The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-16
MIDNIGHT MURDER
CHRISTIAN WILHARM SHOT WHILE
ENTERING HIS HOME.
burglary the Only Theory for the
Murder-Had Been Calling
ON His Sweetheart.

old, employed at the l., D. & w. shops, met
death last night while entering his home
at 1850 Spruce street, living only fifteen min
Gtes after receiving a bullet in his bodX,
presumably from revolver in the hands of
burglar whom he had surprised at his
work. Wilharm had spent the evening at
the home of Miss Maggie Overfield on Vir-
ginia avenue, leaving there to return home
about 80 o'clock. 1t has been customary
for his father to leave the rear door of the
house open for the convenience Of the son,
and last night it is supposed he walked
around to the rear of the house on his way
to his room. as he had done many times
before. He opened the outside door only to
be met by two shots fired in quick success
sion by some one secreted in the house. The
reports of the pistol awakened his father,
who rushed to the rear of the house to as
certain the reason for the tumult. The first
sight to ne IT his eyes was the figure of his
son staggering through the door with blood
dripping from his wounds. Wilharm had
barely enough strength left to enable him
to stagger into the arms of his father be-
fore he fell exhausted, and before a ply
stefan could arrive he was dead. The po-
lice were at once notified of the murder,
and in the meantime an investigation of
the premises was made to ascertain if pos
sible who had fired the fatal shots. One
of the side windows of the house was found
to be open, and beneath it stood a chair,
indicating that this was the point of in
gress chosen by the murderous intruder.
Only three weeks ago the house was burg
larized in a similar manner, without, how
ever profting the robbers much, and 1t is
supposed that the burglar of last night.
after effecting an entrance began to sys-
tematically rsrsack the house. thinking
everyone in bed, and when surprised by
Wilharm fired the shots in the desperate
hope of making good his escape.
THE BURGLAR THEORY.
The Wilharm home is far removed from
the thickly populated part of the city,
with the broad grounds of the German
General Protestant Orphans Home in front
and across the street. and large commons
on either side Young Wilharm, when he
returned from his call last night, returned
as usual through a gate in the rear of the
yard. 1t was thought once last night that
his footprints could be made out in the
search for the tracks made by the fleeing
intruder but so many had passed through
the yard in the meantime that no cleW In
this direction could be obtained. That the
shots were fired by a burglar is evident be-
women folks of the house had been wash
ing, and had left the tubs full of water
setting on old chairs In the rear or
the house. One of these tubs had
been removed ard the water turned
cut on the well-worn dirt path
The chair was then taken to the side WIN
dow which led Into the living room of the
house. This room is the farthest removed
from the bed chambers and the burglar
was less apt to disturb any of the sleeping
family. The window here had been raised
and by means of the chair he was able 10
crawl in. 1t is supposed that he had not
been at his work long when he was unex-
nothing was missed and the table in the
dining room was the only object disturbed.
The intruder was evidently unable TO make
retreat through his means of entering
and to save detection shot the approaching
man. Young Wilharm had only entered the
door and it was still open when the shots
were fired. The murderer then evidently
pushed passed the wounded victim and made
his escape through the open door
The family were reused by the two shots
in quick succession and wasted no time in
calling the police. Detectives Asch ana
Power. with the patrolmen Of that district strict
being made to get a clew as to the perpe-
traitor of the deed The young man had re-
manned conscious only long enough 1, to say;
found at the window and a search
was made Of the premises ,o and bo DIFF
for Signs of the murderer's hasty retreat
but without avail. On the south large
commons. muddy from the recent rains, was
filled with tracks which people had made
through the day The garden patch TO the
north revealed no signs of travel. and no
one could be found who had seen any per-
son go either in or out of the yard. Within
the house there was as poor held Tor de-
tective work. Nothing could be found by
which the supposed burglar might be identl-
fed, and the young man was reported 10
have no enemies who might be led
to commit the crime for. revenge. He was
fIxy no nF1lx
OF the girl he had been calling on and
there could be no motive there for anybody
attacking him. 1t is also suggested that
man looking for revenge or wishing to get
him out of the way would not incur the
danger of entering the house when he might
have the same opportunity on the deserted
highway.
DISTRESS OF THE FAMILY.
The scene within the house after the man
had been laid carefully upon his mothers
bed was pathetic in the extreme. The
mother almost in Mysteries, was moaning
and crying by his side, and the father
walked the floor in the adjoining ROOM
shedding bitter tears. In one corner a lit
tie sister was seated quietly crying and
a smaller brother vainly tried to comfort
the grief-stricken parents. An older sister
was affected that she was unable to shed
tears, but walked the floor and would now
and then drop into chair, where she
would gaze, dry-eyed, into space
When the news of the murder was con-
veyed to Miss Overfied she came at once
to the house and sank weeping beside the
bed on which her lover lay, dead and cold.
She cried out and then rose to leave the
ROOM but tainted at the door. She re-
manned unconscious for a quarter of an hour
and it was feared for time that she was
in q serious condition. She was finally
stored, however by the doctor who was
called, but was unable 20 throw any light
on the tragedy Wiharm had left her
little after IL o'clock and was in the best
of spirits.
The coroner was notified. but at an early
hour had not arrived. The physician who
was called, however made an eXamina-
ton of the body and was able to detect but
enc wound. A small hole was found in the
center Of his chest, and it is supposed that
the shot touched his heart An examina-
ton was also made of his clothing in the
hope of finding q letter or other paper to
throw some light on the affair. A thor
ough search could not be made in the abb
sence of the coroner but nothing further
than an invitation to dance was found in
the pockets. as far as the doctors and de-
tectiveS went.
The affair remains a mystery as far as
the identity of the guilty man is concerned
though Detective Asch found a clew later
in the morning which he thinks may de-
yelop something. This is on the revenge
theory and may warrant an arrest.
The Facts in Snyder's Case.
Secretary Butler of the State Board of