The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-12-23
THE DAILY GAZETTE
. MIIRDERER MURDERED

A MURDERER
The following item appears IN 'hs
o "1ln Friday evening last man
canned Near ar was murdered mean
n;bson's es Station, on the Michigan
Central Road, twenty four miles tins
W. IT, i anpears that McArgar had been
i Voorman's house, with whom he
had some little quarrel on a previous
~. 0ecasion, and while he was sitting On
: cIair. speaking to Voormans vile,
yoorman got behind him with an ak
aaS struck him SO hard AS to let the
Issd of the ak into McArgar 5 head
m totbe handle. Alter ne was struck
he got up and went out oi the hoose'
an and went about mile from the house,
as ascertained BY the track 81 blood Oh
the road he sat down, where he was
aand dead thirty six hours aiterwafd.
An inquest was held, and the jury re,
turned verdict that the deceased
came to his death by a blow with an
AZ inflicted by Timothy Voornan. =
NORMAN was at the house adjoining
during the time oil the inquest, but
/. through the negligence Of the justice,
ne was not arrested. Noorman has
aed to parts unknown. he i about
five feet eight inches high, rather
stoutly made, heavy head Of hair and
ouite gray, fifty five years old, blue
ewes aud fair complexion, he Is .
little lame, as he has had one OF his
legs bro len, which has left a scar. -
A reasonable reward will be paid for
the apr,hension OF the murderer.
Then we say that Mr.. Nc Argar, or.
more properly, McCarger. has met the
doom his crimes provoked at last
Justice, though tardy, has overtaken
him at last. Some ten years before
the advent OF railroads, when there
WAS lonely road along the sand ridge
through the wilderness between Michi
gan City ana Chicago, there were
few poor log cabins at which for want
., better accommodation, travellers were
compelled to stop. In one Of these
cabins. near the scene OF this tragedy,
lived one McCarger, with his wife and
son, lad about il years old. To
that cabin there came one night a
lonely traveller, from the West, tired
and foot sore, with his staff and little
bundle, and a pair Of boots IN his hand
walking in his stocking feet so as
he could not wear them without pam.
This traveller was native ot Ireland,
who had been TO Illinois toiling
through the Summer to earn money to
send 10 the old country for his wife
and children. and he was now on his
way to meet them in New York, TO
guide them TO their new home in the
vest. OF course he had the money
with him. These facts he made known
alta wood cutters camp into which he
strayed and where lie stayed all night
but he did not tell his name OF where
he come from, or any particulars by
which he could be traced. When h3
lett the wood choppers camp 1t was
late in the day, for he had been unwell
Int thought that he could reach
"Gibson's' that night whore he could
get better Accommodations. De never
did reach there. The wood cutters
showed him across the river, 1.-THE old
fork OF the Calamie," in the direction
Of Gibson's, but with McCargar 5
house intervening, and they saw him
iteering diaectly towards it, but a
short distance from it; and no one but
McCarger's family ever saw the man
alive again. They each told different
stories about the matter when separ,
ately questioned. The boy first salt
that became at the time and stopped
q little while, and then went on four
miles that night to Glbson's. The
woman said that he staid all night,
and was better in the morning anu
went on. "Did he wear his boots!'
"Oh yes-I gave him something to
bsthe his feet, and they were well in
morning"
McCargar himself said that the man
did not stop at all he saw him so by
Just at night, with his boots swung
across his stick; just as described by
the wood cutters. That was lie, for
he was in Chicago that day and did
not get home till 8 o'clock. Two
weeks after the travellers body was
found at the bottom oil the river, six
miles below McCargar's with the back
Of his skull mashed by his own walk
ing stick, a heavy oak cudgel, which
was found near him. The body did
not toat there, for the river was frozen,
but a track of handsled was seen up.
on the ice, and McCargar's boy owned
asled. The writer OF this article was
foreman OF Jury OF inquest upon the
murdered mans body, ana had the man
McCargar, his wife, and boy separate
", and without any suspicion on their
part that they were suspected, before
,he Jury as witnesses. The boy was
nrst examined. He had upon his feet
a. that moment, the murdered mans
boots, and we felt a sort OF prescicnce
M that fact the moment we saw them,
put kept our thoughts in the back,
sfonnd, while we drew ont other mat
yer We then said confidently, y ON
mother says those are not the fellow
for"
We'll, she lies-she knows wei
enough they are. gave him my ole
9nes and half dollar. and went witt
nim a good piece on bis way"
!, True, We thought, but it was OF
'he way to the grave.
thesep
r." ny yes, they want so big"
lle mnrdar,l ,,,.,, ,,,s alraa i