Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1908-05-21
WOMAN IS
MURDERED
KioWa County the Scene
of a ShockinS Crime.

TOM hutCnlnSOn News
Greensburg, Kans., May 18.-
One of the most brutal murders
that ever occurred in Southwest
Kansas was committed in the south
ern part of Kiowa county Saturday
afternoon, when Mrs. John Rosen-
berger, the wife of a prosperous
ranchman, was shot as she was re-
turning from a trip to Belvidere.
The murder followed the perpetra-
ton of an outrage upon the person
of the victim.
Rosenberger's ranch is about six
or eight miles northwest of Belvidere
and about sixteen or eighteen miles
southeast of Greensburg, the county
seat of Klowa county. Mrs. Rosen-
berger had gone to Belvidere to do
some trading and had started alone
for home about q O'Clock in the
afternoon. She was driving a team
hitched to top buggy.
When she did not arrive at the
ranch at the time she was expected.
her husband became alarmed and
began search for her. Inquiry by
telephone showed that she had left
Belvidere. At first it was feared
she had been the victim of a run
away, although the team she drove
was a gentle one, and Mr., Rosen-
burg figured that the team would
have come on to the ranch, even if
wife had been thrown from the
buggy.
Getting another team he started
along the regular road for Belvidere
but could find no trace of his wife
or the team. He enlisted the aid
of neighbors and the search contin-
ued until ago O'Clock Sunday
morning, when the team and buggy
were found off the main travelled
road, and Mrs. Rosenburg was
dead beside the buggy. There was
blood on the head but is was
thought at first that she had been
thrown from the buggy or had been
the victim of some sudden, form of
natural death.
Then it was noticed that the
traces of the harness had been un-
hooked and the lines fastened about
the wheels so that the horS-s could
not get away. A closer examina-
ton showed what appeared to be
bullet holes In the skull. AS soon
as this was discovered the nearest
telephone was sought out and
Sheriff Z. A. Stephenson and DR..
Afford, the coroner, were notified.
They fastened to the scene, the
sheriff from here, and DR.. Afford of
Haviland, which is his home. An
examination by the doctor resulted
in three bullets being discovered u.
the head. A further examinatic q
showed that the victim had be en-
outraged. 1t is assumed that the
murderer first mistreated the VIC man
and then shot her to cover UP his
crime.
News of the crime spread quickly
and the neighbors became greatly
excited. All day yesterday there
was talk of lynching if the murdere,
could be found. The sheriff was
told of party of movers that had
passed along the road 2drs. Rosen-
berger had taken and he started In
pursuit of them. ? lie telephone
was freely used in an effort to. g.,
trace of any suspicious persons.
A neighbor nau ed Bieeuler was
arrested and brou ght beae, ON sus-
picion of haviI & committed the
crime. The ev; ience against him
is circumstanti.I and not so very
strong. He is. said to. own a horse
with broken hest that fills the
tracks of u4e horse rode by the
murderer a1id also to have a gun
with the same size bullets. People
are greatly excited bat it is believed
there is NO, danger of lynching.
]. I. Parcel. the Greensburg