The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-18
FORMER NATIONAL BANK
EXAMINER, WIFE AND
DAUGHTER FOUND DEAD

EXAMINER, WIFE AND
DAUGHTER FOUND DEAD
Discovered KneeIIng In Bath Room
With Heads Submerged In Water,
Steamer Trunk Found on Bodies Of
Husband and Wife-SkuIIs Of Both
Women Crushed With Hammer
Terrible Deed Committed Last
Thursday.
Seattle, Wash. Jan. Nv. l. Seel-
ey. an attorney and former national
bank examiner for Illinois under
Comptroller of the Currency Eckles,
his wife. Mrs. Kate NJ, Seeley, mem
Der Of the National Society Of
Daughters of the American Revolution,
and his daughter, Miss Rene Seeley.
q student at the University of Wash
ington, and member OF Deita Cana
society, were found dead in a bath
room of their home, 307 Eighteenth
avenue, in the fashionable Capital Hill
district, at l o'clock this afternoon.
They had been dead since the pre-.
vious Thursday. The women. both OF
whom were clad In night robes, had
been murdered by being struck In
the head evidently with hammer.
There were no marks OF violence on
Seeley He is believed to have been
partially chloroformed and then
drowned in the bath tub. All three
were kneeling 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,
That Seeley killed his wife and
daughter while insane over financial
worries and then committed suicide
is the theory of the coroner and the
police He was clothed in his under
wear, shoes and trousers. His night
gown, which was blood stained from
the bodies OF the two women, was
found beneath a clean pillow in the
room occupied by him and his vile.
The pillow on which Mrs. Seeley had
been sleeping was saturated vita
blood.
Seeley came here less than two
years ago from st Joseph. Mo He
had lived there two years and had
moved there from ottawa, Ills, and
had engaged In the practice of law
wherever he had been for the past
thirty years. Seeley was 90 years
old. his wife about three years his
junior and his daughter % years old.
The bodies were found by Guy NJ.
Smelzer affianced husband of Miss
Seeley and E. r, Siebell 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 unsuccess-
full. The only thing on the premises
was a huge black cat which was
locked In the basement and which
since Friday had been fed by neigh
bors.
Although keeping up the appear
ace of prosperity. Seeley had been
forced to borrow money for his last
shire 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 unable
to find anything blood stained. No
article Of jewelry or anything of val
ne was taken from the house. Every
window and door was found to have
been securely locked
Seeley is an uncle Of VI. F, Case of
fomeroy. recently appointed by the
governor to the Washington supreme
bench. He has a brother, Charles at
Pomeroy. Washington, and another,
Frank, at Hood River. Charles dis
credited the theory that his brother
was in financial straits by saying that
recently he had received $4,000 from
the settlement OF his fathers estate,
His brother knows no motive for the
crime and thinks the man must have
been insane. What has become of
this money is not known.
This morning SmelZer and Sibbell
who discovered the bodies. went TO the
Seeley home determined to find out
what was the matter. They tried doors
and windows On finally climbed over
tranSom of the back door and got
into the house.
In the front bed room which was
that occupied by Mrs. Seeloy, great
blood stain was found on the bed
Another big stain was on the bed in
Miss Seeley's room. Smel2er and
Sibbell did not see it, Going into the
bath room they found the three bod
les. each with their heads In the bath
tub filled with water. Over the
corpses of Seeley and his wife as they
lay with their neads in the bath tub
was steamer trunk. The trunk did
not touch the body of Miss Seeley,
but was a few inches above It,
An empty chloroform bottle was on
the stand IN the bath room, Clutched
In the hand of Seeley. which was be-
| meath the water was pocket hand
kerchief. which, although soaked in
water for a day still carried faint
| trace Of the odor OF chloroform.
There were three wounds on the
| head of Mrs. Seeley One was above
the left eye and the other two were on
the foreward part of the head. The
blow that evidently killed Miss See
] ley. was dealt her over the left eye.
here were no marks on the man