A FAMILY MURDERED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15055, 26 July 1912, Page 4

A FAMILY MURDERED.

SEARCH FOR THE ASSASSIN. USE OF BLOODHOUNDS. . [from otjr own correspondent.] New York, June 14. Despite the energies of half the detectivepolice force of tho State of lowa, no clue has yet been found to the whereabouts of the person or persons who recently brutally murdered a family of eight in the town of Villisca, lowa. Seldom has anything stirred tho State so deeply as this terrible crime, and every effort is being made to run tho murderer to earth. Since the detectives have failed,, bloodhounds are to bo put on the trail.'

The crime was first discovered by an employee of Mr. Joseph Moore, head of the murdered family, who, wondering at the cause of Mr. Moore's non-arrival at the office, went to las home to investigate. The clerk found the doors locked, but skeleton keys were obtained, and, accompanied by neighbours, ho entered. In the guest.room, on the ground floor, lay the bodies of Lena, and In a Stillenger, aged' 12 and 9, who were guests for the night at the Moores' home. Evidently tho little girls had been murdered in their sleep, because there were no signs of a struggle, the coverlets of the bed even being undisturbed. One of the girls had her head split in tho centre by the sharp edge of an axe. Then the murderer evidently turned the axe and in-battercd the head and face of her sister.

Upstairs in the family bedroom the neighbours found the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Moore, with their heads crushed and almost severed from their bodies. Both had evidently been struck time after time. Like the Stillenger girls, the adults had been murdered as they slept In an adjoining room were tho bodies of Catherine, aged 9, and Paul, aged 6, children of the Moores, with their heads crushed. ' In still another room lay Herman Moore, aged 11, and Floyd, aged 7, in the some bed, their heads showing deep cuts. In the middle of the floor was a heavy axe, stained with blood. It was the only weapon used by the murderer, and had been taken from a woodshed at the back of the Moores* house.

All tho bodies lay in a natural position, and no wounds had been inflicted other than on tho heads. From appearances tho murderer began his work on the lower floor, and then went upstairs, killing everyone he found. He left the house without disturbing anything of value and without searching for valuables.

Tho police are still at a loss to know the motive for the crime, as Mr. Moore, who was a wealthy manufacturer of farming implements, bad not an enemy in the world, and was one of Villisca's most respected citizens. On the handle of the axe have been found bloodstained fingermarks, and when the bloodhounds have taken tho scent from these they will be presumed as evidence. Sheriff Jackson, who is in charge of the case, believes that the murderer may bo the same maniac who last year killed a family in Colorado Springs, another in Kansas, and a third in an Eastern lowa town. These murders were exactly similar to the Moor© tragedy. In each case an axe was used and every soul in each house was put to death as they slept. As in the Villisca case, no clues were left behind, and no robbery was attempted.