Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-28
wsess,s cRIMs RsvoLrINe
Man Executed at Folsom Charged
with Killing Entire Family


By Associated Press.
FOLSOM. Sept. 27.-The crime for
which Adolph Julius Weber paid the
extreme penalty of the law was one
Of the most revolving I'm the annals of
criminal history. On the night of Mo-
vember 10, 1904, the little town of Au-
burn, Placer county, In this state, was
aroused by the tolling Of fire bells. Lo-
Gated on an eminence overlooking the
town. the fine residence Of Julius
Weber. a wealthy retired merchant,
was a mass of flames.
When the fremen reached the scene
of the conhagration they found the
gates closed and firmly wired. The
doors leading into the house were
found locked and securely barred. Ac-
cess was gained by breaking In the
once inside the firemen stumbled
across the bodies of Mrs. Julius Weber,
her daughter, Bertha, and little son,
Earl. The bodies were burned almost
beyond recognition.
A search was made for the body of
Julius Weber, but 1t was not discovered
until two days later. Meanwhile an
examination Of the bodies Of the VIC
Tins disclosed the fact that Bertha
Weber had been shot over the heart
and that Mrs. Weber had met the same
fate. having been shot twice.
An examination of Earl Webers body
proved that he had been beaten to death
with some blunt instrument before the
flames reached him. The coroner's
Jury found that the members of the
Weber family had been murdered and
the house subsequently set on fire in
the hope that all evidence Of the crime
would be wiped out by the flames.
Suspicion was at once directed to-
ward Adolph Weber, the only surviving
member of the family, and on the night
of November 12 he was arrested and
formally charged with the murder Of
his father mother, sister and brother.
Adolph had always been a recluse
and on account of his eccentric habits
vas Stunned by the people of Auburn.
His sullen disposition and recluse
habits were more marked while in the
presence of his family and he seldom
conversed with his father, mother or
sister, and then only In sharp and
morose retorts. When arrested Weber
showed no emotion and even refused
an officer to accompany the remains of
his victims to their last resting place.
Weber Indifferent
Weber was placed on trial February
6, 1905, for the murder of his mother
and the examination continued until
the afternoon of February %. The
trial throughout was replete with dra-
matte incidents and the interest over
the outcome was intense throughout
the state of California. Weber at all
times during the trial maintained
stoical Indifference, and not once cid
he display any seeming interest or ex-
citement
The prosecution placed its main reli-
ance upon blood stained 32-calibre
pistol. which had been found under
the weber barn several days after the
fire An examination of the victims
bodies had shown that the bullet
wounds were inflicted by revolver of
this pattern Incontestible evidence
was furnished during the trial that
Weber had purchased 32-calibre re-
volver from a San Francisco pawn
broker.
The weapon was positively identified
in the court as the instrument found
in the Weber barn. Adolph Weber was
also positively identified by the pawn
broker and his assistant as the pur-
chaser of the pistol, books being fur
nished to corroborate the identification
Howard Carr, a United States govern
ment gun expert, in turn furnished
evidence that the bullets taken from
the dead bodies had been fired from
the pistol belonging to Weber.
The testimony of the defense was
mainly an attempt to prove an alibi.
Weber's attorneys endeavored to show
that tne time DeIWeeH Ihe hihIS VI ING
Webers and the time at which Adolph
Weber was seen down town was so
short as to preclude any possible chance
that the defendant could have COM
nitted the crimes. Weber himself took
the stand on February Is, and in
low voice scarcely audible told from
beginning to end of his doings on the
night of the fire. and of all his move
ments, up to and after that event.
Contradicts Testimony
In doing so he fatty contradicted the
testimony of a dozen witnesses, and
| under griling cross examination by
Prosecuting Attorney Webb, made ad-