The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-09-02
SHOT
Jacob Schwab Murdered on His Door.
steps by an Unknown rlan
Last Saturday Morning.

Last Saturday Morning.
Slight Probability of Discovering Per-
petrator OF Crime-No rlotive
for the Dastardly Deed.
| Another brutal and mysterious
murder in Anoka county. Jacob
Schwab, who lived on farm close
by the railroad tracks three miles
east OF Anoka, was shot, by an un-
known man, on the stoop of his home
at an early hour last Saturday morn
ing and died the same evening.
Schwab was veteran of the civil
war and resident of this state since
! 1857. He lived alone with his hired
man, Paul Seignert. Seignert, who
was asleep on the floor of the front
hall directly opposite hooked screen
door, was awakened about 2:3O o 'clock
by a man pounding on the door and
demanding admission. He unattached
the door and pushed it open. AS he
! did so he saw that the man held a
revolver, which glisteed in the dim
moonlight, and he pushed the. other
door close, thus shielding his retreat
up the stairs. He rushed into
lSchwab's room. From that point Mr..
Schwab tells the story as follows:
"Seignert rushed up to my room
and told me about tramp down
stairs. [ jumped up and ran down
stairs and asked the man what he
wanted. He did not answer and I
told him to go, and stepped onto the
porch. He shot at me three times in
!quick succession"
One bullet pierced the left arm above
the elbow, one struck him in the chest
below the shoulder, and the third and
deadly missile entered the abdomen
on the left side just below the ribs.
II saw the revolver plainly and saw
the man, continued Schwab. "He
was tall, dark, quite thin, and I never
saw him before. do not know who
he was or why he did it. I rushed
back to the living room, seized stove
poker and ran back. was not afraid,
and made up my mind to do him up.
aWhen Icame out he held the re-
volver in his hand, but did not shoot
Instead he turned and ran. ] could
not run SO I returned to the hall and
lay down.
81 tell you if was as spry as I was
some years ago would have got him.
distinctly saw two men,
"Did you know or ever see either
man before?" he was asked.
''No," ne replied.
"What was the motive?'
81 do not know nor can imagine. :"
Then Mr.. Schwab, who kept getting
weaker continually, said:
"Please, I cannot talk more, 1 am
SO tired -
After Schwab was shot the hired
man remained upstairs peering out
of the window. He says he saw two
men. Then he mustered up courage
to come down stairs and run to the
Solters' home, eighty rods away. On
fthe way Seignert saw two men in the
meadow one of them wearing peaked
hat. He aroused the Solters, and they
went to J. D. Wilhelms, a relative of
Mr.. Schwab, who has telephone.
Al hour was spent in trying to arouse
central at Anoka in frenzied desire
to get help. Finally the sheriff was
called, and he called DR.. Hagerman
and County Attorney Pratt. The
three in an auto arrived on the scene
at 5 o'clock. The wounded man was
removed to Anoka, where he died the
same night.
The sheriff at once made diligent
search, but could find no clue to the
whereabouts of the murderer. Hoboes
were searched, but without result.
The question here is, why? What
could be the motive? Mr.. Schwab
was an old settler and had not
known enemy nor trouble. He was
on good terms with everyone, and
said himself he had no enemies.
The more the murder is studied the
more mysterious it seems. The night
was fit for such crime, clouds OBJ
scured the setting moon, and identif-
cation was almost impossible.
Result of August Examinations.
County uperintendent Ewing is
highly pleased with the result of the
August school examinations-the
showing is the best that has ever
been made in Princeton. There were
IS applicants, 50 of whom will receive
state certificates. Twelve will CON-
nletn' thoir nyominotione for oort;H