The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-05-19
PORTIONS OF
BODY FOUND IN
RUINS OF FARM
Crushed Skull Leads Police to
Think He Killed Her Be-
fore Setting Fire
PLAN GROUP FUNERAL
Michigan Town in Mourning
Tragedy Touches Virtu-
ally Every Home
PLAN GROUP FUNERAL

Bath. Mich, May 19.-(P)-
Mrs. Andrew kehoc, wife of the
maniac who yesterday blew w
the consolidated school here with
loss Of IL lives, his farm home
and himself, was the first victim
Of his fury. il was established
today. IOrtiOns Of her body
were found In the ashes Of Onc
IF the Outbuildings on the kchOe 3S
farm. Her skull was crushed,
leading to the belief kehoe kill
ed her before casting her body
into the building to be burned.
The discovery was made by
Roy Cole. deputy sheriff.
Bath, Michigan. May 19.-t4o-
With 80 of its children. who yester-
day romped through it's streets. and
five adults lying still in death, this
little village of some 800 persons was
just beginning today to comprehend
the full horror Of the maniacal
dynamiting Of it's school Forty-four
others were seriously injured: no
one knows the number Of .minor in
juries.
Included in the dead is Andrew
kchoe. revengc-maddened farmer,
treasurer of the township school
board. who mined the school with
dynamite and gunpowder and blew
himself into eternity after watching
the blast tear the north wing Of the
school to pieces and hurl the bodies
of its little pupils through windows
and walls.
Only IA whim of fate or accident
prevented destruction of the entire
village.
One Wire Short Circuited
Investigation showed that Kehoe,
angered because of school tax
levied against him and nursing his
opposition to the erection Of the
building three years ago, had care
fully mined the basement, installing
an elaborate system of electrical wir-
ing connected with time clock. His
plans seemingly called for destruc-
tion Of the entire structure. with its
more than 26O pupils and instructors.
One Of the wires he SO carefully in
stalled became short circuited and
the electric impulse failed to com
plete its course. It was this failure
that prevented the killing Of more
than l5O other pupils in another part
OI tne DuIlOlnR.
In all there were three explosions.
The first occurred early yesterday
morning at kehoe's home, about
mile west Of the village. destroying
the house, barn and wagon sheds. All
apparently were wired to the same
timing device.
school building. It came about 9:43
Fnxrr
classes had been assembled. The time
has been fixed definitely because all
of the clocks in the wrecked wing
stopped ut that minute. The third
blast came in Kehoe.s automobile in
front Of the school about 80 minutes
later.
Men Blown to Bits
Kehoe was sitting in the car.
Emory +. Huyck, superintendent Of
schools. was talking with him, one
foot on the running board. Glenn O.
Smith. village postmaster, and Mel
son McFarran. an aged man. were
standing on the side walk few feet
from the machine. The bodies Of
bits. McFarran was killed outright
and Smith so badly injured that he
died in hospital shortly afterward.
There are two versions of the ex-
plosion in kehoe's car. One was that
he fired rifle into load of powder,
in the tonneau; the other that he seh!
off the blast by touching button ia
an electric current while sitting in
the car.
Besides kehoc. Huyck. Smith and
McFarran, the other adult killed was
Hazel Wetherbee. an instructor.
A state investigation was under
way to determine whether kehoe was
alone in the crime. and also the
source of the large quantity Of ex-
ploS iye