The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-10-23

st. Louis, Oct. 1.-THE murder OF
Mrs. Kate Lauman, of Normandy, St
Louis county. is still AN unsolved mys-
terry go far as the officers of the law
are concerned. and il now seems prob
allie that unless the murderer or muir
derers, by some act of their own, fur
nish a clew, the crime will be another
added to the list of unsolved suburban
mysteries of this vicinity.
Mrs. Lauman was murdered and
robbed, and her mutilated body was
dragged into a clump of trees beside
the Lucas and Hunt road, quarter OF
mile from her home, Wednesday
afternoon.
The murder was net discovered un-
til 20 hours later, when her body was
found by her son, Roy Lauman.
The murderers employed a revolver
of small caliber as their weapon. The
bullet entered Mrs. Humans right
temple, and the revolver was held so
close TO her head that powder burns
surrounded the wound.
The murderers also struck her with
their firsts or some heavy instrument,
as it indicated by the swollen and dis
colored condition of the right side of
the face.
Was Returning From st. Louis.
Mrs. Lauman was returning to her
home after a visit to her sister-in-law,
Mrs. George A. Smith in this city,
near the western limits, when she was
killed. She left Mrs. Smiths home
about 2:30 o'clock Wednesday after
noon, with $50 and valuable jewelry in
a chatlaine bag which she carried at
her belt She should have reached her
home, not more than four miles away,
by four o'clock at the latest.
Two of her daughters, Miss Clara
Lauman and Mrs. Minnie Rollins, went
to the intersection of the Lucas and
Hunt road and the Suburban trolley
line at six o'clock, expecting to meet
her They waited until seven o'clock.
when they returned home.
While waiting they heard whstling,
which they now think was signal be-
from different directions.
Their mother was evidently murdered
before they passed along the road on
their way to meet her.
Detectives working on the case &C
cept the theory advanced by the muir
dered woman's relatives that she was
killed for purpose of robbery.
Lack of exact information as to the
route taken and the time consumed by
Mrs Lauman in going from Mrs.
Smiths home to her OWE seriously
complexities the mystery.
When she left the Smith home she
started toward Easton avenue, with the
evident purpose, of taking an Easton
avenue car to Wellston. No one has
yet been found, however, who saw her
take the car, who saw her at Wellston,
or who saw her at any stage of the
journey over the st. Charles trolley line
or the Suburban trolley line, either OF
which she might have taken.
Twenty-Five Hours Interim.
No search for Mrs. Lauman was in
stituted by her family in the rs hours
that she was missing. This is explained
by the statement that she frequently
remained in ST. Louis over night, and
sometimes for the next day, on the oc-
casion of her visits to the city, without
previously notifying her family.
Mrs. Lauman was the wife Of Will
lam Lauman, wealthy dairyman and
farmer living on the Lucas and Hunt
road, three-quarters of a mile north of
the Suburban road, and about quarter
of mile from Normandy.
Only q Slender Clew.
The only clew to the identity Of the
murderers Is furnished by Miss Clara
Lauman, who says she heard low whis-
Ting, seemingly call and an answer.
while she was waiting with her sister
at the Suburban tracks on the Lucas
and Hunt road for her mother, between
six and seven o'clock Wednesday even
ing.
Detectives believe that this whistling
came from the murderers, and was a
signal that the murder and robbery had
been completed.
Effort Is being made to trace th
movements or mrs. Lauman AFTER she
left the home of her brother, George
A. Smith, 5637 Theodosia avenue, al
2: 80 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.
Five hundred dollars reward has
been offered by the Lauman family for
the arrest of the murderers. and 1t is
expected this will be supplemented by
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