Stephenson County IL Archives News.....Mr & Mrs Henry Boedecker Die in House Fire 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com September 1, 2007, 10:55 am Various, See Text 1893 Daily Inter Ocean [Chicago IL], Mar 20, 1893 Both Victims Buried Double Funeral of Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker Services Held in Church Few New Developments in the Freeport Mystery Residents Claim to Have Seen Suspicious Characters Just Before the Fire Freeport, Ill., March 19.-Special Telegram.-The charred bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Boedecker, which were taken from the ruins of their home Saturday morning, were interred in the city cemetery this afternoon. The double funeral was held at 2 o'clock from the residence of Herman Janssen, father of Mrs. Boedecker, and the bodies were taken from there to the German Evangelical Church, where the Rev. Zivering, pastor of that church, and the Rev. Brenohler, pastor of the German Reformed Church, conducted the ceremonies. The church was packed to suffocation and fully 500 people stood in the street. The funeral procession was over a mile long and it was without doubt the largest one ever held in this city, hundreds of people coming in from the country to attend. A special train was also run from Polo, bearing members of the Knights of the Globe, the funeral being held under the auspices of that body. The Modern Woodmen also turned out. There are but few new developments in regard to the mystery which surrounds the death of the popular couple. A well-known citizen who resides on the same street on which the Boedeckers' residence was located, stated to-day that he went home at 1 o'clock yesterday morning and saw four suspicious-looking men standing on the sidewalk. Three of them were urging the fourth to go somewhere with them, but he did not appear inclined to go. Another young man saw two men standing in front of the Boedecker residence, a half hour before the fire was discovered, while still another citizen claims to have seen two strangers running toward the Illinois Central depot shortly after 2 o'clock in the morning; and he says they got on board the passenger train bound for Chicago, which was just pulling away from the station as they arrived. The citizen who saw them says that his attention was attracted to them more particularly as they were strangers and had apparently run quite a distance. They seemed very anxious to make the train. From the reports coming in the police and the citizens of Freeport generally are more convinced than ever that Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker met death at the hands of assassins who entered their house for the purpose of robbery, but being detected by Mr. Boedecker, killed him and his wife and then set fire to the house to cover up their crime. ---------------------------------------- Aberdeen [SD] Daily News, March 20, 1893 Found in the Ruins Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker Burned to Death Freeport, Ills., March 20.-The house of Henry Boedeker was destroyed by fire during the night. It was supposed that Mr. and Mrs. Boedeker were away from the city on a visit, but after the flames were extinguished their charred remains were found in the ruins. It is a very mysterious affair, and the current belief is that murder has been committed. The bodies were so badly burned that it is impossible to tell whether or not there has been foul play. ------------------------- Decatur [IL] Daily Review, Mar 22, 1893 Freeport's Mystery Rumors Concerning the Death of Henry Boedecker and Wife Freeport, Ills., March 21.-Relatives of the late Henry Boedecker, who lost his life in such a mysterious manner by the burning of his house Saturday night, applied to the judge of this county Monday for the appointment of H. Leemhuis as administrator of the estate. The court complied and Mr. Leemhuis qualified for the place. He gave bonds in the sum of $64,000, signed by himself, H. Jenssen, and Fred Dorman. The deceased were relatives of Leemhuis and he has determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the death. Already he has begun a systematic investigation with that end in view. The coal and wood office has been taken charge of by the administrator and an investigation of Boedecker's affairs begun in order to put to flight all sensational rumors alleging suicide. Carried Heavy Insurance Besides making a thorough search himself for light on the affair, he is determined to secure all the help possible and will offer a large reward for any facts which will tend to solve the mystery of the fire. Chief of Police Dittmore and his entire force have been at work on the case, but as yet can discover nothing tangible. Representatives of some insurance companies are on the ground. If it is proved that suicide was committed, some of the money will not be paid, for the policies are so written as to make them invalid in case of death from this cause. J. A. Crain has been retained by several of the companies to look after their interests and await what may arise. The companies have a large amount at stake, it being ascertained that Mr. Boedecker carried $27,000 upon his life, of which amount $15,000 was in accidental companies. This is considered a remarkable sum for a man of Mr. Boedecker's means to carry and leads to dark suspicions. ------------------------------ Waukesha [WI] Freeman, Mar 23, 1893 Looks Like Murder Mystery Surrounding the Death of a Freeport (Ill.) Couple Their Home Burned to the Ground The Charred Remains of Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker Found in the Ruins Under Circumstances Which Lead to the Belief That They Were Murdered Foul Play Suspected Freeport, Ill., March 20.-The residence of Henry Boedecker, a well-known citizen of Freeport, burned to the ground at 2 a.m. Saturday and the charred bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker were found in the ruins. The origin of the fire is a mystery. Mr. Boedecker was one of our leading coal merchants and has been doing a good deal of collecting of late. It is believed that burglars entered the house in the night and that they were surprised by Mr. Boedecker, who gave them battle. The supposition is that the burglars killed both Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker and then set fire to the house to cover up the crime. Charles Trunck, a neighbor, was the first to discover the fire and he found the front doors of the house wide open and not a sound could be heard from within. For this reason it is believed that the couple met with foul play. The body of Mr. Boedecker was found downstairs and his wife's body was found upstairs. Both were burned beyond recognition. The coroner is now investigating the double murder. Suspicious Circumstances It is claimed that both Boedecker and his wife were too careful to have left any door open, and that this must have been the work of some burglars. The door which opened from the downstairs room usually occupied as a bedroom by the Boedeckers was lying flat on the floor and on it were marks of blood and some human hair. Mrs. Boedecker's clothes were found in the bedroom downstairs, but no trace of Boedecker's could be found. It is known that he had in his possession a large silver watch and chain, but no trace of this has been discovered, although several metal articles have been found. His bookkeeper also states that he took from the office when he went home nineteen silver dollars, and not a vestige of these had been found. -------------------------- Daily Inter Ocean [Chicago IL], Mar 25, 1893 Boedeckers Not Murdered Freeport's Mystery Being Cleared Up by the Coroner Freeport, Ill., March 24.-Special Telegram.-The mystery surrounding the death of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Boedecker, whose charred bodies were found in the ruins of their home on North Galena avenue last Saturday morning, is being cleared away. Owing to the fact that the front door was found open by Charley Trunck, the first man to discover the fire, and the further fact that a watch and chain and a quantity of silver money Mr. Boedecker was known to have on his person the night of the fire could not be found, the supposition was that the couple had been foully dealt with by robbers who burned the house. A hasty search was made in the ruins the morning after the fire for the watch and money and they could not be found, but this morning Coroner Dieterich, members of the Coroner's jury and Chief Fire Marshal John Rodemeier made a more thorough search of the debris, which resulted in the discovery of the missing watch, a bunch of keys, and a silver dollar. The rest of the silver and his watch chain were not found, but they are no doubt in the ruins some place. But enough has been found to convince all that the Boedecker home was not visited by robbers the night of the fire, and as the theory of suicide is not entertained the universal conclusion is that Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker met their death by suffocation, but how the fire originated will probably forever remain a mystery. The generally accepted theory now is that Mrs. Boedecker slept downstairs the night of the fire and that her husband slept upstairs. The fire started in his room and was first discovered by her. She got up hastily, opened the door to let out the smoke, and then rushed upstairs to awaken her husband and was overcome by the smoke or flames. This theory is supported by the evidence given at the inquest. ----------------------- Daily Inter Ocean [Chicago IL], Apr 8, 1893 Probe the Boedecker Affair Chicago Physicians Exhume the Bodies and Hold an Examination Freeport, Ill., April 7.-Special Telegram.-It was ascertained to-day that a Chicago detective has been here for some time working on the Boedecker mystery. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Boedecker were burned in their dwelling a few weeks ago. The detective, who is in the employ of the life insurance companies in which Boedecker held policies, has, it is said, secured evidence that Mr. and Mrs. Boedecker may have committed suicide. Drs. Mason and Hektoen, of Chicago, were here to-day. The bodies of the Boedecker's were exhumed and a post-mortem examination was held. The doctors returned to Chicago this evening, and submit the result of their investigation to the Coroner's jury in a few days. -------------------- Decatur [IL] Daily Review, Apr 9, 1893 Matters Which Go to Show That the Boedeckers May Be Alive Chicago, April 8-Drs. Hektoen[sic] and Mason, who held a post-mortem examination upon the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Boedecker, who were believed to have been burned in their dwelling at Freeport, Ills., a few weeks ago, have returned home. Dr. Kektoen[sic] stated Saturday that they held the post- mortem upon the request of the insurance companies in which Boedecker held policies. He will report to them the result of his investigation. He said the bodies were burned beyond recognition and he thought they had been burned more than the possibly could be by the flames from the dwelling. He heard many theories while in Freeport as to the alleged suicides, one of the most generally accepted being that the Boedeckers are still living and that the burned bodies were taken from some neighboring graveyard. ------------------- Sunday Inter Ocean [Chicago IL], Apr 9, 1893 Died from Suffocation Coroner's Jury Returns a Verdict in the Boedecker Case Freeport, Ill., April 8.-Special Telegram.-The Coroner's jury in the Boedecker case reached a verdict this afternoon to the effect that it could not fully determine how Henry Boedecker's death was caused, but in the case of Mrs. Boedecker the jury returned a verdict to the effect that the cause of her death was suffocation from smoke and fire, the origin of the fire to the jury unknown. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/stephenson/newspapers/mrmrshen62gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 12.1 Kb