Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1918-01-13
SUICIDE
SOLNESMYSTERYOF
ARMY CAMP CRIME
Officer at Camp Funston
Ends His Life When Sus-
picion Points Toward Him
as Man Guilty of Murder
and Robbery.
CRIME WITHOUT PARALLEL.


CRIME WITHOUT PARALLEL.
Camp Funston, Kan, Jan. H.
Photographed on the brain of
wounded man tonight was a vivid
picture of one of the most amaz-
ing murders in history.
Kearney Wornall, cashier of the
bank. at the cantonment here last
night saw four companions,
whom he had been forced to bind,
helpless. struck dead one by one
with hatchet in the hands of an
army captain who had just robbed
the vault, Wornall was terribly
: hacked and battered, but will live.
The crime has no known paral-
lei. Powerless as the trapped ami
mails, the four men saw a compan-
ion hacked to death; then three in
helpless orror saw another struck
down. Nefore the eyes of the 9TH
ers the rd was murdered.
wornan he witnessed the
death of the &df of his compan-
tesque bloody shapes at his feet,
he was battered and mauled until
the scene was blotted out.
Camp Funston, Kan. Jan. 12.-Cap-
tain Lewis Whistler Of the 354th in
fantry became his own executioner to-
day after suspicion had been directed
at him as the probable murderer of
four men in the bank at the national
army camp here who were hacked to
death with hatchet Friday night.
Whistler shot and killed himself
with an army revolver after he had
written a note in which he said:
Il HAVE BEEN THINKING OF
COMMITTING SUICIDE FOR A
LONG TIME BUT NEVER HAD A
GOOD REASON. YESTERDAY l
WENT OUT AND MADE MYSELF A
REASON"
NOTE TO WOMAN.
The note was addressed to a woman
whose name the army officers refused
to make public.
Tonight Major Lee, chief OF staff
Of the seth division. in an interview
said:
Every indication points to Cap
tain Whistler as the murderer.
The circumstances and evidence
are so conclusive as practically to
eliminate any possibility of doubt"
WORE HIS UNIFORM.
The murders in the bank were COM
Cashier Kearney Wornall, of the bank,
hn had
cut by the murderer, stumbled from
the bank covered with blood and fell
at the feet of a passing sentry. He
declared that a man in captains uni :
form had killed four men in the bank
and had fled.
Within 10 minutes the military po-
lice and provost officer Captain ]. c.
Smallwood. had taken charge of the
situation. Guards were thrown about
the camp and cities within a radius Of
100 miles notified. Dogs were placed
on the trail of the murderer.
FINGER PRINTS FOUND.
Finger prints OF the murderer were
found in the bank. Because of Wor-
nails declaration that a man in a cap
tain's uniform had done the killing,
all captains at the post were ordered
to report. It was soon after this or
der was issued that Whistler's body
was found In his room In the officers
barracks.
Bloody towels were found in the
room. There were splotches of blood
on the washstand. Whistler was lying
on the opposite side OF the room from
the bloody exhibits. 1t was known
that Whistler had secured two hatch
cts from the supply department the
previous day.
THE VICTIMS.
The men he killed were:
G. FULLER WINTERS, Kansas
City. Mo.
CARL OHLEsON. Kansas City, Mo.
JOHN w. JEWELL, Springfield, Mo.
o. M. HILL. q clerk.
Wornalh who is seriously injured
probably will recover.
Captain Whistler was a veteran Of
the Spanish American war. At the
time Of the last Mexican trouble he
offered to recruit a regiment for bor-
der service. He was commissioned
captain recently at the officers train
ing camp at Fort Riley. Kan. For five
years previous to that be had been
(Continued nm na ~ mini