Cornelius Alles

1862 - 1883  (21 years)

• Name	Cornelius Alles
  Born	1862	, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	murder, crime, life story
  Residence	1871	Carrick Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Misfortune	Sep 1883	Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States
  	murdered
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-169595
  Died	15 Sep 1883	Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States
  Person ID	I169595	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Rev. Peter Alles,   b. 1830, , Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Katharina Litt,   b. 19 Feb 1835, , Germany ,   d. 30 Jun 1876, Ellice Township, Perth Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 41 years)
  Married		Peter Alles & Catharina Litt Grace Schmidt Room of Local History digital collection
  Family ID	F21188	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Cornelius Alles son of the Rev Peter Alles of Waterloo Ont was murdered at Detroit on Saturday night Sept 23rd Deceased was twenty years of age and was employed as a clerk in the drug store of Messrs Prittie & Co where he has been employed for some time and was considered of good character and quiet and inoffensive disposition The circumstances were briefly as follows Residents in the neighborhood of the store were awakened by a pistol shot Several persons came out to ascertain the cause but nothing could be seen in the dark save a man who was running away at a rapid rate and a horse and buggy which was near the scene The young man was found lying on the walk still alive and was found to have been shot in the head He was unable to speak and died shortly afterward His face was covered with blood which was oozing from a wound on the left side of his head The police theory of the murder is that Alles was called to fill a prescription and was shot before he reached the store When Alles was found he was attired in his undershirt and wore his coat and straw hat He had only one sock on which strengthens the theory that he came down stairs in response to a call At the inquest held Sept 26th no new facts were elicited and the police have not succeeded in finding anything to serve as a clue The jury returned a verdict that deceased was killed by a pistol shot fired by an unknown party The remains were sent to Waterloo for interment. Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal, Volume 17 1883-1884, Toronto __________________________ A Cowardly and Mysterious Murder A cold-blooded and cowardly murder, the particulars of which are shrouded in mystery, was committed in Detroit, on Saturday nighty, September 22. The victim was a young man named Cornelius Alles, aged about 18 years, a clerk in the central and up-town drug stores of W.H. Prittle & Co. According to the account of several different persons, residents in the neighborhood, there was but one shot fired, and that about 11: 20; some say 11: 15, others say 11: 20, and still others undertake to give the time exactly between those hours. At the hour mentioned the residents of the neighborhood were awakened from their sleep by s pistol shot and several persons came out to ascertain the cause of it. Nothing could be seen in the darkness save a man who was running at a rapid rate and a horse and buggy which was near the scene. An investigation in the direction of the shot disclosed the terrible crime. A young man was found lying as above stated on the walk, still alive, and was found to have been shot in the head. He was unable to speak and died shortly afterward. A large crowd gathered around the dying man, which was the state of affairs found by Patrolman Pramstaller, who was on Second Avenue when he heard the shot fired, when he arrived at the spot. The officer with the aid of a citizen picked the young man up and carried him into the store. The officer spoke to him, but the injured man cold not reply, and died in about five minutes. The persons around him insisted that it was a case of murder, but nobody could give any clue to the perpetrator. The young man's face was covered with blood, which was oozing from a wound on the left side of the head. The officer in picking him up found a key of the store at his side, also a small vial containing what appears to be toothache drops. Coroner Locks soon after arrived and took charge of the remains which were taken to Undertaker Blakes establishment. City Physician Chaney and Indoor Assistant Cree were notified and came in the city ambulance. They made an examination of the remains and reported that the bullet entered the back of the head, a little to the left and about at the level of the ear. A probe entered it easily three inches taking as slightly upward direction. The bullet wound seemed to indicate a weapon of not large caliber. The police theory of the murder that Alles was called to fill a prescription, and was shot before he reached the store, which is indicated by the place where the body was found. Suicide was suspected by some, but as no revolver was found, and there were no traces of blood leading from the room upstairs down the stairway, or on the walk, there was no foundation for the suspicion. When Alles was found he was attired in an undershirt, and wore his coat and a straw hat. He had only one sock on, which strengthens the theory that he came down stairs in response to the call. His hat was found lying by his side. Another theory, somewhat different from the above though based on the same idea, is that the young man came down stairs in response to a call; that he was getting the preparation called for when the visitor, whose design was plunder, seized some articles and ran off; that the young man pursued him, which accounts for his being outside, and that the thief, finding himself hard pressed, fired the fatal shot. ___________________________ Murder of a Canadian A Young Man Found Weltering in His Blood at Detroit - No Clue to the Murderer DETROIT, Sept. 24 - On Saturday night a young Canadian named Cornelius Alles, employed in Prittie & Co.'s drug store, was found lying in his blood on the walk on the east side of the store. The circumstances indicated that a foul murder had been committed. At the hour mentioned the residents of the neighbourhood were awakened by a pistol shot. Several persons came out to ascertain the cause, but nothing could be seen in the darkness save a man, who was running away at a rapid rate, and a horse and buggy which was near the scene. The young man was found lying on the walk still alive, and was found to have been shot in the head. He was unable to speak, and died shortly afterward. His face was covered with blood, which was oozing from a wound on the left side of his head. The police theory of the murder is that Alles was called to fill a prescription and was shot before he reached the store. When Alles was found he was attired in his undershirt, and wore his coat and straw hat. He had only one sock on, which strengthens the theory that he came down stairs in response to a call. The murdered man was about twenty years of age, and had been living in Detroit less than a year. He was a son of Rev. Peter Alles, of Waterloo, Ontario. He was of a quiet disposition and good character. There is no clue as yet to the murderer. Toronto Daily Mail 25 Sep 1883 pg1.

  
  

• Sources

  [S969] Census - ON, Bruce, Carrick - 1871, Carrick, Bruce South, Ontario; Roll: C-9934; Page: 38; Family No: 122. Peter Alles 42 Germany Preacher Catharina Alles 36 , Germany Esra Alles 16 USA Sophia Alles 14 USA Edward Alles 13 USA Matilda Alles 11 Ont Sibila Alles 9 Ont Cornelius Alles 8 Ont Simeon Alles 7 Ont Regina Alles 5 Ont Albert Alles 3 Ont Franklin Alles 3/12 Ont

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1862 - , Ontario, Canada Residence - 1871 - Carrick Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada Misfortune - murdered - Sep 1883 - Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States Died - 15 Sep 1883 - Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States  = Link to Google Earth