MR. AND MRS. BAHLS

Will Be Buried Tomorrow.
The funeral of Mr. and Mrs. Bahls, the victims of Mishicott
murderer will be held tomorrow afternoon from the late
residence of the murdered couple. Thay had no children and
the only heir is a sister of Mrs. Bahls. The estate is
variously estimated to be worth from $10,000 to $18,000.
Manitowoc Daily Herald, Manitowoc, Wis. Tuesday, November 8, 1898 P. 1
********
Manitowoc County Chronicle, November 8, 1898
A DOUBLE MURDER
An Aged Couple at Mishicott Killed by a Fiend
Early last Sunday morning the quiet little village of Mishicott was the scene of a great excitement. It was discovered that Mr. and Mrs. Drews(typo should be Bahls) a couple living alone near the center of the village had been most cruelly and brutally murdered sometime during the night. The grewsome (sic) discovery was made by Albert
Mundt, a farmer who had called on business. He first knocked at the front door, but receiving no response he
walked around to the back of the house which he was surprised to find standing open. The house was apparently forsaken and he walked in. He found the rooms in great disorder and in a bedroom adjoining the sitting
room he found Mrs. Bahls lying dead on the floor with her head and face covered with blood and bruised almost beyond recognition. He immediately gave the alarm and a large crowd assembled. Sheriff Muth was notified by telephone.
The body of Mr. Bahls was found soon after in a small barn back of the house. His head had been split open and the ax that had been used was found near by. Strong suspicions were fixed on a desparate character named Ernst Messmann. Messman had been in the habit of staying at the Bahls when
in Mishicott. He was known to have staid there (sic) Friday night and was seen about the village Saturday. The Bahls had been heard to say that they were afraid to refuse him shelter as they feared he might do them some damage.
A rigid search was instituted but Messmann could not be found. Upon the arrival of Sheriff Muth, parties were sent out to hunt for him among his relatives living in the vicinity. He was found in bed asleep at the home
of his brother living at Two Creeks. He was immediately placed under arrest and brought to Manitowoc. He seemed greatly surprised when told that he was arrested for the murder of the Bahls and claimed that he left there early the evening before and knew nothing of the deed.
Many clews(sic) have since been found that seem to fasten the guilt on him. His clothes were found to have spots of blood on them which had been partially cleaned off. His shoes had been cleaned and polished. Tracks have been found leading across lots back of the house which
measure the same as the shoes worn by Messmann. Buttons have been found on the floor at the Bahls residence which exactly correspond to buttons on the clothes of Messmann. He had formerly worked for Bahls when they lived on a farm and knew that they kept money about the house.
It is supposed that the double murder was committed for robbery, but the murderer undoubtedly failed of his purpose. $750 were afterwards found hid away in various places and $450 in gold buried in a tin can in the cellar. $8000 in bonds and mortgages were also found. So strong is the feeling at Mishicot against Messmann that he would
have been lynched had the people gotten ahold of him. After his arrest he was hastened to Manitowoc via Two Rivers. His trial has been set for November 21.
************
A HORRIBLE MURDER.
Aged Couple Murdered In Their Home. Robbery the Motive of the Deed.
ERNST MESSMANN MURDERER
Is Captured At the Home of His Brother By Sheriff Muth. Proclaims
His Innocence.
The most brutal murder in the history of Manitowoc county was
committed in the village of Mishicott, twelve miles north of
here, Saturday night, when Ernst Messmann, with the aid of an
ax dashed out the brains of an aged couple, named Bahls, living
at that place.
About 9:30 o'clock Sunday morning Albert Mundt called at the
residence of Mr. and Mrs. Bahls to transact some business with
them. He found the front door locked, and the rear door open,
but no response came to his repeated knocking. Finally he entered
the house and at once saw evidences of a burglary, papers lying
in disorder about the the (sic) floor and bureau drawers being
open. Going into the front room Mr. Mundt was horrified to see
the body of Mrs. Bahls lying in a heap upon the floor, in a pool
of blood, her hair fallen partly over her face, which had been
disfigured by blows, apparently made with a rock lying near. Mr.
Mundt left the house at once and running to the home of Casper
Boecklemann near by spread the news of the tragedy by shouting
as he ran. Mr. Mundt and Mr. Boeckelmann returned together, after
having sent word to a physician, and meanwhile a score of people
had gathered at the scene. They looked through the house, but
could find no trace of Mr. Bahls. Then they made their way to the
barn. On opening the door they saw the body of Mr. Bahls with a
bloody ax lying beside it. The face of Mr. Bahls was mutilated
by deep gashes in several places and his skull had been crushed
by a blow. He had evidently been struck down with an ax.
The little town of Mishicott had never before experienced so
terrible a tragedy. Women stood about and cried, and every man
in the village expressed himself ready to join in a search for
the murderer.
Suspicion fell upon Ernst Messmann. He had been allowed to sleep
in the barn by Mr. Bahls the previous night. Messmann was born
in the vicinity fifty-six years ago. He was a day laborer on farms
hereabouts. He retuned from a long absence two years ago, and has
been working for different people here off and on ever since. He
has been charged with thieving, and is said to have been arrested
for burglary. He is an uncouth man, of unprepossessing appearance
and manners.
Sheriff Muth was notified yesterday morning and immeadeatly (sic)
left for the scene of the murder. At Mishicott he was joined by
constable August Drews and they proceeded to the home of John
Messmann, a brother of the suspected murderer, who resides at Two
Creeks eight miles from Mishicott. Here they found Ernst Messmann
asleep. He was at once awakened by the officers.
"We found Mr. and Mrs. Bahls murdered this morning," said August
Drews, one of the posse, "and we want you, because we think you
know something about the murder."
For a moment Messmann did not answer. The words he spoke were:
"No, August; I'm not guilty."
He made no resistance to arrest, and was taken at once to this city
for protection.
Messmann said that he reached there at 6 o'clock the night before,
while his brother's wife said he came there between 8 and 9 o'clock.
Sheriff Muth believes the murder to have been committed sometime
between 10 o'clock and midnight, as midnight, is about the hour at
which the old couple retired, and at 10 o'clock they were seen to
be in the house moving about. He accounts for the finding of body
of Mr. Bahls in the barn by supposing that Messmann again applied
for lodging, as he did on Friday night, and that the old man kindly
offered to conduct him to the barn. There the old man was killed,
the door being closed upon him, and the ax with which the deed was
committed dropped nearby. Returning to the house, the murderer
killed the woman, and then ransacked the house. Mr. Bahls was 76
years of age and his wife 65, so that neither could have made any
serious resistance.
The object of the murder was undoubtedly burglary, for Mr. and Mrs.
Bahls were known to be well-to-do. Nicholas Ferns, a hardware
merchant of the village of Mishicott, searched the house for valubles
to-day, and found $7,000 of United States bonds and some mortgages
which the burglar evidently had no use for or did not find. E. Oswald,
a partner of Mr. Ferns, joined him in his search, and later in a rude
storage cellar below the house he found a baking powder can with $460
in gold in it and some currency, covered with mold. It is believed
that the murderer secured as much as was found by these people.
The cottage of Mr. and Mrs. Bahls fronts on Main stret in the village
of Mishicott. The old people had lived here for eight years, having
previous to that time lived on a farm a mile and a half east of the
village. They were highly respected, and an amiable, kind hearted
couple. They had retired from farming to live upon the savings that
they had spent almost a lifetime in accumlating. They had no children.
The house in which they lived was a little frame building of one story,
90x20 feet in size, with a summer kitchen in the rear. The barn was
also small and contained only a little hay. It was about 200 feet from
the house. The nearest house to that of Mr. and Mrs. Bahls was that of
Bruno Mueller, about forty feet away. Mr. Mueller and his wife heard
no noise in the night, and is probably that the murderer struck down
both his victims without warning and without any opportunity to make
even a feeble defense.
Had the murder been committed at 11 or 12 o'clock, as is suspected,
Messmann might still have had time to get to the house of his brother
at Two Creeks, which is about eight miles from Mishicott.
Sherif Muth arrived at the county jail with his man at eight o'clock
last night. This morning the prisioner was interviewed by a
representative of The Herald as he lay on the cot in the menderer's (sic)
cell. He said: "The first news I had of the double murder was when the
officers arrived at my brother's house and arrested me. I did not
commit the murder, just as sure as I am lying on this bed, and would
have no reason to do it as Mr. Bahls and I had been the best of
friends. I have known him for the past fourteen years and worked for
him when he ran his farm and have stayed with him many times since he
moved to Mishicott."
When asked if he slept in the stable Friday night he replied:
"I never slept in the barn in my life. I slept in the house. There
was no reason for me to sleep in the stable as there was plenty of
room in the house, and Mr. Bahls and I slept in the same bed on
Friday night. I was at Bahls' home until 2:30 Saturday afternoon,
when I left the old people in the house and went to my brother's at
Two Creeks, arriving Saturday night."
In regard to the blood stains on his pants, Messmann stated that he
had killed a chicken for his sister-in-law yesterday and that blood
might have gotten on his pants from that but although he was not
aware that they were stained until his attention was called to it by
sheriff Muth. He also stated that he was ignorant of the fact that
the Bahls's were the possessors of any great amount of wealth. More
than to reiterate that he was innocent he would not talk, as he said
he knew nothing of the crime.
Sheriff Muth is, however, confident that he has captured the right
man. Messmann, he says, was visibly affected when arrested in the
attic of his brother's house. The sheriff also stated that blood
spots were plainly seen on the pants worn by the prisoner when
arrested, although attempts had been made to wash them out.
When arrested several prominent businessmen of Mishicot, who were
present, begged the sheriff to take the prisoner through Mishicot,
on his way to Manitowoc, and they would see to it that the county
was put to no further expense. He had great difficulty in preventing
the people from lynching Messmann.
August Drews, a hotel keeper at Mishicot, says Mr. Bahls was in his
place Friday, and told him that Messmann was at his house and wanted
to sleep there and asked Drews if he could not sleep at his hotel,
as he was afraid of Messmann and did not want him in the house.
Messmann was brought before Judge Anderson and his hearing was set
for Nov. 21st, Nash & Nash will defend him.

Manitowoc Daily Herald, Manitowoc, Wis. Monday, November 7, 1898 P. 1