Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-01-26
COLD sLoopEp MURDER.
Charles OIlara and His wife Killed by
.-a Their Hired Man.

lhtir ffeh Mtp.
Denver, Jan. 2J.-Ciarlcs O'EIarn
and his wife. living about twelve
miles from Brighton were murdered Il
few days ago by Frank Hareld, Il man
whom they had employed short time
ago.
The dead bodies of Charles O'Hara
and his wife We're found Tuesday
morning under n rubbish heap on their
ranch. The bodies were found by Con-
stable Ireland and Sheriff Elliott early
in the morning Both the husband and
the wife had been murdered. The
wife had been shot down by buckshot,
and the husband undoubtedly was bru-
tally murdered by being pounded with
Il hammer. In the barn near the rub
bish heap, under which the two dead
and mangled bodies were found by
the searchcrs this morning, one of the
neighbors ran across n hammer, upon
the head of which was Il lot of clot-
ted blood.
The neighbOrs had become suspicious
because of their disappearance and the
contradictory statements of Hareld.
About twenty-five or thirty men went
to the O'Iiara ranch 10 aid the sheriff
and the constable in their search for
the husband and wife. All who went
lhtO tit HOuSt were ttElIlH IRON lht
outset that murder had been commit
ted. Around the floor and upon the
walls We're stains of blood. and In the
plaster were shot holes. showing TINT
gun had been recently fired.
While the search was going on It
was noticed by Sheriff Elliott that The
rubbish heap had recently been dis
turbed. He got II pitchfork ana went
at 1t. He had been NJ work but n few
minutes when he came upon the dead
bodies of .O'Hara and his wife. Their
heads were In opposite directions and
the bodies were covered with old
pieces of carpets and rugs. Word was
ut once sent to the coroner nj Greeley
to come to Brighton NJ once. and pend
ing his arrival the bodies We're allowed
to remain where they Were.
Frank Hnrcld. who has been at work
OH the ranch. has been arrested on
suspicion Of having committed the
horrible crime. As soon rs the details
Of the finding of the bodies and the
cold-bloodcd manner In which the dou-
bic murder was committed became
generally known the excitement rose
TO high pitch. Little knots Of men
gathered on the streets and for n time
II looked as though Harcld would
never live to have fair trial in open
court. Lynching was openly talked of.
and had It not been for the quick
work of Sheriff Elliott i'm getting his
prisoner out of town and on the way
to the county jail in Greeley. II stout
rope and short shrift would have
ended Harcld's business in this world
forever.
From the appearance of the bodies 1t
Is thought that O'Iiara WAS killed with
u hammer. or some heavy. blunt in.
strument. and that Mrs. O'IIara was
shot. 1t Is supposed the man was killed
first, and the only motive for the awful
tragedy which any. one has been able
to advance so far Is that Hnrcld. who
was employed on the ranch by O'Ilara.
hoped to get possession of some money
which was TO be received for cattle
sold by O'IIarn. This money. It is
thought. had not been received when
the murder was committed.
Marshal J. +. Carl. who had the pris.
oncr in charge from his arrest ut II
o'clock last might until he was removed
to Greeley to-day. was asked tonight
IL he thought Hareld was the man WIN
committed the crime. and stated tha,
there was no doub, about it whatever
DO you. from all the facts in your
possession. believe that 1t was Il pre-.
mcditatcd, cold-bloodcd murdery
1T looks very much like It," replied
Marshal Carl "''hc prisoner refused
to talk about the matter, but rs far as
can be learned there was no other mo.
tive for the killing than that of rob.
berry"
Harold Is about thirty years of age.
unmarried, 50 far rs known. and had
been in the employ of O'iIara for about
two months. He claimed to have come
from Butte. Montana. Very little is
known here about his previous history.