Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-09-17
IS A
SUICIDE after
KILLING TWO
Martin Thompson, Wife and Son Of
Council Bluffs Found
Dead.
LETTER SOLVES THE CASE
Maniac Theory Dismissed When
Note to Daughters is
Discovered.

Council Bluffs, Sept. 14.-Lyins
side by side on the kitchen floor il
a. great pool of blood, the bodies O
Martin Thompson, his wife ant
their son, Raymond Thompson, aged
Is, were found yesterday afternoon il
the Thompson home six miles eas1
of Council Bluffs.
| Opinion was at first divided as t.
1 whether the three We're slain By
some bloodthirsty person of the type
who slew the six members of the ]
B.. Moore family and the two Stillin
ger girls in Villisea nine weeks age
or whether Thompson murdered his
wife and son and then committed
suicide, but the finding of letter
addressed to the two daughters Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Thompson, Christina
and Dora, young women living in
| Council Bluffs and Hancock, Ia, to-
gether with other circumstances dis;
covered later, convinced Coroner
Cutler and the three men from the
sheriff's Office who had accompanied
him to the place that it was double
murder and suicide.
Whoever killed Mrs. Thompson
and the boy fret smashed their
heads with cen. non claw hammer
as they lay asleep in their beds, lat
er dragging their bodies from their
beds to the kitchen, where, appar-
emily, their throats were cut with a
butcher knife. Blood in great guam
titles was found on the floors and
on the walls and the bedding was
soaked with the life blood of the
woman and son. The hammer had
been thrown out of the door. All
the bodies were lying upon their
faces. The boy was lying partly
upon his mothers arm and Thomp-
son had both Of his arms folded un-
der his head. The knife was lying
within foot of Thompson's hands.
Thompson had evidently walked
about considerably after he had kill
ed his wife and son, for bloody foot
prints were found on the floors and
even upon porch just outside the
kitchen Some of the blood spots
are a puzzle to the officers. On a
door six feet from where the bodies
lay and seven feet from the floor
are great splotches Of blood. Blood
had spurted through the muslin cur
tains on the windows and upon the
window panes and in wash bowl
standing on table in the kitchen
was bloody water with a bloodsoak-
ed rag.
In an envelope lying upon the
washstand in the kitchen and ad-
dressed to the two daughters, was
the following letter written in DAN
ish.
Dear children: I hope you will
excuse your papa for what there has
been done, but I can't stand 1t any
longer, but you are now left alone
and pray that you pray to God to
help you and | hope you will be
good children, and If you get mar
ried try and have a nice home and
hope that some one will help you.
From your Papa. Heartily farewell.
children, and lovely future"
The case is inexplicable to the of
ficers and family and neighbors.
The family is one of the most high
ly respected in the community and
Thompson is said by the neighbors
to have been one of the finest men
it was possible for him to have been,
and no one can recall the slightest
circumstance that would supply a.
motive for the crime. Thompson
was physically strong, owned his
farm and was well fixed. Nearly
500 in cash was found in bank
book.
The crime was committed Thurs
day night. as the family is known
to have been alive Wednesday after
noon.
Dora Thompson, who has been
visiting friends in Council Bluffs
for few days. was Frustrated by
the news of the tragedy. She could
offer no explanation of her fathers
awful deed.
The gruesome discovery was made
by a peddler named l.. E. Roe Of
Ia, who stopped at the
home and saw through |
the kitchen window the three bodies
bathed in blood and FASTENED to givei
the alarm.