The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-09
FUNK's TERRIBLE CRIME.
History of the Deed Which Brought
Him to the GaIIoxvs.

History of the Deed Which Brought
Him TO the GaHosvs.
The crime for which Funk today paid
the penalty with his life on the galiows
was prompted by robbery. It was deIib-
ed. For some weeks, perhaps month, he
had been a visitor at the home of Will am
! H Brooks, at 9I4 Twenty-second Street
northwest, where the crime was commit
ted During this time he learned that
Martha Brooks, the aged wife OF the a-e.:
whom he murdered, carried about her per
son d large sum OF money, said TO be over
$4,000. The day on which the murder was
committed Funk visited the Brooks home
! three times, according to the evidence adj
duced by the Government but according
to his own admission. four times, the last
about $50 D. m a half an hour before the
crime is supposed to have been commit
ted.
So exact we're all his pIannings and cal
culatiors that he apparently did not leave
clew by which the crime might be traced
to him, and it was only his sudden fight
from Washington. within an hour after
the dead body Of Brooks had been discov-
cred. that cast suspicion upon him The
Brooks, with their two daughters, Mag
gle Brooks and Sophia Brown. lived at tn Z
premises mentioned, and Funk f<<s-sss -
weeks had been very attenti
Brown and visited her $500 -
! day the murder was committed i vas
shown by & stimopy, that lie had made en-
gagements with both Mrs Brown and
Maggie Brooks to meet them at different
places at considerable distance from their
homes at the sas1e hour Having thus
provided for their absence from the house
the evidence showed that he returned
j there al between 5 p M and 0-z0 p n.y.
when the crime was committed
The nT5t person % Eisit the Brooks home
and discover that murder had been done
WEs George L LARSON He was also q
friend Of the family. When he arrived at
the house few minutes after o'clock
and found the door closed, he opened Il and
walked into the frC2t room He called for
Nanny as he Familiarity called Mrs.
Brooks, but received no reply. While
standing waiting and listening he heard
sounds which he took to be groans. He i'm
mediately returned 20 the street and told
a person whom he saw standing on the
sidewalk that he thought Ae.e was some
thing wrong with the Brooks. Together
he and the stranger re-entered the houst
and heard gToans which proceeded from
a small storage room Just back Of the din
Iing-rcom. which was TO the rear of the par
loT- They went TO this room and found
the door leading 70 it boIted on the cut
side Larson then oEeEed the door and
a horrible sight was presented 20 his view
In one corner of The room lay Mrs. Brooks
/ with her bed1 cut IN several place: a. /
in anesher TART OF the room was Ut.
Brooks lying tcsd. His head also bore evil
dences Of having been cut a number OF
times with some sharp instrument
The police were Immediately notified and
Mrs 2-noks was hurriediy taken 10 the
Emergency Hospital where after several
months care and treatment she recovered
from her wounds. In ner testimony before
the jury which convicted Funk sna sta.ed
that her last memory OF The occurrences on
the afte--oon when her husband was muir
deTed was that about $50 o'clock he wSs
walking up and down the Gining-room- She
had Just finished watering her flowers in
the front yard and was standing in the
doorway. She then turned TO join her
husband in the dining-room when she be
came unconscious She did not remember
seeing Funk or anyone else in the house
or hearing eIy disturbance which would
have resulted in the assault made upon
her husbaGd.
When Mrs Brooks body was discovered
it was found that her clothes mad been
partially torn off It is supposed that this
was done by Funk IN his search for the
money which he had been told Mrs BROOKS
always carried in a little sack hung around
n
ever. that the money was in the sideboard
drawer and that the key to the drawer
was carried by Mrs Brooks on a string
which hiIg around her neck Having Sc
cured the key. Funk unlocked the drawer
took the money, amounting to 81. $50, from
the sack in which it was kept, threw the
sack under the sideDoard, locked the draw
eF. and fed
More than a year after Funk had fed
from Washington he was arrested in Co
lumbia, No When taken into custody he
admitted having received the money OF
which Mrs. Brooks was robbed, but de-
MED any knowledge OF or participation in
the murder Of her husband He said that
OF the afternoon on which old man Brooks
was killed he called at the house about
$50 o'clock TO see Sophia Brown No one
replied to his knock at the door, so he
opened it and looked in There, he de-
ciared, he saw Sophia Brown and a coIored