Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-24
MYSTERIOUS MURDER CASE
Frank E. Wheeler Found Dead in Street
with His Head Crushed.
SLIGHT CLUES FOR POLICE TO WORK On
wife OF Dead Man, to whom Tie HAD
Been Married but One Month. Held
for InNcstiRation, but No Real
Evidence Against Her.

Lying with his head down the steep in
cline between the sidewalk and the gutter,
the face upward. bearing mute testimony
of murder. the dead body of Frank +.
Wheeler. 1916 South Fourteenth street, was
discovered at I:45 o'clock last night 10y
Charles Welsh, across the street from the
Office of the Fred Busch Transfer com
! pany at Fourteenth and Mason streets
where the walk borders the yards of the
Chicago Lumber company. Mystery Of the
deepest kind cnshrouds the deed, as no
one in the nclshborhood could be found
who heard any outcry or saw any persons
acting i'm an unusual manner.
Welsh was returning to work at the
Busch barns after supper, and was about
TO step off the walk To take a shortcut
to the office when his foot touched the
inanimatc body. Assuring himself that 1T
was not a drunken man, as he at first
supposed, the intense darkness rendering
1t impossible to sec the object plainly, he
hurried across the street and notified the
police. Officers were Immediately sent TO
the scene in the patrol wagon, accom-
panied by Police Surgeon wills, who found
| the body still warm, but life departed.
No one in the crowd which had gathered
could identify the body, but from papers
in pocket the name of Wheeler and the
address were secured. Detective Drummy
and officer Sandstrom went to the number
indicated, which is but two blocks from
the scene of the murder. where the idcn-
| tity of the man was soon established.
No Indications of Struggle.
The dead mans wife was mucn grieved at
| the sudden news and so much overcome
! that she was not questioned closely at the
time for possible light on the mystery 1t
was learned that her husband worked as
fireman at the Murray hotel and had been
! home to supper. leaving home to return to
the hotel at 6:i5 O'Clock. He had proceeded
but two blocks, getting within a hundred
| feet of Mason street, when he was set upon.
AS to what occurred then, whether there
/ was any struggle, there can be only con-
lecture but there were strong indications
! that Wheeler was struck down before he
know his danger, and that he made no de-
fense. Three wounds were found upon the
head. one over the right eye, another on
! the left jaw fracturing the bone and third
under the left ear, each undoubtedly the
result OF a hard blow with a heavy instru-
ment. The victim apparently fell without
a word, toward the street and down the in
cline in the soft, wet earth. Blood began
| to ooze from the wounds, but II ran back
into the hair. none running down the face
and on the white collar, giving cause for
the belief that Wheeler fell at the first
blow.
on the other side of the walk is steer
bank leading to the lumber yards. This is
OF soft mud. and footprints in two places
where the body was found are the only
signs Of second or third party One sci
of the tracks are light and close together
while the other is deeply imbcdded in the
mud and composed Of but two steps The
assailant II there was but one either crept
slowly down the bank he saw his uncon.
scious victim approach killed him and ther
ran up the bank again and away. or he
jumped down suddenly, taking Wheeler by
storm and then leisurcy returned whence
he came.
At Loss for Motive.
The spot is we'll situated for such a per.
formance 1t is near the Fourteenth street
viaduct and is dark and lonely at this time
of the night, although at times wei
crowded with throngs of working people
going to and from work. The police have
been unable to find what might have beer
a motive for the crime. silver dollar and
some change were In the dead mans Doc
ket, robbery could not have actuatet
the deed
The following are the only facts gathered
by the police which sometimes bear OF
such cases: Wheeler married his wife les,
thar five months ago. She had just SC
cured a divorce from her former husband
named Reynolds, now serving a term a
Lincoln for burglary, but as he has tw,
years yet 10 serve, he could not have com
mitted the crime. Wheeler carried $500
life insurance. and. while the police hav,
not fastened any charge against Mrs
Wheeler, the circumstances i'm view Of tn,
large insurance were considered sufficien
grounds upon which TO hold her. and De
tectives Drummy and Maloney placed he
under arrest last night. While there 4
little for the police to work on they hav,
gone to work with high hopes and a de
termination to work out the mystery ant
bring the murderer to justice.
Later in the evening Detectives Drumm,
and Maloney arrested James Diggs 1871
North Seventeenth street a colored ex
convict, on suspicion.
Wheeler came to Omaha Srom Kansas
where his people live, He was about 3