3 Feb 1912 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin)
Vol 22 - No 89: Page 1, Columns 2,3,4
- THE DEAD
- LOUIS MAILAHN, aged 66.
- WILLIAM MAILAHN, aged 21.
- DORA MAILAHN, age 16.
- JOHN MAILAHN, aged 8.
While harboring an insane hatred for his father, for compelling him to live at home and assist with the work, William Mailahn, aged 21, murdered his father, Louis Mailahn, aged 66; sister, Dora, aged 16; and brother, John, aged 8; and then killed himself, on the Mailahn farm in the town of Black Creek, two miles southwest of Binghamton fourteen miles northwest of Appleton, Friday afternoon about 3 o'clock.
The horrible tragedy, one of the worst in the history of the county, was discovered within an hour by another brother, George, aged 13, when he returned from school. Neighbors were immediately summoned and District Attorney F. J. Rooney, and Coroner Thomas E. Johnston were notified late yesterday afternoon, but there being no eye witnesses to the deed, an inquest was ordered, farmers in the neighborhood being selected ot serve and were notified by telephone.
That the young murderer had intended to kill the entire family, is claimed by the fact that only on Wednesday of this week he was heard to complain about his father and remark that he would end the trouble, would put the "whole family out of the way" "After I get pa and Ed, the rest will be easy," he is quoted as having said.
The entire family was doomed, if not at the hand of an insane murderer, by the ravages of tuberculosis. The mother and 6 children having already died of the terrible disease, and it is claimed the father and the other six children were also afflicted, and it was probably the knowledge that he was a victim of tuberculosis that unbalanced the young man's mind, for no sane man could have committed the horrible deed.
Trouble had been brewing in the family for years, and neighbors attribute it all to the fact that all were in more or less poor health. Mrs. Mailahn died about three years ago, the cause of her death having been given as heart failure, but it was said that tuberculosis was the indirect cause. Shortly before her death her husband, Louis Mailahn, who was murdered yesterday by his son, attempted to commit suicide by taking poison, but the rash act was discovered in time to save his life.
Last October, after a little quarrel with his father about work on the farm, William Mailahn disappeared and for several weeks no trace of him could be found. About Christmas he was located on a farm near Hortonville but at that time refused to return to his home.
About a month ago, Dora, aged 16, the only girl left in the family, and whohad been keeping house for her father and brothers since the death of her mother, caught a severe cold which settled on her lungs, and although she was really quite ill, she continued to look after the house, with the assistance of her brothers.
Last Sunday Mr. Mailahn drove to Hortonville and compelled his son, William to return home, to assist his sister and brothers. The young man went reluctantly and several neighbors, who had seen and talked with him this week, remarked that the boy was not in his right mind, although at times he appeared perfectly rational.
That the murder had been deliberately planned there can be no doubt. Walter and George Mailahn, aged 14 and 13 years respectively, younger brothers of the murderer, were attending school at District No. 7, town of Center, and it was arranged that Edward, an older brother, aged 26, would take a load of wood to the school house in the afternoon and bring his younger brothers home with him. William helped arrange the plan, evidently designing to kill his father, sister and brother at the time.
Edward left with the load of wood about 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon. As he was leaving William was talking to his father about doing some work in the barn loft, and it proved he was setting a trap for his father. It is believed that shortly after his father went to the upper part of the barn William secured a shot gun and deliberately sat down and waited for him to come down, and as the parent descended the steps the murderer fired at him at short range with the shot gun, the full charge taking effect in his face and the aged man dropping to the floor, having been killed instantly.
After killing his father the rest of the horrible work was easy. The murderer returned to the house and going up stairs placed the shot gun on his brother, Edward's bed, then taking a razor went down to the parlor, where his little sister was lying on the couch to rest, and probably holding her head back with one hand, cut her throat from ear to ear with the razor in the other hand, the little girl falling off the couch onto the floor.
The insane man then went to look for his little brother, Johnnie, aged but 8 years. Where he found him no one will ever know or whether or not the child had witnessed either of the other murders will always remain a mystery, but some of the neighbors believe the child either saw William murder his sister and tried to run fro him or that he saw his brother coming with the razor, dropping with his sister's blood and ran from him. The little fellow was found in the smokehouse at the rear of the house, and like his sister, his throat was cut from ear to ear, and when discovered his body was still warm, showing that he had not been dead long.
It is believed that William intended to poison himself but failed to find the carbolic acid and then resorted to the same method he had used iwth his sister and brother, to end his own life. After killing the others he had lighted a lamp and gone into the cellar, according to his older brotehr, to get the poison, but the bottle of carbolic acid, for which he undoubtedly was looking, had been hidden. Blood was found on the lamp and on a shelf in the cellar, which proved that he had taken the lamp to the cellar after committing the triple murders.
Being unable to find the poison, and doubtless fearing tha this brothers would soon return hom, William took a small mirror to the woodshed at the rear of the kitchen and standing before it deliberatly cut his own throat, with the same razor he had used on the others, making one slash which all btu severed his head.
That the young mand was insane and had been brooding over the physical condition of the members of the family there can be no question. Even when a mere child William Mailahn was of a quiet, morose disposition, did not mingle with the other children in the neighborhood and was generally considered as a "strange" child.
Since the death of his mother and sisters from tuberculosis, he had become more melancholy, and although even some of his own relatives did not know he was a victim of tuberculosis, he knew the disease had a grip on him and the others in the familiy and brooded over it continually.
While plowing for William Schultz, a neighbor, a year go last fall, William Mailahn was kicked in the head by a horse, and although he apparently was not seriously injured, it is possible that the blow on his head may have brought on insanity.
Only Friday morning, according to a statement made by Edward Mailahn at Binghamton last night, William suggested to his brother that they commit suicide. "What's the use of living, let's take poison and kill ourselves, we will die with consumption anyhow," is what he suggested to his brother on Friday morning. Edward said he tried to cheer his brother and thought he was feeling better during the afternoon.
It was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon that Edward returned form the schoolhouse with his little brothers, and while he and Walter went directly to the barn to put the horses away, little George ran into the house to greet his sister and younger brother.
He called to his sister as he entered the kitchen, but receiving no reply ran on through the house to the parlor, where he frequently found her on the couch when he returned from school, and was horror-stricken when he saw her lifeless, almost headless body lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
The thoroughly frightened child ran screaming out fo the house and told his brothers of the ghastly find. Edward ran into the parlor and almost fainted when he gazed on the boyd of his little sister. He picked her up and placed her body on the couch and then went ot look for the ethers, as he appeared to grasp the meaning in an instant.
Going back through the kitchen, Edward saw his brother lying in his own blood on the floor of the woodshed, razor in hand, the body still warm. he sent the two little brothers to summon the neighbors and continued his search for his father and little brother, and soon found them, each lying in a pool of blood.
The news of the horrible tragedy spread rapidly and within half an hour a dozen farmers, all neighbors, had hastened to the scene to assist in looking after the affairs. The two broken-hearted little boys were tkaen to the home of an uncle for the night, while Edward accompanied two neighbors to Binghampton and then to Black Creek, to arrange for the quadruple burial.
Under Sheriff Martin Verhagen, Deputy Sheriff George Kirschenlore and Coroner Thomas E. Johnson were sent to the scene of the tragedy last night. This morning Clerk of the Court Abe Danielsen drew the following jurors to constitute the coroner's jury: W. B. Riehl, George Smith, Herbert Hoerning, Charles Holz, Jess Welch and Charles Smith. The officials remained there all night, the names being telephonesd to them this morning and the jury subpoenaed.
The funeral of the murderer and his three victims will be held from the late home on Monday afternoon at 1 o'clock and all will be buried together in the family lot in Binghamton.