The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-04-23
No Motive Apparent
70: the Dastardly
Crime,
E4 Fasej *. ISL 5,y
$ i9a gau7-,------
Crime,
TOWN IS L AROUSED
Stirred From Top Tor to Bottom,
But Suspicion Rests on
M One.
From Saturdays Daily

knots of men were gathered up and
down the street. On the eastern
edgs of the town, near the Milwaukee
tracks, a crowd of a hundred or more
stood silently watching smouldering
ruins of a lumber yard.
There was no loud talking or
laughing. Every a was silent. In
every group there was generally one
man talking with more or less vehe-
mence, emphasizing his remarks by
pounding fist into palm. The stores
were empty and their stood
i'll tho little groups along the road.
A few women passed hurriedly up
and down the street, taking the other
side of the walk as they shrunk by
a group of talking men.
County is Stirred.
The terrible thing that had hap
pened the night before, when a man
Sand women had been brutality muir
dered, their arms bound with wire
and the office in which they were
working set on fire, reused Charles
Mix county and the country surround
ing Geddes to a degree of sullen eX-
element that it had never seen be-
fore.
luC DdlllluS MANURE VI llie ClIlIS,
the lack of any apparent motive and
the universal respect in which both
victims were held, has evidently CIV
criminal mysteries. Only one thing
murder has been committed.
So far as could De learned yester-
day by investigation of all possible
c0.,t0nc William II Mnoyio q man
aged 90 years, went down to his Of
flee early on Thursday evening to
complete the details of his annual re-
port as manager of the Farmers Ele-
vator company of Geddes. With him
went Miss Blanche Signal, aged 81
years., for the past four years a
bookkeeper for the concern. The an
nual meeting of the stockholders of
the company was to have been held
this afternoon.
Office Was Dark.
BY IL O'Clock, it was noticed that
the lights incthe Office, which was
on the extreme eastern edge of the
town, were out. Shortly after mid
night, fire was discovered breaking
out in the ear of the office of the
lumber yard, which was across the
street from the grain elevator to the
west. The bodies were found in the
ruins about 2 o'clock in the morning.
The limbs of both persons were
badly charred, but enough remained
of the head and torso of each to per-
nit a thorough examination by the
coroner's jury, which was called by
Sheriff l.. w. Rifle of Platte, and
consisted of N. M. Shore, Walter
Shuck and o. P. Wendt.
1t was found that Miss Signal died
as the result of a blow on her right
temple, probably from by a hammer
found in the ruins and which fitted
the wound. Her feet were tied to-
gether with wire and her hands were
bound together behind her back with
indicating that her death had not
ensued by the time size was burned
in the fire.
Man Was Shot.
Mr.. Menzie, whose body was lying
by the side of Miss Signal in the
ruins of the office, was found to have
been shot through the right temple,
the bullet merging on the left side
of the face. He also had been hit on
the back of the head by the same
weapon which had killed the girl.
His hands were tied in front of his
body with wire.
With these facts in mind, no ex-
PLANTATION is apparently open for the
solution of the mystery. The safe IN
the office vas opened late in the al
ternoon and its contents, consisting
of books and a little money, were
found intact. This disposes of the
idea that robbery had been commit
ted, although this may have been at
tempted, as Mr.. Menzie and Miss Sig
nall were the only persons who knew
the combination Of the safe and II
took at least three hours before II
was opened by the coroner's jury ant
several mechanics.
One of the curious facts was tina
the revolver belonging to Mr.. Menzit
was found in the ruins with one car
fridge exploded. 1t may have beer
exploded a year ago. Two hammer
were found in the ruins. one belong
ed to an employee and had been in ust
around the office for several weeks
and the other one had eve beer
seen before. Either one could hav,
been used to assault the pair.
1905 WAS Not. Suicide
The idea of a suicide pact Woule
have to be abandoned in view of thu
circumstances. surrounding thu
hodies. Neither party could hav'
killed the other" tied himsel
and then killed himself in the man
ner in which both met death. 4
third party, or parties, must neces
sarily have committed the deed.
The most plausible theory appear
to be that some party, evidently
man because of the strength neces
sary to kill with a hammer blow
entered the office while the two wer'
at work on the books. AS Mr.. Men
zie was a man Of superb physique
Weighing about $50 pounds and yer,
active. he was probably shot In
quarrel or attempted robbery. A
the only witness to the crime, Mis-
Signal was then dispatched.
After killing the pair. the murder
err evidently bound them to proven