The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-06-21
FRESH START TO Be MADE IN EF
FORT TO CLEAR MURDER CT
EIGHT PERSONS.
4 R ARE MISSING
Finger Prints on Bloody Ak at viIIisea
Will be Handled by Experts
Slayer Was Deiiber-
ate.

VllllSca, iowa, June lZ.-Altncugn
b%loodhounds from Beatrice, Neb., fol-
lowed the murderer of six members of
the ]. B. Moore family and the two
Stillinger girls to a creek two miles
from town. the trail has been lost and
there is no clue worth mentioning to
the most mysterious crime in Iowa for
years. The bloodhounds will be
placed on the trail again later.
Fingerprints on the bloody ak with
which the eight persons were killed
Thousands of strangers have aocked
to the town and the streets are crowd.
ed.
Four negroes who slept in the rail.
road yards the night before the MUIR
der have disappeared and are being
sought. A company of state troops is
on guard about the Moore house and
the temporary morgue at the first sta
ton, where the inquest Will be held.
Entering a deep woods along the
river, the hounds led their keepers
over several miles of rough cumberland
In the bottoms. Because a company Of
militia had kept the crowds from 60
ing within several hundred feet of the
Moore home, it was hoped the hounds
might be able to accomplish much. as
the ground had not been trodden yer
After an hour the hounds returned
to the river, where those following the
dogs found fresh footprints in the soft
muddy bank leading to the river.
Those following the trail took the
hounds across the river, but were ~
able to find any traces of the fugitive
on the other side. At midnight the
posse returned to town.
The victims, with one exception,
were in their beds in natural positions.
Mr.. and Mrs. Moore were in one bed,
the clothing Of which was not the
least disturbed. In another were two
of the boys. The daughter occupied a
third bed and the youngest boy was
alone in a smaller bed. In neither in
stance was the bedding of the children
d~isarranged.
The Misses Stillings occupied a
room in another part of the house.
One of the girls arms bears a wound
and was in such a position as to indi-
cate she had awakened before the
attack and that there was a short
struggle.
Early Identification Of the two young
were Mrs. Van Glider and her daugh.
ter. Mrs. Van Glider. a sister of Mrs.
Moore, was thought to have been the
guest of the Moores Sunday night.
AS n Of the posses was securing
the railroad yards, a tramp, becoming
alarmed, gave himself up to the lead
ers for protection, fearing he might be
a victim of the wrath of the people
before they had time to examine into
his identity. He later was identified
by a railroad man and released.
One puzzling feature of the crime,
is the apparent elaboration of the
murderer. All Indications are that he
entered the house by the front door
with a key, and that he left by the
same way and locked the door behind
him. Dust upon the stills of the two
windows left unlocked showed he did
not enter that way.
After pulling down the blinds-a
thing which the Moores never did
the murderer hung the dress skirts
procured from the closets over each
Of the doors leading to the outside,
and also over windows where a flash
of light might have penetrated to the
outside.