The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-19
KILLS BROTHER
AND Z UNCLES,
ENDS HIS LIFE
Dispute Over Aunt'S Burial
Brings Death to Four
in Family.

By HitCd Press
NEWARK, N. j.. Sept. 19.-At
12:37 a. m. today an agitated young
man told the telephone operator
to ring police headquarters. When
a voice answered, he screamed:
Come over here, I've just killed
three men,"
He banged up the receiver. locked
the door and then wired it shut. A
minute later another muffled shot
could be heard in the apartment
house corridor A few minutes
later police raced up the stairs and
pounded on the door.
It's the police! Let us in!'
No answer.
Axes crashed against the door.
1t fell in splinters and police en-
tered an apartment splattered with
blood. On the floor of the kitchen
were the bodies of three men. On
the couch in the living room was
the body of a fourth Whatever
passion had motivated the tragedy,
there was not a living witness to tell
the tale.
Bullet Fired Into Heart
The body on the couch was that
of Charles Russell Geary, IS. He
had died from a .45-caliber bullet
fired from the pistol at his side inCo
his heart.
The bodies in the kitchen were
% O,.1O hi
brother, Benjamin, As, and Geary's
brother, John, Al. All had been
killed by shots from the double
barreled shotgun that leaned against
Geary's couch.
One man of the four had killed
the other three, then killed himself
proved by the fact that every
window was locked and the door
was wired shut on the inside. That
man, police decided, was Charles
Geary.
Weapon at His Side
His body was in repoSe, the lethal
weapon at his side. Benjamin lie
Van and John Geary had been shot
in the back. Orlando had been shot
in the stomach. Their bodies were
sprawled on the floor where they
had fallen.
In the apartment was not one
scrap Of writing, not one thing to
indicate motive. Police questioned
neighborS, learned that the Geary
brothers were the nephews of the
LIE Van brothers. They learned that
John Geary had lived with his
uncles for several months, but
Charles arrived from Tobyhanna,
Pa, yesterday morning.
BartenderS Overhear Dispute
Two months ago OrlandoS wife,
nation gathered from friends, police
surmised that Charles had been
inordinately devoted to his aunt.
Yesterday he and his brother and
his uncles went from barroom to
barroom, drinking Various bar
tenders overheard Snatches of what
seemed an intense dispute. 1t was
over the question of where Aunt
Kathryn" was to be buried per-
manently.
At 8 p. M, they left the last bar
room and went directly to the lie
Van apartment. That was the last
seen of them alive.
Amid the blood and the bodies,
police tried to reconstruct their last
moments. Three chairs were over
turned on the floor; a fourth was
upright at the table where were
beer glasses and bottles. Appar-
entity, police said, the four men
sat there continuing their quarrel.
Charles arose in anger and went
to the living room. He returned,
stood in the Threshold of the
kitchen, the shotgun at his shout
der, ard announced his intention.
Three Shots Heard
The victims leaped to their feet,
knocking over their chairs. John
Geary and Benjamin lie Van were
hit before they could turn around.
A third shot caught Orlando, whose
body was 10 feet from the others,
in the stomach.
The car in which Geary drove
here from Tobyhanna was outside.
In it police found the holster for
the pistol at his side.
Neighbors reported they had
heard nothing upstairs that would
have indicated any sort of fight
preceded the killings. They heard
three muffled shots, then after a
pause, which represented the time
it took the mysterious voice to noti-