A GIRL’S FRIGHTFUL MURDER.

Tramps Enact a Farm House Horror on an Unprotected Woman.

FARMINGTON, Mo., Sept. 30.—[Special.]—A brutal and horrible murder of a  young woman named Annie Veath, daughter of a respectable old German named Peter Veath, was committed in St. Genevieve county, about sixteen miles from this place yesterday.  While the mother of the young woman was absent at a neighbor’s and the boys were at work in the fields, some villainous tramp went to the house, murdered her and threw her body into the well, where it was found by the family. Some of the furniture drawers were opened, as if robbery was the object of the murder, but whether the girl was abused before being killed is not known. Sheriff Jokerts of St. Genevieve county passed through here this morning on the hunt of the villain, having secured the measure of the man’s track at the house. He tracked the fellow some distance in this direction. A man with a dark moustache and dressed in dark clothes had been at the house during the day before the murder was committed. He wanted to know if he could get luncheon for himself and a partner, saying he would return in a short time. The young woman’s brother was at the house after this visit, and was told of the man being there, but paid no further attention to it and went to work again.

Great excitement prevails in the vicinity, and if the guilty party were caught there would likely be a neck-tie party. A reward of $200 has been offered for the apprehension of the murderer.

Culled from the collection of The Comtesse DeSpair – 1886 Morbid Scrapbook

I researched the newspapers but I couldn’t find any evidence that the tramp was ever abducted.  If indeed a tramp was the one responsible for the murder and not the father or brother or another “respectable” man.  One never knows, does one?