The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-09-28
FIENDISH OR CRAZY z.
Rash Deed Of an Iowa Farmer Leaves
the Question In Doubt.
MURDERED HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN
Affer Completing tho Work of DC.
struction. Took Ills own Fife.
supposed to Have Been Prospera
Gus ans: His FaIniIy Affairs of tho
Most Pleasant Character.
Carroll, Ia., Sent. a7. 1897.

Carroll, Ia., Sept. 81 1897.
The slaughter OF n mother and her
siX children occurred at the home of
John Boecker, Il farmer living eight
miles northwest OF here, last night.
AiterWard the flendish or demcnted hus-
Dand and father at whose hands they
uied' completed his bloody work by
sending bullet into mis- own hend. in
hic'ihG fatal wound. The family were
prosperous Germans ana as far as is
Nhown lived happily No motive for
the tragedy has been disclosed.
Boecker's victims are his wife md
.ncSe children: Caroline, aged IA: Chris
c'hc' hScd y; Henry, uge1 s; Lizzie aged
o. J"hn, aged >; an infant.
~ are dead hut Henry ana he cannot
recover from his wounds.
laoeckcr had an engagement IN bo,,,
he'Shhor thrcsh this morning ana on
ms mot putting In an appnarnnco his
proihcr Henry. who lives about twenty
roo" away. went about Z o'clncI, tn srn
WHY he did not come. ,rhe doors nf thn
i'occker mousse were locked ana there
t,in'I no SENS or life about. Henry
lrled to get in the house. but mct M
response and finally he kicked in iho
uoor ana came upon 4 horrible sc,uc
i'oecker with his wife ana baby sion,
III Dack room, and the three corpsns
ny on IL ped. The wife had been shot
,t me neck with shot gun, which
s.oou III the corner; the baby had bnnn
Snol ana It's head crushed with tI,a INIT
or revolver The man, still brcnthinr
outlet hole high up Cn the rornhnnI
ana by his Side was a Smith G. Wcsenn
SIN SIN shooter, with two chambers emDty
iie noecRcr nome is Il story and n half
irhme house and up stairs Henry md
IlTZ!e lay Oh n he'd ,yi ',,,II,t
thc forehead, the latter dcnd thn nov
SUI. breathing. In The opposite corner
or me same room Caroline, Christlnr and
1uhn were dead, each with Il bullet hole
two. '''u'c ilia
hrte this afternon the bodl,, ,vere
stiii untouched, the sheriff and coroner
pe'lt occupied In arranging for the IN
iu-Sl ana ether prcim1aripG fi'bn In
qniry VIII be pushed to-morrow nv III,
corohcrs jury. 1t IL undoubtedly n case
VI murder ana suicide. The Indications
@ "Is thtt lSoecker first dispatched hi,
"iIe with shot gun, then used Tho 70
VoiVer on the baby, first shooting Il ana
men Knocking its brains out with tha
butl. loecEcr then went m st,ira
Whcrc the five children were s,ccninr
hu ana Killed them. He must have usnd n
i!Sht" Tor his aim was effective, each
,tesiiii DcinS Snot In the forehead All
n"I TWO chlidren met with instant death
10Y The blod clots were Under theIr heads
ana two of them lay as calmly renosnG
Us IL IN sleep. All except Henry. who is
not vet dead, We're attircd I'm night robps
l'occker had reloaded the weauon whi;f
up stairs, and evidently sent the second
bullet into the oldes: girls brain lust
before leaving the room Going down
STATS he stretched himself lr.side tbc
CORPSE oi hi9 wife and shot himself. His
risht hand was burned by the powder
Glowing the rapid use of the revolver
The weapon he had borrowed from hIs
brother, Henry, last Thursday, remark
ing that he wanted 1t to kill rats in The
cellar 1T IL now recalled that Boecker
hhd since then practiCed at target shoot
lnS with IL. Boccicr was thirty-rour
Years DID, and for over twenty years
llVcd In the same ncShborhood in fact
on the same farm. He was married
eleven years ago. and after living n
year with his parents, moved to the
scene Of last nights tragedy, which is
almost within hailing distance of his
Old home. lie had been regarded as a
prosperous farmer, and had only recent
~ bought Il 200-acrc farm few miles
from the old homestead. Yesterday he
attended Catholic services at Breda with
his wife ana some of the children. Later
In the day lie was visited by neighbor
who says that when he left the Boeck-
ers home in the evening they were seem
lnEly a happy family, and not q pre-
monition of the awful tragedy enacted
4 few hours later was given by Blocker
or any one OF the household Members
of his fathers family say he had no
family troubles. his financial affairs
were in good shape, and they can assign
no motive for the terrible crime.