Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-07
KILLS FAMILY OF 3;
!. ENDS HIS OWN LIFE
CRIPPLED LoDeER COMMITS 4
ouADRUPLE CRIME
Stays Mother, Daughter and Father
with AK, Dismembers Bodies
and Tries to Conceal
Parts

BARCELONA, July 6, - A terrible
discovery has been made by the police
in a house which was inhabited by a
baker, his wife and daughter, and a
lodger The neighbors, who had not
seen anybody about the house for some
time, reported the matter to the police,
and 1t was decided that the doors
should be broken open. When this was
done a gruesome scene presented Itself
to those who entered. The three per-
sons comprising the family were seen
to have been killed, their heads having
been cut off and their bodies mutilated.
The lodger was also dead.
According to the opinion of doctors
who examined the corpses, the first
three had died about fortnight ago,
and the lodger about a week later. The
murders had taken place, according to
the theory of the doctors, after ter
rible struggle. as the bodies were all
terribly bruised. How the crime was
committed and by whom Is not GER
tainly known; there is, however, a
theory that the baker and his wife and
daughter were murdered by the lodger,
who subsequently committed suicide
It is thought that he had been rem
dered anxious by the questions of
neighbors, who remarked on the curl
Gus smell coming from the house and
inquired after the bakers family. The
1odger said In reply that the family
had gone away on long journey, and
that the smell was due to the lack of
water on the premises The neighbors,
however, did not take all he said for
granted, and they grew suspicious
when he seemed to resent their in
quiries. Finally, they decided to report
the matter to the police with the re-
suit already indicated.
The murdered family was well known
and held in high esteem by the neigh
bors The lodger was lame and had
led rather an irregular life.
After long investigation on the
place, assisted by doctors, lawyers and
detectives, the examining magistrate
has reconstructed" the murder of the
family in the following manner. The
lodger, named Louis. a cripple, 25 years
of age, taking advantage of the absence
OF the baker. attempted to assault his
wife. who vigorously defended herself.
The man then killed her with an AK,
ana as the daughter was crying. and
he feared discovery, he killed her also.
He next hid the body of the woman
under a mattress, and that of the child
in cupboard. When he had finished
these operations the husband rang the
bell and the door was opened by the
assassin. Unaware of the crime, the
husband walked in and the cripple.
coming behind him, struck him on the
head with the ak, causing his death.
Afterward Louis hacked the corpse in
the neck and chest and hid II among
the Goals and wood In the kitchen
For week he must have made eff
forts to get rid of the bodies, which
were dismembered, but owing to the
suspicion of the neighbors he was un-
able to leave the house with the bun
dies that he had prepared. Believing
that escape was imDossihle as he
would be easily recognized on account
of his infirmity, he decided to commit
suicide by opening veins in his arms
and legs. Death, however, seemed to
come slowly, so he struck himself in
the throat and head with the AK.