Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 201, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1911 — Triple Murder at Booneville; Father, Mother and Son Victims. [ARTICLE]

Triple Murder at Booneville; Father, Mother and Son Victims.

Richard Lee, aged 52, his wife aged 49 and their 17-year-old son Clarence were murdered some time Wednesday night or early Thuisday morning in their home at Boonville, Warrick county, Ind. Their heads were crushed in with an ax or hatchet, and then their home was fired in order that the murder might be covered up. Wlilliam Lee, aged 21 years, the oldest child of the murdered couple, is thought to have committed 2 the crime, and is held in jail awaiting the result of the investigation begun by the prosecuting attorney and the coroner. The day before the murder the Lees had sold a piece of property at Newburg, and had given money to their son, who was to be married the next day to Miss Mona Taylor, of Newburg. He complained that they had not given him as much as they should and it is believed that in his infuriated frame of mind he took the lives of his parents and brother. William was an idler and his indulgent mother had kept him supplied with money. They did not want him to get married and they did not want to sell the little property at Newburg, which gave them a small but permanent income, but he induced them to sell it and then complained that he was not given enough of the money from the sale. There is strong circumstantial evidence that he is the guilty party and the jail where he is confined is heavily guarded to keep a mob from lynching him.