The herald., 1898-11-04
TWO MEN ASSASSINATfD
MRS. GROSS ACCUSES JOHN HAN
COCK OF THE CRIME
SAYS 1T OCCURRED IN NEVADA
Hancock Struck Them in the Head
With an AK Then Used Revol-
ver-The Suspect Arrested

The details of an atrocious double as
sassination, which is alleged to have oc-
Cured in Nevada, year ago last July,
nave Just been disclosed by woman VINO
was forced by the murderer to become al
most d participant in the crime. Mrs
George ID. Gross is the name of the woman
who disclosed the terrible crime, and John
Hancock, her former paramour, she says
is the assassin. The victims of the crime
were DR.. George Engelke, veterinary
surgeon, and Joe, alias Pete Edmiston, d
Canadian ranch hand.
Hancock had inundated the woman for
over year, since the crime was commit
ted, and recently threatened her life and
attempted to Kill her present husband
The cruelty of the murderer probably
goaded Mrs. Gross to desperation, and
when she Swore to complaints against
hancock for assaulting her husband with
knife and threatening her, she made
clean breast OF the greater crimes. She
had been living with Hancock at Perris.
Riverside county, last year, and on the
18th of April. 1897, she and her seven-year-
old son left with Hancock to drive to Salt
Lake City. About June 18th or 10th the
party arrived a Pahrump, Nye county,
New, situated about 6U miles north of Dag
gett San Bernardino county The trip TO
That point had been characterized by moth
ing more than the theft of horse "a Dag
gett by Hancock. At Pahrump Mrs. Gross,
who then went by the name of Mrs. Win
fred Myers, secured employment in the
dining room of Mir. White, a farmer and
an officer. Hancock was also given work
there.
They remained three weeks al that place.
and the day before they left Pa hrump they
met DR.. Engelke and his driver, Joe Ed
rniC Inn Ltt,., 4
on their way to Ogden, Utah, to surprise
his mother and sister, whom he had not
seen for some time. Engelke stated that
ne mad been veterinary surgeon, and had
practlced throughout Southern California
1t was agreed that the five should travel
together as Hancock's party was going
several hundred miles along the same road
with the others. On the third day after the
crowd had left Pahrump, Hancock told the
woman that the two men had money, and
as ne was broke, he thought he would Sc
cure 1t by killing them. Hancock talked
of this crime for the balance of the after
noon, and at o'clock, when the doctor
desired to camp, Hancock suggested that
they proceed further, toward some noun
tains. This was done, and the party re-
tired early, as they were tired. The beds
were within fifteen feet of each other At
o'clock in the morning the woman was
awakened by hearing a pistol shot and saw
Hancock standing with smoking pistol
over the bodies of the two men. He had
knocked both in the head with an ak. and
as they had not died Immediately, he pro-
ceeded to make sure of the crime by shoot
ing them twice in the head with the pistol.
after which he again knocked them in the
head with the AK
When he rified their clothes Hancock
found but $13 in the pockets of Joe and
book on some bank in Southern California
was taken from the pocket of Dr. Engelke
Hancock then compelled the woman to
help him, put the bodies into his wagon
hitched up the horses and drove the wagon
quarter of mile east of the road over
little hill, down into a small basin and
then up on rocky cliff, where he dumped
the bodies behind big rock After return
ing to the camp, Hancock and the woman
burned the wagon and various effects of
the two murdered men. They took a silk
handkerchief, a New Testament a needle
case and other articles belonging to the
two men
Most OF the stolen articles were either
thrown away or sold along the road, and
when Hancock, the woman and her son
arrived at Salt Lake City, Hancock sold
the doctors overcoat. They remained at
that place three weeks, and then retui
10 California, ana finally went to the San
Ia fe OIL wells, near Fullerton, Orange
county, where both found employment.
Hancock had threatened to kill the woman
if she ever left him or spoke of the MUIR
ders. She was in fear of her life, but on
October 23d last told him she would not
live with him any longer
Evidently the woman had felt liking
for Gross, and her preference apparently
aroused the jealousy of Hancock, for on
Wednesday of last week he cut Gross on
the hand with knife and made an at
tempt, SO it is claimed, to kill him, and
also threatened to kill the woman. She
swore to the complaints against Hancock,
and then divulged the facts of the alleged
murders. In support of her statements the
woman showed a handkerchief bearing the
initial CO." needle case, a small Tcsta-
ment, purse and some cuff-buttons, all
of which she said had been taken from DR..
Engelke.
Fullerton officials investigated the cir
cumstanceS of the departure of Dr. En-
gelke and Edmis ton as far as they were
able, and learned that these men had left
Riverside on prospecting tour about the
time that the woman claims she and Han
cock met them. Nothing has since been
heard of the pair. Hancock was arrested
at San Bernardino and yesterday taken to
Santa Ana on the warrants charging him
with assaulting Gross and threatening Mrs
Gross. The authorities of Nevada have
been notified of the double murder, and
they will be given ample time in which to
work up the case against Hancock and try
to discover the bodies, as the prosecution
of Hancock on the lesser charges will prob
ably occupy a month or more. He has not
yet been charged with the murder of the
two men. Gross and Mrs. Myers were
married in this city last Monday. The
couple stopped at lis East Third street in
this city, but left that lodging house yes
terday afternoon. The landlady said she
did not know where the woman had gone.
Ii is probable she went to Santa Ano ~