The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-28
TIE VICTIMS

TIE VICTIMS.
Boeckcr's victims are bis wife and
these children: Caroline aged fourteen
Christine. aged nine. Henry. aged s.. Liz
zio. aged six. John. aged three. and 'l
infant All are dead but henry, ana he
cannot recover from hia wounds.
Booc1cr had au engagement TO hclp an-
other nciehb0r this morning. and ON his
not putting in an appearance DIS brother
Uenfv who lives about twenty rods away
went about @ O'Clock 20 see why Doe did
mot coroe The doors of the BOccker
bouse y,Crc locked and there were no
eione Of lfo about Henry tried 20 get
info flc house but met no response ana
finally kicked in the door and came upon
"a horrible scene.
Bocckcr. whose wife and baby slept n
p back room. lay ON bed lhe wife had
been shot DOB the neck with shotgun
which stood in % corner The baby h1d
been shot aud its head crushed with the
buff of a. revolver The man. suli
breathing. bad a bullet hole hgh up ON
the forehead and by his side was smith
& Wcsson siN-shootcr. with two chambers
empty.
The Bocckcr home is story-aud-a-haif
frame house. and upstairs Henry and Liz
zic lay ON 20 bed with bullet holes iu their
forehead. tho latter dead The boy sul
breathing. In the opposite corner of tine
same room Caroline. Christine and John
were dead. each with "a bullet hole DO
the forehead. though Caroline had two.
Late this evening the bodies were still
untouched. the sheriff and coroner being
occupied in arranging for ihe in1ue nd
other ureImiuarics. The inquiry VIII ne
pushed tomorrow hy the coroner jury .
o. is undoubtedly case oI murder ana
HORRIBLE PRECISION.
The indications are that hocckcr hfet
dispatched his wife with the shot gum.
then used the revolver ON tho baby first
shooting 81 and then knocking oui Ue
brains with the butt. BOccker then went
upstairs. where the five children were
slecuiug and KILLED them. ltr must nav 40
used lieht for bis aim was effective. cfcl
victim being shot iu The forehead All
but two children met Wlih instant utii
for The blood clots were under ihef Do
and two lay as calmly rcuosed as lI ln
sleep, All except Henry who is NOT dead
vet. were attircd in night robes.
BOeckcr had reloaded thc weapon Nhlle
upstairs and evidently sent ihc ohd
bullet into the oldest girls brain just uc-
fore leaving the room. Going down stairs
he stretched himself beside ihc corpse ol
his wife and shot himself Ills rcht h1ud
was burnt by thc powder showing lhe
rapid use of thc revolver. The WEAPON
he had borrowed from bis brother Henry
last Thursday. rcmarkng ih1t De- wan cd
IN 10 ldli rats in The cellar. lt is now ro-
called that BOocker had since then prac-
ticed target shooting with 10.
B0ccker was thiriy-four wears old ana
for ever twenty years lived DOB The same
nc.ghborh0od, in fact on the same farm.
Ie had been regarded as "a proepeioNs
farmer and only recently bought o -N-
acre farm q few miles from the old home
40 CAUSE KNOWN
Yesterday hc attended Catholic service
at Rreda with his wife and some of iho
children. Later ln the day lc was visited
by "a neichb0r. who says that when Doe
left the Bocckors home in the evening
they were seemingly happy family aud
not q uromOuition Of The awful tragedy
enacted few hours later was given hN
Poeckcr or any one of the household.
Members Of his fathers family say he
had no family troubles Ibis financial all
fairs were in good shape and they can as-
sign no motive for the terrible crime
on the other hand IL is said That John
had disagreed with the oh folks and Hen
rv over the occupancy OF the idlm ON
which John lived. and this is assigned bV
some as the cause of the trnuhie Muich
eliminated FOO murder and suicidr.
The femilv were Germans ana hshIy re-
spectcd citizc1s.