Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-14
SKULLS OF THE VICTIMS CRUSHED
Butcher Knife Later Used to Cut the
Throats of the Victims.
BODIES DRAGGED ABOUT ROOMS
After Taking Lives Of Members of
Family, Murderer Kills Self.
CUTS THROAT AND DIES ON FLOOR
Riood-smeared Note Found on Table
I'm Room of House, hut II Gives
Nothing Definite as to Reason
for the Crime.

Supposedly In sudden outburst Of in
sanity, Martin Thompson. Danish
farmer and carpenter living six miles
east OF Council Bluffs, killed his wife
and their S-year-old son, Raymond, and
then took his own rfe. The tragedy oc-
CURED some time during the early part
of Thursday night and was not discovered
until nearly noon yesterday, The skulls
of the wife and boy had been crushed
with a carpenters hammer and their
throats cut with a butcher knife, the
same instrument used by Thompson to
end his own life.
The Thompsons resided In comfort
able and well-furnished farm house
which the husband built eight years ago
| when he purchased forty acres of the
RSysr farm. half way between Council
Bluffs and Treynor. Lat Thursday after.
noon number of his nelghbors saw and
talked with him. They say he appeared
not only to be In q normal condition, but
AS happy as lark" Yesterday shortly
before noon Z, w. Rose, a travelling sales
man for the Watkins Medicine company
at Carson, stopped at the farm house. az
had been his custom. Receiving no REF
sponse to his knocking he started to go,
around to the back door, and as he
passed a window saw two bodies covered.
with blood lying on the floor
| Rose drove to the nearest neghbor's
and called Coroner Cutler and tho
sherifrs office at Council Bluffs. He was
directed to return to the house and pre-
vent any person entering It until the
officers arrived,
Officers Go to Farm.
| Coroner Cutler. Deputy Sheriff Wad-,
dington and Assistant County Attorney
Ouren went to the farm, arriving there at
la O'clock. The kitchen door was un1
locked and side door was standing,
open The front door was opens with tina
lsasesss door hoolxsd. On tha. inside. On the
floor OF the room adjoining the kitchen
were the bodies, all lying face downward
Mrs. Thompson lay next to the wall The
boy was beside her and close by him lay
the husband and father. A few inches
from the mans extended right hand lay
bloody butcher knife. All had their
throats horribly slashed.
The bodies had been dragged from the
bed room through two doors. The boy
slept In the same room with his parents
Examination Of the beds showed that
both were spattered with blood drops that
| had been smeared on the sheets as the
bodies were dragged from them, appar-
emily after the heads had been struck
with the hammer, and their throats cut
In the adjoining living room, where the
heavy carpet was stiff with blood. Thomp-
| sons hands and feet were stained with
blood, but there was none on the feet Of
| the woman or child.
Thompson Cuts HIS Throat.
| Tracks on the floor showed where
| Thompson had walked after standing on
the blood-soaked carpet. He had gone to
the side door and thrown the hammer
| into the yard. He had then gone into the
cellar and walked over the cement floor.
bloody footprints and red drops marking
| the course he had followed. He had evil
dently slashed his own throat, but had
not inflicted the fatal wound until he
| lay down by the side of his murdered
/ WiLe anu UOy. n ihIAp Stdiuih6 vi eiAS
| table in this room had been freshly filled
and apparently not lighted.
| On table In the adjoining frant room
lay letter with third of the envelope
extending over the edge A bloody thumb
print on the upper side and a smear Of
blood beneath showed that the hand that
placed 1t there was covered with fresh
blood The letter was addresser ITO
stina and Dora" two adult daughters,
both Of whom are living away from home.
1t was written in Danish and read:
Dear Children: l hope you will excuse
papa for what there has been done, but
| | can't stand 1t any longer. But you are
now left alone, and | pray that you viii
pray to God that He help and hope you
will be good children. and IL you get
married try and have nice home, and
hope that some one will help you. From
your Para.
lovely future.
Known in Council Bluffs.
Mr.. Thompson was well known in Coun-
ell Bluffs. He came here twenty-three
years ago from Denmark, and year
later was married. his bride coming from
Continued on Second Page.ls.