying he was de-
spondent, and spoke of some diamonds
which the police would find by his side
when they entered the house. The let
Ter, which was written in Danish, was
received by Hougaards friend to-day
and he Immediately informed the police
of its contents. Captain Gibbons, Of
the Englewood station. with two Off
GERS, went to the Hougaard residence.
The doors were all locked and there was
no response to the repeated ringing Of
the door bell Finally the police put
their shoulders TO the door and forced
it from its hinges. They were almost
overcome by the fumes of Illuminating
gas which met them, and it was some
moments before the air from the open
door cleared the interior atmosphere
sufficiently to permit them to enter.
Then the police made a hasty survey
of the first story, found nothing and
rushed up stairs, where they found the
seven corpses.
The jet of every gas fixture in the
house had been opened and death had
evidently come on all the family but
the husband and father while they were
asleep.
The dead are:
PETER HOUGAARD, 40 year old.
MRS. HOUGAARD, 3S years old.
HANS, Il years old.
JENNIE, 10 years old.
OLGA, S years old.
MAUD, 6 years old.
TELLA, years old.
When the police made their way to
the upper floor Of the house they enter
ed the front bed room. There on the
bed lay HOugaard and his wife, with
their twO-year-old daughter Tella. All
three OF the corpses were on their backs
and the feet OF the httle one were under
her mothers body. Hougaard had died
with his eyes open and his hands fold
ed across his breast.
The son Hans occupied a cot in the
rear room. He had struggled to some
extent before he was finally suffocated,
and had kicked the clothes Off the bed.
A large dog slept in this room and,
strange TO say, was alive when the pO-
/ lice entered the room. He evidently
knew something was wrong, for when
the officers tried to touch the body the
dog attacked them and tried to drive
them away.
Jennie, Olga and Maud, the other
children slept in the next room to
Hans. They too, had struggled and
kicked the clothes Off They had been
nauseated by the fumes of the gas. All
had evidently been dead for several
hours. Everything about the house
( showed that Hougaard had planned his
( crime with deliberateness and atten-
ton to detail that is remarkable.
After the family had retired for the
night, Hougaard began his prepara-
tiOns for the crime. He wrote letters
to Chief of Police Badenoch and left
them on the table in the dining room.
Beside the letter was a box containing
deeds of property. In the kitchen the
police found all the shoes OF the family,
arranged in a row side by side.
When his preparations had been COM
pleted he turned on every gas Jet in
the house, and. getting into bed with
his wife and baby, folded his hands and
( waited for death. 1t is claimed that
Haugaard had lost considerable money
lately
Hougaard two years ago kept a small
saloon at Kinzie and Clark streets He
sold this out to engage in the milk bus
I mess. After some time he again sold
out, receiving in payment a note. The
collector to whom the note was turned
over, it is said. retained a portion and
( Hougaard received only a part of the
money. 1t is said that HOugaard also
lost money on the Board Of Trade and
he became despOndent and finally in
sane. Hougaard was alive at . o'clock
this morning, and at that time talked
with a newspaper reporter who came
out to see if he had killed himself and
his family. Hougaard had written to
a morning paper that he intended TO
COMMIT THIS AWFUL CRIME.
thinking the papers would not receive
the letter until this morning. The pa
per, however, always sends a messen-
ger to the postoffice after midnight.
and at 1 o'clock this morning he
brought in HOugaard's letter. A re-
porter was at once sent to the house
He pounded on the door and was ad-
mitted by HOugaard, who said he had
no intention of killing anybody and he
seemed to be in good spirits. There
was no odOr OF gas about the house.
and as the reporter could find no cop
pers. he went back to the office.
Hougaard must have turned on the gas
as soon as the newspaper man left him.
vNOTrCH TO THINK AROT--r