grave import

Obituary

The shocking spectacle of a peaceful citizen in his own house at midnight being confronted by a burglar and shot down in cold blood has been witnessed twice within twenty years in a residence on south Summer street. It is horrible to think that inoffensive inhabitants in a fair and friendly city must submit to such outrages, and that the murderous miscreants escape unpunished. The last crime of this charcter, and one of the blackest on the record, was committed at 12:20 o'clock on Saturday night, at the family residence of the late Jacob Zaiser who, twenty years since the coming August, was shot dead by a burglar in the manner that now relates to the death of his son. Edward Zaiser and his brother Louis slept in a room in the lower part of the house, and on Saturday night, at the hour above named, Edward was awakened by the noise of lighting parlor matches in the adjoining apartment. He at first thought the house was on fire and the sound was the crackling of flames, but on second thought concluded some of the family were up. Being somewhat startled, and fearing something was wrong, he quickly arose, lighted a match and opened the door leading from his room to that from which the noise proceeded. The rush of air from the opening door blew out his match, but not until its faint light had revealed to him the burly figure of a man standing directly in front of him and holding a coked revolver in one hand and a burning match in the other. The revolver was levelled and within a foot of Mr. Zaiser's face, and upon the impulse of the moment he threw his hand forward to ward off the effects of a discharge. As he struck the revolver downward, the burglar fired. The report of the revolver and the fall of Edward, awoke his brother Louis and others of the family sleeping upstairs, who immediately rushed to the scene. As Louis arose he heard his brother Edward groan: "Oh, my God; I',m shot, I'm shot," and then exclaim: "There he goes! through the window!" Louis ran from his room and fell prostrate over the bleeding form of his brother who continued to moan in a delirium of pain, while the other members of the rudely awakened family came from their rooms and a lamp was lighted. The window was found raised and wedged with a table-knife, and Edward, clothed in his night dress, lay in a pool of blood on the floor, with a bullet-hole in his groin. As soon as messengers could cover the ground, Doctors Nauman, Leipziger, Little and Holliday were summoned to the scene. A search for the bullet was totally unsuccessful. Probes proved unavailing, but it was found that the bullet had penetrated the lower part of the abdomen and that the intestines were punctured. A large incision was promptly made and the intestines were taken out and stitched in seven places. This direful operation was performed as being the only thing to do in the emergency. No hope of saving the young man's life was entertained by the physicians. The worst feared was realized at 11:45 o'clock last night, when he died in great agony..The murdered man was yet a boy in years. He would have been 21 years of age next October. He was a nephew of the Hon. John Zaiser, and of Mr. James Zaiser, of this city, and was a bright young man, just entering upon a career of usefulness as a business man and a citizen. The only clue to the murderer's identity is the very vague description furnished by his victim. Before the young man expired he stated that the burglar was heavy-built and wore a stiff hat. That was all he could tell. The table knife found wedged in the open window furnishes positive evidence that the same miscreant visited the house of Mayor Geo. A. Duncan immediately prior to his raid upon the Zaiser home. The knife was noticed by the mayor, who had been aroused by noises in his own house and was among the earliest arrivals upon the scene of the murder. Upon turning home he was describing the knife to his wife, who, thinking the description tallied with her tableware, counted the knives and found one missing. The strange knife at the Zaiser residence was sent for and found to have been taken from Mayor Duncan's dining room, together with a quantity of bananas and other eatables. It is supposed the burglar was frightened away before he had despoiled the mayor's residence, and went from there directly to his deadly work at the Zaiser home. The surviving members of Edward Zaiser's family have offered a reward of $500 for the capture of the murderer. Wild rumors concerning the murderer's capture by the police are afloat, none of which are authenticated by the authorities. There were no arraignments on that charge at the police court today, and Chief Smyth states that there have been no arrests made of any parties even suspected of the crime. As far as known the murderer left no clue, and if the police have any they keep it hermetically sealed. There is a very general impression prevailing that the reward offered by the murdered boy's relatives should be increased by private subscriptions, and that steps be immediately taken to hunt down the murderer if possible. The belief is expressed in some quarters that the crime was committed by an organized gang of housebreakers who followed the cheap circus which held forth and South hill park Saturday. An inquest will be held over Edward Zaiser's body this evening by Coroner Unterkircher. Edward Zaiser will be buried tomorrow at 2 o'clock, with services at the residence and at the German Lutheran church.
At 11:45 last night, E.F. Zaiser, at the residence of his mother, 1512 Summer street. Funeral from the house Tuesday at 1 o'clock, and services at German Zion church, Fifth and Washington streets, at 2 o'clock.