Year: 1874

An Entire Family, Consisting OF Five
Persons, Murdered I'm Sc. clair COun-
ty, nI.-Rewards offered for the Ap-
prehensI0n OF the Murderer.


THE most hendish murder, perhaps, ever
perpetrated within the State of Illinois was
committed a few miles south of the town of
Centerville, in st. Clair County, ILL.,, on the
night of March 10, in which five human souls
passed from this world to the next by the des-
perate hand Of some fiend nodded after the
form of humanity.


Thirty-fve years ago there came to Center
vile a German, Friedrich Stelzenriede, who
settled down on q small farm. With honest
toll and studied economy he and the good frau
added other acres to their domain. All went
on smoothly, the farm brought forth
abundahtly, and in time their boy got
old enough to marry, and took to him
self blooming maiden by the name of Annie
Beltz. The mother died full of years
and honor, leaving behind her old hus-
band. The old man Friedrich, growing some
what feeble with age, turned the farm of
eighty acres over to his son, and took no in
terest in the farm further than to walk. over
the domains and advise with the young pro-





business Of the rancho All went well with
the good family; brace of children came TO
Charles and Anne in the four years following
their marriage. In fact they prospered so
well that only few days before the tragedy
the young man spoke to some of his neigh
bors, telling them that he had $500 to lend TO
some one whe could give security and pay IN
terest on this little time deposit. But his
neighbors did not want to borrow, SO
he told Beltz, his brother-in-law, and
others, that he would on the following Mon
day take his money to Belleville to deposit in
the savings bank in that town. These were
probably the unfortunate words which led to
the awful murder of the Stelzenriede family,
consisting Of the old man, his son and wife and
the two children.


Although the murder was committed on the
night of the 18th, nothing was known of it
until the afternoon Of the next day, when
Benz. Schneider, neighbor living about a
half mile from the Stelzenriede farm, came to
the house to get some seed potatoes which the
son had promised him the day before, Arriv-
ing at the door he knocked, but dead silence
reigned within. He opened the door, which
was closed but not locked, and he beheld the
ghastly sight Of five human corpses, all within
sight Of the entrance door. -r...rr-.
The Stelzenriede house is a plain one-story
frame containing three rooms-a sitting room,
also occupied as asleeping-room bedroom,
and kitchen with an open porch in the rear.
The house stands OF the road some twenty
yards, and fronts east, facing the road, broad
county highway. From the front door on the
east side the tracks OF the murderer were
seen, red with the gore his hand had she'd. To
the right Of the main room, which Is entered
from the front door, is a small room parti-
toned on, which was used by the old man as
bedroom. The main room had In the
southeast corner a cot or lounge on which
Charles was accustomed to sleep, while the
wife and two children slept in the
southwest corner of the main room
on broad, old-fashioned bedstead. When
Benj Schneider opened the front door he
saw the eorpses just as they lay when life left
them. The head of Friedrich, the cid man,
was lying across the sill OF the door, with q
cash from the right ear extending somewhat
angularly down 10 APPOINT under the left ear.
From the position OF the old man he had eEi-
dently heard the struggle In the main room,
and opened the door only TO fan d victim to
the death-dealng weapon Of the unrelenting
murderer. There Fas no blood GA the bed IA
which theyold mAnalepts The body of Charles
stelsenriede was lying At an angle Of forty
nve degrees, with HE head within Two