The Weekly Dallas Herald - Thursday, October 2, 1884 (Reprint)
AN AWFUL CRIME
TWO LOVERS DIE TOGETHER
A Young German Supposed To Be An Officer
Of The Army And A Young Lady Of
Fort Worth - The Victims -
Possibly Murder - Etc. -
A tragedy, one of bloody, sensational kind, startled the city last evening about 4 o'clock. The news rapidly spread through town that murder and suicide had done its awful work out on Messbanmer's branch, and hither the morbidly curious began to repair. A youth and a maiden, locked in lovers last embrace in death was the sad story that reached the ears of the street. A HERALD reporter was early on the scene and though accustomed to heartrendering sights, scarcely ever had witnessed such a scene.
In a clump of bushes, known sometimes as "the island" on the branch some five or six hundred yards to the north of the terminus of the San Jacinto street railway, the ghastly spectacle of a youth and maiden cold in death presented itself. A curious crowd had gathered around the spot and horror and conjecture were the uppermost impressions on the assembled crowd. A girl some eighteen years old, fair, and comely, with blonde hair and eyes and fair complexion, neatly dressed, a trim figure, a mild pleasant countenance and every indication of some culture and refinement, was prostate and wellering in her own blood. By her side, close and clinging was a youth of some twenty years, strongly German in appearance, neatly dressed, pale and still in deah, a .32 caliber Hopkins and Allen pistol in his grasp, and the clotted blood disfiguring his face, matting his hair, and disguising his identity.
It was a sad picture. It was one of life's horrible realities, and the only clue to the identity of the parties, or the cause of their awful fate, was the following note in a scratch book in the young man's pocket: "We could not be united in life, we will be united in death, anyhow. [signed] Philip Faulstich - Fanny Nanny".
Shortly the coroner arrived and the following jury was selected and sworn: A. Woods, J. F. Thomas, C. H. Cooper, T. E. Seals, S. P. Johnson and George H. McKenzie. The jury proceeded to view the remains and search them. Nothing satisfactory was learned. The girl had no articles upon her person. She was dressed in a neat, stylish cut plain dress, had on a little blue velvet bonnet, a large blue veil nearby, while a pretty pearl breast-pin fastened her collar. The young man had two or three pocket books on his person. His watch had stopped at ten minutes to 2 o'clock. Two locks of hair corresponding to that of both the girl and boy were found tied to the watch.
The girl was shot just behind the left ear and back of the temple. Evidently the young man had killed her and then suicided. She was nicely laid out, seemingly having been arranged by her slayer before he turned the deadly weapon upon himself. The pistol had but two empty cartridges in it. The first cartidge had two indentions, indicating that it had missed fired at first. Then the other one was fired and the soul of the girl sped to its Maker. Everything shows that then Faulstich arranged her clothing and the position of her body and lying beside her deliberately turned the other cartridge against his own temple. The shot that killed him went in the right temple and lodged in his brain.
The untold tale, the sad history of the two young and misguided hearts was read only that far in their cold embrace in a violent death. Diligent enquiry failed to learn of them further. No such names appear in the dictionary. Many affirmed that both faces were familiar to them but could not be definitely located.
And so two lifeless bodies in a clump of trees upon the outskirts of the city, victims of lust or emotional insanity, young and fair, and for whom life might have retained some of its choicest blessings, are found cold and clotted in their own blood. This is all. Were they strangers? If so, where is their home or parents? So tragic a death alone and among strangers, so mysterious a sequel to some pathetic tale of young love is inexplicably perplexing and sad.
The streets were aroused and intently curious. The affair was so bloody, so pathetic, so wrapped in mystery, that speculation and enquiry were rife. It was an unusual piece of news for our city. Many rumors and stories were of course started, but none of them seemed to fit the case. One of the most authentic is that of a commercial tourist, who saw a couple answering to such a description come up to the city Friday evening on the Central train.
From the appearance of the bodies when discovered at 4 o'clock, it looked as if they had been dead three or four hours. The facts, so far as they have been discovered relative to the shocking affair, are given in the subjoined report of the finding of the coroner's jury. The bodies were taken in charge by Undertaker Smith and are still held by him.
LATER DEVELOPMENTS
Mr. J. H. Slaughter, proprieter of the American House, came in at a late hour last evening and said that both parties had been boarding at his house for weeks. Mr. Faulstich, he says, was a German officer on a years furlough, and had come to Dallas from South Texas about five weeks since. He had promptly paid Mr. Slaughter until about two weeks since, when he stopped and was consequently that far behind when the suicide occurred. Some time ago, he had written home, telling his people of his infatuation, and also stated that a cloud rested upon his inamoreta's character. In an unguarded moment it was said that she had been betrayed.
His family in Germany refused to acceed to his wishes and positively objected to the proposed and desired marriage. His time of leave was up the 5th of October and he became in the view of these facts, very despomient. A day or two ago a quarrel occurred between them.
"Miss Nanny" is Miss Nanney, it seems from Mr. Slaughter's account. He says she is the sister of W. H. Nanney of the White Elephant of Fort Worth, who was telegraphed last evening. This branch of the Nanney family of Tennessee is eminently rich and respectful and the girl, Slaughter says, has evidently not seen a hard days work in her life. She was a modest, attractive girl, so Slaughter says, and during her long residences with him (since the 17th of May last) had endeared herself to all about the house. Her board was regularly paid by her Fort Worth brother. As soon as Faulstich came to the American House, he fell desperately in love with Miss Fannie. Whether he killed her as an act of murder or whether his particular German philosophy put up a double suicide will always remain a profound secret.
FINDING OF THE JURY
Inquest held on the bodies of a lady and gentleman found daed on Town Branch, above Ross Avenue, on the 27th of September, 1884: H. H. Bailey being sworn says: "That today about 2 o'clock, I left home with Mr. Hightower, and soon after we left our horses, we heard two shots fired and pretty soon another, and we walked on down the creek hunting grapes and we came on the bodies, the lady lay on her back, dead, and the gentlema on her right, on his left side, dead. I saw the parties examined and I recognize the pistol present as the one found on him by the officers, it was empty with two shells yet in the cylinder. I noticed a bullet hole in the right side of the head and in front of the temple of the gentleman. I did not examine the wound in the lady's head."
W. M. Hightower being examined says: "That I was with Mr. Bailey today hunting grapes and we found the bodies mentioned by Mr. Bailey, the gentleman seemed to be about 18 or 20 years old and the lady seemed near the same age; the gentleman was light complected with auburn or red hair and would weigh about 135 or 140 pounds and was about 5 feet 8 inches in height; the lady was about 16 or 18 years old with light complexion and light or light brown hair, she had a bullet hole in the head and above the left ear. There was in the pocket of the gentleman the following memorandum: "We could not be united in life, but we will be united in death, anyhow. Dallas, Sept. 28, 1884 [signed] Philip Faulstich - Fanny Nanny". I do not know nor never saw either of the parties before to my knowledge. The gentleman had on his a nickel watch and chain, that had stopped at 10 minutes to 2 o'clock.
We the jury after hearing the evidence, and of the opinion that the deceased, Fannie Nanny, came to her death from the effects of a pistol shot in the hands of Philip Faulstich, and that afterwards shot himself.
