The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-10-23
SON FINDS BODY OF
/. MURDERED MOTHER
Woman is Murdered and Robbed in
St. Louis County, Mo.
BULLET FIRED INTO HER BRAIN
Mrs. william Lnuman Meets Death
in n Lonely Spot While on Her
Way Home From st. Louis
No CIcw to Mystery.

st. Louis, Oct. 16.-Mrs. Kate Lau-
man, wife of William e. Lauman. of
Normandy, st. Louis county, was muir
dered and robbed by an an unidentified
person or persons Wednesday night
whale on her way home from visit to
ST. Louis.
The murderer used a revolver, and
the bullet penetrated the temple just
above the left eye.
The crime was committed some time
after $50 o'clock, but the exact time
has not been determined, as the cir
cumstances surrounding it are as mys-
terious as any with which the city po-
lice or county authorities have ever
had to work.
The body was found Thursday after
noon at $3.50 o'clock by Roy Lauman,
son of the murdered woman. as he
was driving home from business trip
to st. Louis.
1t was lying on the east side of the
Lucas and Hunt road, in clump OF
bushes. That there was a struggle be-
fore Mrs. Lauman died there is little
she carried her money. had been forci-
bly, torn from her belt. Clutched tight
ly in her right hand between her in
dex and middle fingers was a small
twig that she is supposed to have got
ten in the brush on the side of the
road while graphing with her assail-
ant.
She wore a black silk glove, which
was torn in a jagged manner in sew
eral places, which could have been
caused from brush.
Dragged Into Bushes.
The body is supposed to have been
dragged into the bushes after the
shooting 1t was placed with the head
to the north, in such a position that
the ordinary passerby would not see it.
1t was laid by the side of wire fence,
a strand Of which had been torn of
to make hole large enough for the
murderer or murderers to crawl through
and get into wooded pasture on the
east, where there would be no posi-
BILE clew from footprints that might
have otherwise been made.
The only sign of blood was space
about two inches square around the
bullet wound. This was also powder
burned, indica.i ing II at the fatal shot
was fired at close range, probably while
the struggle was going on or just as
the unfortunate woman might have
succeeded in breaking away from her
asSailant.
Mrc hn1 Oh In
money, which was taken. In addition,
gold watch valued at $50 and three
rings valued at about S35 have disap-
peared A pair of.gold nose glasses at
tached to a gold chain was left on her
person.
Wound Resembles McCnnn's.
The body was not moved from the
side of the road until after six O'Clock
Thursday night, wnen a telephone mes
sage was received from Coroner Koch
at his home in Des Peres, saying that
he would hold the inquest this morn
ing at 1880 o'clock. The body was
then taken home.
Until the arrival of Detective Ca
banne, Lauman thought his wife had
cCcn hliiCu WIFI oOHIO luoll u
ment The officer soon dispelled this
idea and declared she had been shot.
The hole above the left eye was very
small and resembled in a marked de-
gree the wound found under the eye
of James P. Mccain. who is alleged to
have been murdered at Bonfils staten
June Is by Frederick Seymour Barring
ton.
Husband Offers Reward of $500.
Mr. Lauman authorized the announce
ment of a $500 reward for the arrest
and conviction of the murderer or MUIR
derers.
At his request a letter was written
to Gov. Dockery asking that he also
offer a reward. Another request will
be made of the county court at Clay.