The Springfield herald., 1905-03-17
DESPERATE MURDERER
DOES FEARFUL WORK IN DENVER

NiUS Nei9hbor and Wne-T errorizes
Neishborhood-Figh the Police
Wounds Three and 10 Finally
Killed.
Denver. March 13.-The devil that
inspires murder in the heart of man
possessed George Shissler when he
awoke from his slumbers yesterday
morning. He killed his enemy, Kay
Sill. Then he murdered Sill's wife.
Upon the appearance of the police am
| bulance he shot the captain and the
! surgeon. Declaring that he would die
| fighting, the man barricaded his house
and fought until he received bullet
in his head. which put an end to his
career. Whether he killed himself or
was shot by the police is matter OF
conjecture.
Shissler lived at the corner Of East
Twenty-eighth avenue and Garfield
street, northeast OF City Park. Kay
Sill, a brick manufacturer. lived in
cottage short distance from Shissler.
At one time bosom friends. the two
men. through business difficulties and
quarrels, became most bitter enemies.
The enemies appealed to the law to
settle their troubles, and Shissler met
defeat. He called up his lawyer.
Benjamin C. Hilliard, yesterday morn
ing and told him that there would be
music in the air.
At noon Shissler armed himself He
shot down Sill killing him almost in
stantly Mrs. Sill saw her husband
fall and ran into the house. She at
tempted to escape through back win
dow and the murderer shot her.
The man who was dealing with
death commenced a search for the Sill
children. intending to slay them. The
children escaped.
Shissler set fire. to the Sill cottage.
He touched a match to the bed under
which Frances and Josephine Fitzpat-
rick were hiding. The girls. in their
| flight. were fired upon by Shissler.
The dead bodies of Mr.. ed Mrs. Sill
lay upon the ground. The assassin
kept watch over them and people who
approached were fired upon. Several
pedestrians begged upon their knees
for their lives and were released.
Frank Kelly. who telephoned the
| first alarm to the police, was hitching
his horse when he was struck in the
leg by a bullet He reached a tele-
phone and called up headquarters. Cap
tain Bohanna answered.
According to the message of Kelly.
Shissler had committed murder. The
captain lost no time in summoning
DR.. Frank Dulin. the police surgeon on
duty. The captain. doctor and driver.
Sidney McClanathan, occupied the
drivers seat in the ambulance. In the
ambulance were Policemen Mulligan.
Phillips and Powers. 1t being an emer-
gency call. the driver hurried at top
speed to the scene of the murder. Ar
irving there. the driver. doctor and
captain observed the dead bodies in
front of the Sill home. Without the
least warning or challenge they were
attacked.
DR.. Dulin was shot three times, twice
in the legs and once in the thigh. A
bullet passed through Captain Bohan-
mas hat. Another struck him in the
leg, and passing through the tesh
struck DR.. Dulin. Driver McClanathan
esaped. McClanathan turned the
ambulance. Shissler kept firing.
A bullet struck one OF the horses.
The horse did not fall and the
driver kept the vehicle moving. A bull
let tore through the clothes of Police
man Mulligan.
Shissler. before the arrival of the
ambulance, turned his two children
over to a ueighbors wife, telling her
he had killed Mr.. and Mrs. Sill and an
nouncing that he would fight TO the
death.
AS soon as word of the terrible con-
ditlon of affairs reached headquarters
Mayor Speer and Police Commissioner
Earl Hewitt were notified. News OF
the tragedies was sent to Sherlh Arm I,
strong and Under Sheriff o'Neill.
Twenty-Five members of the police
department. all armed with Winches-
tiers. a squad from the sheriff's office
and several special officers were de-
tailed to capture or kill the murderer.
The house was surrounded and bom-
barded from all sides. The windows
were shattered by bullets. the wood
work was splintered. the bricks torn.
About BIS O'Clock the house was en-
tered Shissler lay. dying. upon his
, bed, bullet having penetrated his
brain.
Judging from the position in which
he lay it would appear that he commit
ted suicide. On the other hand, the
bombardment of the house was so
fierce and continuous that Shissler
may have been killed by an officer. The
report that Shissler was maniac Is
! not well founded He seemed to be
in a normal condition of mind in the
morning. And there is no evidence
that he had been drinking. The true
theory of the cause of his terrible
acts seems to be that he had worked
himself into a rage and had decided
that blood only would satisfy his crav-
ing for revenge. He is described as
having been of vindictiye and re-
vengeful temperament.
He not only planned the murder OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Sill but he wanted TO
murder their offspring. All because oil
a dispute over property.