Evening journal., 1897-09-28
MADMAN OR FIEND?'
Terrible Crime Committed by a
Farmer In Iowa.
SLEW WIFE AND FIVE CHILDREN.
Also Fatally Wounded Another Child,
and Then, Lying Down by His Dead
N Spouse. Put Bullet Into
His own Head.

CARROLL. Ia. Sept 2S.-John Boeck-
er, farmer. living eight miles from
this place. murdered his wife and FIVE
children and fatally Wounded his s.
year-old son Henry. Afterward| the
fiendish or demented man sent a bullet
into his own head. inficting fatal
wound. The family We're prosperous
Germans and as far as known lived
happily. No motive for the tragedy has
been disclosed. lri.l lllle. ts4.l A.l.t
Boeckers victims are his wife and
these children Caroline. aged IA Chris
tine. aged 9; Henry aged s; Lizzie. aged
6; John, aged B. and an infant. Henry
cannot recover from his wounds.
Boeclxer had an engagement TO help
a neighbor thrash. and on his, not put
ting In an appearance his brother Hen
~ went TO see why he did not come.
The doors Of the Boecker house were
locked, and there We're no signs Of life
about Henry tried 70 get into othe
house. but met with no response, ana
finally he kicked in the door and came
upon the horrible scene, Neri
Boecker. with his wife and baby,
slept in o back room, and the three
corpses lay an a bed The wife had
bttu dlOA III lIt Iltth VIII a. oih'NcAH
which stood IN the corner. the baby had
been shot and its head crushed with the
butt Of a revolver The man., stil
breathing, had a bullet hole in the forer
head, and by his side was a six shooter
with two chambers empty. l.fH al 4
The Boecker home is 1h-story
frame house, and up stairs Henry and
Lizzie lay on. bed with bullet holes In
~ 80. H.. Id Ha M
still breathing. In the opposite corner
Of the same ROOM Caroline, Christine
and John lay dead. each shot In the
forehead n asl. tta e.l - eoa-.
1t 10 undoubtedly a case Of murder
and suicide. The indications are that
Becker first dispatched his wife with
the shotgun. then used the revolver on
the baby, first shooting II and then
knocking out its brains with the butt.
Apparently, Boecker then went up
stairs, where the five children were
sleeping. and killed them. He must
have used a light, for his aim was ef-
fective, each victim being shot in the
forehead. All but two children met
with instant death, for the blood clots
were under their heads and two lay as
calmly as II in sleep. All except Henry
who is not yet dead. were attired in
nightrobes Boecker had reloaded the
weapon while up stairs and evidently
sent the second bullet into the Oldest
girls brain just before leaving the
room.
Going down stairs. he stretched him
self beside the corpse Of his wife and
shot himself His right hand was
burned by the powder showing the
rapid use OF the revolver The weapon
he had borrowed from his brother Hen
ry last Thursday. remarking that he
wanted it to kill rats in the cellar II
is now recalled that Boecker had since
then practiced target shooting with 1T.
Boecker was "a years old, and for
over 20 years he lived in the neighbor-
hood. Sunday he attended Catholic
services at Breda with his wife and
some Of the children.
He was visited soon after by a neigh
Dor, who says that when he left the
Boeckers' home they were seemingly a
happy family. and not a premonition
Of the awful tragedy was given by
Becker or any one Of the household.
Members OF his fathers family say he
had 10 family troubles his financial af-
fairs were in good shape, and they can
assign no motive for the terrible crime.
On the other hand. It is said that John
had disagreed with the old folks and
Henry over the occupancy OF the farm
on which John lived. and this is as
signed by some as the cause of the
trouble which eliminated in murder
and suicide