Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-19
TRAGEDY DUE TO POVERTY
Seeley Who Killed Wife, Daughter
and Self, Was Hard Pressed.
FORMERLY OF ST. JOSEPH, MO.
Dead Man Was Treasurer of stock
Yards Company aud Prominent
in Business and Social
Circles.

SEATTLE. Wash, Jan. 1S.-Latest devel-
opments in the Seelcy tragedy wherein the
bodies Of W. l.. Seeley, aged Sc, his wife,
aged about so and his % years old daughter
were found, with their heads submerged
in a bath tub in their home in a fashion
able residence district are taken as
strengthening the theory that the man
killed the two women by striking them
with some blunt weapon. and then commit
ted suicide by drowning. Seeley recently
received, it is asserted. 5000 as his share
of his fathers estate but within the past
few days he had borrowed money to pay
his last months rent, indicating that he
was in financial straits. What has become
Of the money has not yet been learned.
Before Seeley killed himself he sent a
telegram to his brother Charles at Pome-
roy: Come at once, urgent" was the text
of the message. The answer to the mes
sage was sent to the office of w. w. Will
shire in the New York block, where Seeley
had desk room, Friday afternoon. The
answer was Cant come. not very well.
Explain"
1t was signed Charles Seeley. The dead
mans telegram appears to have been filed
here on Friday and reached Spokane at s:22
a. M, on that day, indicating that Seeley
must have killed his wife and daughter on
Thursday and killed himself early the fol-
lowing day.
The only clue to the actual time of the
murders was furnished by City Detective
II. G. Adams. Adams was one of the Off
GERS sent to investigate a report of burg
larry in the neighborhood and says he saw
a light burning In an upper window of the
Seeley home at midnight The bottle which
~
was obtained from a nearby pharmacy. Nc
record Of the purchase Of such a drug for
the past few months could be found there.
The label was old and almost illegibIe.
Chloroform had been sold to a family
house.
Came from 81. Joseph, Mo.
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, and had engaged in the prac-
tice of law wherever he had been for the
last thirty years. Seeley was IS 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. Seibble, a friend OF the family.
The family could not be communicates
with AFTER 3 O'Clock Thursday, when
Smelzer talked over the telephone with
Miss Seeley. Efforts to get into communl-
cation with the house later we're unsuccess-
full. The only thing on the premises was
a huge black cat, which was locked in the
basement and which since had been fed by
the ~neighbors.
Although keeping up the appearance Of
prosperity, Seeley had been forced to Dor.
row money for his last months house REM
from w. w. Wiltshire. an attorney from
whom he rented desk room in the New
York building.
Police detectives searched his house foI
weapons with which the murders had beer
committed, but were unable to find any
blood stained implements. No article OF
jewelry or anything of value were taker
from the house. Every window and door
was found to have been securely locked.