Swiss Merchant Killed at His Store, 1909

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[November 5, 1909] -

BLOODHOUNDS ON TRAIL.

LONDON, Ky., Nov 4. -- Albert Koch, a Swiss merchant, was shot and instantly killed last night in his store at Bernstadt, Ky.  Koch is understood to have drawn $5,000 from a bank yesterday.  Bloodhounds were put on the trail of the murderer today. [1]

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[November 5, 1909] -

HOUNDS SEEK SLAYER OF COUNTRY MERCHANT

Take Trail of Man Who Shot Albert Koch at Swiss Colony.

Captain V. G. Mulliken, who left for Swiss Colony, eight miles from London, with his dogs, has not yet returned, and nothing has been heard of him.  Captain Mulliken received the call at 4 o'clock Thursday morning, and left in an automobile at once for Winchester, where he took the 5 o'clock freight train for London, where he arrived about 10 o'clock.

He went at once to Swiss Colony, where he was engaged to trail and endeavor to locate the murderer or murderers of Albert Koch, who was shot and killed by unidentified parties at 7 o'clock Wednesday night in front of his store.  Koch was called to the door of his store and instantly shot, dying almost immediately.

Captain Mulliken is expected to return to Lexington Friday morning or afternoon, and it is probable that nothing will be heard from him until that time as he is out of telephonic communication. [2]

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[November 6, 1909] -

WORKS ON TWO CASES; CLUES COME IN BOTH

Captain Mulliken Reports on Swiss Colony Murder and Barn Fire.

NAMES TWO SUSPECTS

Koch Witness In Murder Case--Negro May Have Fired Barn.

Although Capt. V. G. Mulliken tried for several hours to make his dogs take the trail of the murderer or murderers of Albert Koch at Swiss Settlement, eight miles from London, they were not able to strike a trail, owing to the fact that the whole colony had turned out at the time of the murder and instructions that people should be kept away from the scene were disregarded.

Capt. Mulliken arrived in Lexington with his dogs Friday morning, and stated, that while no definite action had been taken against any one, a clue had been found whereby the murderer might be located.  The belief of the authorities in London was that Koch had been murdered with the intention of robbery, but at the time of the murder Koch had between $750 and $1,000 in his store, which was open at that time.

A Possible Clue.

A man named Whittaker, however, was to have appeared for trial in London on Thursday for hiring men to murder another citizen of the colony, and, it is said, Koch was the chief witness against him.  Whittaker, and another man, it is alleged, drove up the pike in the direction of Koch's residence, and a few moments later drove down the pike again with the horse on a run.  the case against Whittaker will be presented by authorities in London, who hope to make out a strong case against him. [3]

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[November 11, 1909] -

MERCHANT KILLED: -- Albert Koch a well known Swiss merchant of East Bernstadt was called out of his house just after dark on the night of Nov. 4 and shot down.  Some unknown person called for him to come out to his store only a few steps from his residence and he was shot as soon as he reached his place of business.  His family hearing shots, hurried to the scene and found Mr. Koch lying dead with a bullet hole in his head and saw his assassin fleeing. [4]

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[April 2, 1915] -

Oscar McIntyre and William Tyree who were charged with the murder of Albert Kock at Bernstadt in Laurel County seven or eight years ago were caught in Pine Bluff, Arkansas by Deputy Sheriff Herman Scoville, of Laurel County last week.  Tyree is also facing a charge of murdering William Maret Barnes, in Laurel County, near Yaho, in 1909. [5]

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[1] "Bloodhounds on Trail." Duluth News-Tribune, Duluth, MN. November 5, 1909. Page 12. Genealogybank.com.

[2] "Hounds Seek Slayer of Country Merchant." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. November 5, 1909. Page 10. Genealogybank.com.

[3] "Works On Two Cases; Clues Come in Both." Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY. November 6, 1909. Page 8. Genealogybank.com.

[4] "Merchant Killed." The Citizen, Berea, KY. November 11, 1909. Page 1. LOC. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85052076/1909-11-11/ed-1/seq-1/

[5] The Mount Vernon Signal, Mount Vernon, KY. April 2, 1915. Page 3. LOC. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86069561/1915-04-02/ed-1/seq-3/

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