Christina Krueger (1867-1895)

KRUEGER

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 8/19/2020 at 13:42:40

Saint Joseph Weekly Gazette, Saint Joseph, MO, Aug 20, 1895, p.7
Murder and Suicide
Shoots His Aunt and Cuts His Own Throat
Shelby, Iowa, Aug. 15 – The wife of William Kruger, a farmer living near here, was last night killed by her nephew, Herman Kohaupt, and he then committed suicide. Immediately after supper last evening Kruger went over to see one of his neighbors. Mrs. Kruger went to get cucumbers, some eighty rods from the house. Soon after she left the young man, Herman Kohaupt, loaded a shotgun, and, taking a razor, started after her. Mr. Kruger returned home after dark, and was surprised to find his four children huddled together in the house, crying and wondering why mamma did not come back. A search was at once instituted and about 11 o’clock last night Mrs. Kruger’s lifeless body was found in a stubble field with three shots penetrating the brain and her skull crushed in a number of places and the clothing covered with blood. From the appearance of the head and face it would seem that the young fiend, in an insane fury, after shooting the woman pounded her with the old musket until strength gave out. The musket, broken at the stock, was found by the body, some of the victim’s hair, clotted with blood, still clinging to the barrel. An examination of the body failed to reveal any evidences of attempt at criminal assault, and it is this which makes the motive of the crime not easily apparent. Mrs. Kruger’s body was removed to the house, and this morning a search for the murderer was begun, as it was then supposed he had fled after doing the killing, but after a brief search the body was found nearby in a corn field, and by his side lay the blood stained razor with which he had cut his throat. Kruger says that Kohaupt came to him last March from Germany. He also says that Kohaupt was a morose, surly fellow, and that for some reason he never liked Mrs. Kruger.

Cascade Pioneer, Published in Cascade, Iowa on Friday, August 16th, 1895
TRAGEDY IN IOWA
A Farm Hand Kills His Employer’s Wife And Himself
SHELBY, Ia., Aug. 13. – One of the most shocking and unprovoked murders, followed by suicide, ever known in this section of the country took place Sunday night. Mrs. Wilhelm Kruger, wife of a prosperous farmer, whose place is 2 miles southwest of here, just across the Pottawattamie County line, was shot and beaten to death by her nephew, Herman Kohaupt, a young man, 18 years of age, who had been working as a hired hand for the Krugers. After committing the bloody deed, the crazed young fiend betook himself to a neighboring cornfield, where he cut his throat with a razor, inflicting a wound which must have resulted in almost immediate death. Mr. Kruger cannot account for the bloody deed, unless it was a fierce hatred for his aunt, for no valid reason, however, than an unaccountable dislike on the part of Kohaupt.

Avoca Herald, Avoca, Iowa, Thursday, Aug 15, 1895, p.8
A Murderous Fiend
Awful Deed of a German Boy in Pleasant Township Near Shelby
He Shot His Aunt, Beat Her Head Into a Jelly, then Cut His Own Throat With a Razor
Word was sent here Monday that a murder had been committed near Shelby and requested officers to come up. Deputy Sheriff Stuhr answered the call and went at once to the scene. The details are well told in the following report of the affair from the Council Bluffs correspondent of the Register:
News of a murder and suicide came in from Pleasant Township this morning. The murdered woman was Mrs. Krueger and her assailant was Herman Kohaupt, a German lad 18 years of age, her husband’s nephew, who had been in this country only a short time and could talk but little English.
The tragedy occurred two miles south of Shelby. Sunday afternoon Mrs. Krueger left the house to go to the cucumber patch, some little distance away. She told her children where she was going. Shortly after Kohaupt also went away, taking with him an old army musket which had been bored out and transformed into a single barreled shot gun. They thought nothing strange of his taking it with him. Not long afterwards he returned and after going to his room, went away again in the direction of the cucumber patch. When Mr. Krueger returned home in the evening after being away all afternoon, he became worried about his wife not returning, and upon learning from the children where she had gone, started out to look for her. The search was prosecuted for several hours and on account of the darkness it was not until 11 o’clock that he found the remains of his wife lying in the cucumber patch. It was a ghastly sight that met his eye. The dress she wore was peppered with bird shot, but only three had struck her head. One of these, it was afterward found, penetrated to the brain and might have cause death. Another shot tore a gash above her eye and the third inflicted an insignificant flesh wound.
After discharging the weapon within a few feet of her face, Kohaupt had used the butt as a club and had almost driven her head into the earth. The skull was fractured and her face terribly bruised. The body was taken to the house and Justice of the Peace, Ennis, thinking that something ought to be done, held an inquest in default of anything better to do. It was supposed at the time that Kohaupt had fled. Both Sheriff Hazen and Coroner Jennings were summoned and left on the noon train for Shelby. About 7 o’clock in the morning a party of men who had organized themselves into a vigilance committee and who proposed to hang Kohaupt if they found him, came across his body lying in the edge of a corn field, less than twenty rods from the spot where he had killed the woman. When he returned to the house after killing the woman it was to get a razor with which to end his own life. His throat was cut on both sides and it had not taken him long to bleed to death. Kohaupt is said to have been naturally fond of torturing animals and of saying how much he would enjoy cutting his own throat and the throats of people who did not suit him. He did not get along al all well with Mrs. Krueger and was frequently heard to say that he would shoot her at the first opportunity. He is believed to have been somewhat unbalanced mentally.

New Era, Humeston, Wayne County, Iowa, Aug 21, 1895
A Council Bluff dispatch says: Herman Kohaupt killed Mrs. Kruger in Pleasant Township, using a gun. After shooting her he beat her head to a jelly and escaped. Herman Kohaupt was an employee of Kruger. Kruger was away from home. Returning about dusk, he asked for his wife and the children told him that their mother had gone out to get some cucumbers and that Kohaupt had taken the gun shortly afterwards and gone shooting. Later the body of Mrs. Kruger was found near a slough some distance from the garden and the ground gave evidence of a struggle. The breast, neck and face of the woman were filled with shot and the skull was crushed in by the butt of the gun. Later a party of men who had organized themselves into a vigilance committee came across Kohaupt’s body lying in the edge of a corn field, less than twenty rods from the spot where he had killed the woman. He had returned to the house after killing the woman to get a razor with which to end his own life. His throat was cut on both sides and it had not taken him long to bleed to death. Young Kohaupt is said to have been naturally of a murderous disposition.

The Perry Bulletin, Perry, Iowa, Aug 21, 1895
Mrs. Krueger who lived two miles south of Shelby, was murdered by Herman Kohaupt, a German lad 18 years of age, her husband’s nephew, who had been in this country only a short time and could talk but little English. Mrs. Krueger had left the house to go to the cucumber patch some little distance away. She told her children where she was going. Shortly after Kohaupt also went away, taking with him a shotgun. Mr. Krueger was away from home, but when he returned he inquired for his wife and the children told him where she had gone. He began a search, and soon found her dead and terribly mutilated body in the cucumber patch. She had been shot and then her head had been beaten almost to a pulp with the butt of the gun. The next morning a searching party was formed to hunt Kohaupt, and about twenty rods from the place where Mrs. Krueger’s body was found the dead body of Kohaupt was found. A gash had been made in his throat with a razor, and death came soon.

[1895 Iowa Census, Pottawattamie County lists:
Wm. Krueger age 30 born Germany; Christina Krueger age 28 born Germany; Francis Krueger (male) age 9 born Pottawattamie Co.,IA; Martha Krueger age 6 born Pottawattamie Co.,IA; Willie Krueger age 6 born Pottawattamei Co.,IA; and Christy Krueger (male) age 0 born Pottawattamie Co. IA]