The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-18
W. L. sEELEY, WIFE AND DAUGH-
TER ARE DISCOVERED WITH
HEADS IN TUB.
MURDER AND SU|C|OE2
Indications Are That Husband and
Father Killed Other Occupants Of
Homo and Then Destroyed seIf-He
Had Been National Bank Examiner
for Illinois and Was Hard Up.

Seattle, Jan. 17.-W. L. Seeley, an
attorney and former national bank ex-
aminer for Illinois under Comptroller
Of the Currency Eckles, his wife, Mrs.
Kate NJ. Seeley member of the Ma
tional Society of Daughters of the
American Revolution, and his daugh-
ter, Miss Rene Seeley, student at the
University of Washington, and men,
Der of the Delta Gamma sorority. We're
found dead in a bath room of their
home, 307 Eighteenth avenue. in the
fashionable Capital hin district. at
o'clock this afternoon. They had been
dead since last Thursday. The
women. each of whom was clad in
nightrobes, had been murdered by be-
ing struck in the head, evidently with
a hammer. There was no mark Of
violence on Seeley. He is believed to
have been partially chloroformed and
then drowned in the bath tub. All
three were kneelng at the side of the
bath tub with their heads submerged
in the water. A steamer trunk was
on the bodies of Seeley and his wife.
Murder and Suicide.
That Seeley killed his wife and
daughter while insane over financial
worries and then committed suicide Is
the theory of the coroner and the po-
lice. He was clothed in his under
wear, shoes and trousers. His night
gown, which was bloodstained from
the bodies of the two women. was
found beneath clean pillow in the
III III ,x,tFa
The pillow on which Mrs. Seeley had
been sleeping was saturated with
blood.
-.,. Came From Middle West.
Seeley came here less than two years
ago from st. Joseph, Mo. He had
lived there two years and had moved
there from ottawa, Ill. He has prac
ticed law for the past 80 years. Seeley
was IS years, his wife about three
years his junior and his daughter %
years of age.
The bodies were found by Guy NJ.
Smelzer. affianced husband of Miss
Seeley, and E. r. Zibbell friend
Of the family. The family could not
be communicated with after 9 o'clock
Thursday night, when Smelzer talked
over the telephone with Miss Seeley.
Efforts to get into communication with
them after that were unsuccessful.
Was Down and Out.
Although keeping up the appearance
Of prosperity, Seeley had been forced
to borrow money for his last months
house rent from w. w. Wiltshire, an
attorney, from whom he rented desk
room in the New York block.
Police detectives searched the house
for weapons with which the murders
had been committed, but were un-
able to find any bloodstained imple-
ment. No article of jewelry or any
thing of value was taken from the
house. Every window and door was
found to have been securely locked.
Had $1,000.
Seeley is an uncle Of M. F. Gose of
Pomeroy, recently appointed by the
governor to the Washington supreme
bench. He has a brother, Charles at
Pomeroy, Wash, and another, Frank
at Hood River. Charles discredited the
theory that his brother was in finan.
cial straits by saying that recently he
had received $4,000 from the settle-
ment Of his fathers estate. His broth
er knows no motive for the crime and
thinks the man must have been in
sane. What has become of this money
Is not known.
In tho House.
This morning Smelzer and Zibbell,
who discovered the bodies went to the
Seeley home determined to find out
what was the matter. They tried doors
and windows and finally climbed over
transom Of the back door and got
(Coptinued on Page Ten.)