The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-05-17
KILLS PARENTS, PUTS
BABES TO SLEEP LfES
Posse Sent on tYhc'1ag taS
Murderer OF MIR. aad Mrs.
w. +. Copple.
s HIP BURKE SUSPECTED
TIRED Man and Money m's.ins-
Dead Bodies LET, Where Hogs
Horribly Mut'iate Thorn
Appalling Cr,me.

Rosalse. Neh May L People &c
port having heard hoof-heats SIX
miles east OF mere and hurke is
thought by some To be In the brush
along the Missouri river, lie is
armed and viii doubtless light.
w. II. Copple. brother OF the dead
man. this afternoon offered "a re-
ward OF $50 for Burke's capture,
The state is expected to offer a sim
liar amount.
Rosalie. Neb., May l5.-Frcd Burk.
whom a jury adjudged guilty
of the dastardly murder of Mr.. and
Mrs. Walter f. Couple on their farm,
four miles east of town, Monday morn
ing. is still at large. Sheriff Young be-
lieVes the man is making toward Oma-
ha and that he surely viii be cap
tured.
With all of the CHASTITY details
known 1t is apparent that the double
murder was the work of q maniac or
q tiend incarnate. The crimina an
nails of Nebraska probably contain no
crime its equal in brutality or tiend-
ishness.
Evidence which was developed by the
authorities owing partly to the isola-
ton of the scene of the crime and part
ly to the intense excitement which
aroused the whole of Thurston county
points in but n direction. While
there were no eye witnesses of the
bloody butchery there is scarcely the
slightest doubt but that the deed vas
the work of Fred Burk, the hired man.
His flight alone is proof of his com
plicity, but added to this is the testi-
mony of the seven orphaned children
which hardly caves a shade of a
doubt of his guilt.
Rosalie. Neb.. May 15.-This section
r.;11 l,o,o n 1,y,nh3,,O fnlov n. fnnjpht If
Philip Burke is found by enraged neigh
bors of Mr.. Mrs. Walter F. Couple.
who We're murdered at an early hour
this morning on their farm three miles
east Of here.
Burke was their hired man and is
suspected for the reason that he is
missing, as is also a mule upon which
he is supposed to have made his escape.
The murdered man and Wife were left
where the hogs could get at them, and
the woman's head was nearly eaten
away by the ravenous brutes and both
bodies mutilated.
Puts Babies to Sleep.
Following the crime of which he is
suspected, Burke came back into the
house and treasured the frightened
children. saying In answer to the old
est girls remark:
why, l wouldn't murder your father
n mother
t fsIlIh At tIlS vi e lle SIi y Y
turn TO bed. There are seven of them,
the Oldest Blanche. aged IA years. and
the youngest twins. aged 4 months.
Burke is said to have fed the twins aft
er killing their parents. putting the
little ones to sleep and after seeing hat
all the children were quiet, stole away,
leaving them alone to come upon the
CHASTITY picture of the father and moth
er in the morning, dead and mutilated.
Murdered for Money.
John j. lIlkins of this place was n
of the first to reach the Couple farm
after the news of the tragedy was
started. He as we'll as Sheriff Young
and the other hundreds who swarmed
about the scene of the awful crime to-
day. is convinced that the murder was
committed By Burke and that the lat
ter did it to cover up his theft of sew
cral hundred dollars stolen from Couple.
Copple was attired in his night
clothes, but had on his shoes. Indicating
he had planned to go out. A lamp was
burning and he probably lit 1t. having
been disturbed and was planning AN
Investigation. The blood spattered in
the Kitchen and just outside indicates
n terrific struggle and means that prob
ably Couple am across the thief in
the kitchen and a fight ensued. A heavy
club snaeared with blood showed that
the missing man used that or that it
was used on him before he shot his
victims.
Goes to Her Death.
After two shots had been fired, ac-
cording to the Oldest child, Blanche,
Mho was awakened by them. Mrs.
Couple in alarm ush from the house
to see what was the matter and wheth-
er her husband was i'm danger. Three
shots followed and then all was quiet.
Philip Burke, who is about % years
old. found employment at the Copple
fl rpo thrpn months DpO and no ono
hereabouts appears to know anything
of his antecedents. The pocketbook
containing Mr.. Copies small hoard OF
several hundred dollars, and which
Burke no doubt had knowledge Of, is
missing. The only clew is the report
of the Burlington section foreman who
says he saw a man and shot gun with
q mule, north Of here early this morn
ing.
The enraged men who are hot on the
trail Of Burke believe they will find
him wounded from his terrible en-
counter with Couple. But that there
will be no mercy shown, is feared by
Sheriff Young who is himself engaged
in the search, having telephoned news
Of the crime in all directions.
Whole Section Aroused.
The report of the atrocious deed
counties and in many cases has beer
exaggerated over the true facts, APP
palling as they are. and Burke. guilty
or not guilty, is likely to be given short
shrift If he is found by any consider
able group Of searchers.
The Couples have lived here for sew.
eral years. He was about 40 years OF
age and his wife a few years his junior
Coroner R~eichenbaugh, Of Pender
has arrived and will hold an inquest al
this place his afternoon.
w. II. Couple, of Bancroft. brothe,
of the murdered man. his mornins
found on the premises of his brother
$3.50 in cash and a check for $500 fol
the sale of cattle last week. The daugh.
ter. Blanche, says there was at leas,
5000 in cash besides this in the house
Rosalie is a small town in Thursto,
county, Nebraska. on the B%urlingto,
railroad between Sioux City and Ash.
land.