Press enter after choosing selection

Around A Great State

Around A Great State image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
January
Year
1886
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

TUe Soventh Trabad .'in fie Knocïi Family. Mre. Kio.-ii, llie motüer of Frank Knoeh, tlbo, wlth Lia le uitd two little unes as murdered and burued near Sprinewclla ou the Dlghtof December lt. cHed un New Fears day. Il as suppoeed at the ttmo that tLe okl lady's ilouth ss c;c.i-. ■! i'.-, ücurl Jiseaee, and bastonteucd bj Uiu terrible tnigody 61 a lew weeks previou-. Befare her { deatl) Mra. Kuoch had madea est that Just'cc Rouloof Sprlngwells, be mili il. A messi njjer as dlspaíched for 1 ii tu. im: beforc arrlval the Upe irere seaied In The doctor wlio bad beensnramoneddeteetcd cii oncea of polsoD} uud Bt onse uotifted the uflleors. who orderéíl hlm to mako post mortcm. Tljis ums done, and iho stomavh and intebtiuos wero i;ivcn to thc doctor for microscoptcal examlnation. Wheu tiii pavtoftlMj examlnation liad lu-t-ü concluded, attention was next tarncdto the exarolnatlon oí the bead, althougü rn.ni symptons reported as attcndlnj; her tlíness ana death llttlewaa ezpected tu result Upon careful Inspsctlon the uDper portion oí tno rlghtear slioued d!scoloraUODi but the iparkg ere to falnt Huil they were distalssed -di Ursi aj ofsllghtcon Bequence. Wbenthe scalp liail beeu turned back, however, the qulck tve oí the doctor deIh3 rlght sido oí the hekt.' uh appiyingtne knlíe and pressing K-"ntly upon the Iran bono itgave freelv and dlsclosed a crevlce, extenauí' nartalIv'aloDg the line ui the bmie in a balf drcle. Agaïn and again the doctor applied the test and each time thc slight crevice oponed before his gentle pressure. Alter the crojra of the skull was removed the llnsoi the fracture was more easily trapea lt starteü a little a'uove and baek of the right ear, iollowins the liue of the temple „„..= -md then continuing obliquely downward until it reached the large bone baek of the ear, and at the base oi the skull. At about the eeutcr of thlí fracture anotber fracture started and ran outward iu a straight course toward thc eye. There were also IndlcattoM of uther sraall fracture wblch were of so sHght extent tbat tin-v could not be traced easily. Fractures of an ilniost similar cbaracter and extent were fouud on the left side of the skiiH. The base ot the sphcnoid bone on the inside oí the bram wasfoundto bedead. An autc-mortcm clot of blood was found, but had evidently been partiallv removed by absorption. Ncaily the cntlre brain and eoverlng showed evidence L congestión but not uearly so mucb a?. the doctors expected to lind. i. more caref ui examinatlon of the. sealp diseovered a uumber of discolorations. The marka had evidentlj undergpne the severa! chances of black :uul blue mul v.ere uearly on '■ the pÖint oí vanisMne. Thle would indícate ; that they had been iuMcU-d at some time from totfiree weeks previously. tsucn ..... -- - .. i. iimiioAfi n cují one : of the doctors. "0011111 only result from ioreei ful contact with sonie blunt instrument with a soit A sandbag eould have done It, it initcht result fioiu the blow of a jjowerfu! man'sflst. Under some peculiar and highly improbable circumstances it might be the resnit of nn accident. Anybow. we bave fumiil two fractures in thls8kuil; it is tor theoffleers to l'eara how and under what circumstances they were sustalned." ïhe ilierl'lt was at once informed oL the result of tlie post mortem and proeeeded to tliu house of the Knoeh's and arrested the two youn" men Herman andGns Knoeh, audtook them to jail in Detroit. The followine morning the danghters and a son-ín law of the eider Mrs. Knoch were arrested. The death of Air--. Elizabeth Knoch registers the seventh violent dcath in the family durinir live veáis. Thfi an ful average of au untimcly deafh every nlne montbs fora period of tive vears is the record. Thetragic history ouens '■ insr. 9, 1879, when Christian Knoch, the father of toe housebold, was supposed to have been kicked to death by a horae. Aftor tbe tragic death of the father, Charles ! the iavmvii BOn, assumcd the manügemeut of i the famjlv affairs. In November, 1883 Bhortly after assnming the managtmeut of aflftirs Charlea made appllcatton " havea brother, Herman, who had suown sians of lnsauity and attempted to kill h mothers and sisters, removed lo l'ontiae asylum. Lo n aftt-r tnakinx thls application Charles disappcared, and nothlng was known of him uutil spring carne, and tlic ice in the rlver break u and distij;urcd , corpse wis pulled trom tbe rfver at Petltccotc, below Sandwich. A heavy pump chalo was t;ed about lns Jst, and large loops In it in! uieted that the body had been heavily weight' ui with stom-.-. A scar on the hand and a card iu the pocket iudictcd tfoatthe ghastly lincl was the bodv of Charles Knoch. An uqucsl was held. tliis dcvelopcd the staitllna fact that the chain arouud the body was oue taken fiom tie Knoch house, lt was fastened ín places by eopper wlre, and this, also, was similar tú wlre fmind at the Knoch homestead. Alter Charles' disappearance the duties of h ad of the tamil; had fallen on Frank. Herman, the youugest brother, was at the Fontiat asylum. Gustavus, the seeund brother, asoisted Frank in the farm duties. There was apparent harmony under Frank's managertie'nt untll " hls marriage. Tïiis displeased somc members of the Knoch's family and Frank ereeted a llttle houss about a mllë froin bis mother'a and began hou?ekeepiiiï. Twolittk ones carae to gladden the hearts 'of Frank and his wife, and allweni well until mldnight of Dec. 10, last, this peaeeful family perisbed Fatlicr umi mothet were shot throuKh the braiu. The thildren were butehered w ith a cleaver. Then the nttle liouse was iiveu to the torch, and wheñ the llames died out four deiormed and blackened trunke were all that remalned of Frank Knoch's family. The details of thiá most hor rible quadruplW tragedy are still too fresh In the of Uie rewlers to be rehearsed. Xhls made the slxth untimely death. The d seemed complete. Gu8tavH9 had be come hcad of the household. Hi inother was his ouly superior and she lield but n dower interest- a Ufe In the property. The eider A'.rs. Knoeh went ubout her household duties until Thureday, December 81. She had heen ailing, and secmed to be mentall] depressed, and it was all attrlbuted to the fact tbatshewae brondltig over her troubles. Ou the :il". eue went to bed, and the followinK Ing led. The doctors say Küzabeth Knock dled t.v vlolence. This makea the seveuth tragedy, n-hlch basbroagb] thls faraily lnto such wlde notorlety. Fodrareleft of the family, two brotbers, a marrled dauffl'ter and two daightcrs, aged 17 and 11, uil of whom, as stuted, ave unUr arrest l.ATlll. Fortber examlnatlpn and lavpstlgatlon of the remaras of Mrs. Knodl revealed tbc tact Uiat the skull uv fracturad alter death bj oue of the physlclain dnrfnethe aui and tbat di-atli v:is causea Ijv pnenmbnla and bnUamuiatlon uf the bralo, Tne brolhera were released trom castodyas soon as the resultol the examlnatlon wiis made ktowu. analyfis of the etomacl) lans oot been !":■. !o, bnt tbe plivsicians are confldeiit Ihat Ihc rcsnlt if Buch uialyels vi H ]ut Hltcr tiü! verdict, (us Knoch leed thai the body ol hi brother Charlee beexhnmed, and frectv expresses the opinión thal (liarles commltted suicide. Thw wül bc öoru' as Niiiu us lUc ltiiuesfc 14JU the retnains of FrankKnoch sliull Uave been cou cludetL _

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat