The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-08-07
0ttama frfe Grabtr.
LOCAL. MATTERS.
Another Shocking Murder In ottawa.

Another Shocking Murder In ottawa.
On Monday night, between - and l
O'Clock, the dead body of man named Jasper
G. Tay lor was found on the east foot path
Of the La Sale street canal bridge, few
rods from the Farnam House. The body
was noticed by the omnibus driver, as he
went up to meet the 1916 train, but sup
posing it TO be some drunken man, he paid
no atten IN to it. Meeting the body in the
same position, however, as he returned, he
called attention to it at the Farnam House
Several men went out, and to their astonish
ment found the body to be dead. though
yet warm. DR.. M'Kinney was Immediately
sent for to make an examination. The DIR.
arrived about two o'clock, and Immediately
ordered the body TO be carried INTO the
House. The clothing were removed. when
it was first discovered that the man had
been shot The ball hau entered the body
on the right side. A probe was introduced,
by which it was found that the ball had
entered between the eth and Sth rib, cOursed
upward, passing throu h the heart, and
lodging itself in the 9th rib of the left side.
Dr. Mex. cut down and extr cted the ball,
which proved to be that Of an ordinary
pocket pistol.
There was no indication that the y an had
moved after he fl, SO suddenly fatal was
the shot. If he had struggled in the
least, his clothes would have been marked
by the wet and mud that was on the bridge
where he lay; but there was no dirt except
on the side where he fell.
Who committed this a.rocious murder,
what could have been the motive of it, or
whether it was murder or suicide, and a
hundred like questions meeting us at every
turn, constitute as puzzlils and insoluble a
mystery as we lave ever undertaken to
graplle with. Taylor was a young man OF
e bod reputation, who had lived in and about
Ottawa for the last FIVE or six years. For
two years he had been in the employ OF jos.
". Ball, plastefer in this city, until last
winter or spring he appears to have cnternd
the employ of some house or houses in
/ Chicago as a travelling collecting agent
through Iowa and this State. In his travels,
he frequently stopped at Ottawa, and com
ing here week or ten days ago, he had
made arrangements to lie married to highly
respectable young lady Of this city. On
Monday night lie left the house of Mr.. Bal,
where he had been stopping, and started for
the depot, intending TO go tC Chicago 10 20
80.
chases preparatory to his wedding. lie
( went TO the Gei.er Hsuse and left 4 satcLel
to lie taken 10y the omnibus, and started to-
wards the depot foot. The omnibus fo'-
loved within Ave minutes afterwards, when
the driver saw the body lying on the bridge
The driver also says that as he approached
the bridge he saw a man walking rapidly
/ towards him off the bridge from the side
where the body lay. Eut few minutes be.
fore tn. omnibus reached the bridge, seve.a
| persons at the Farnam House had also heard
the sharp report OF pistol on the bridge
There is also report that shortly after tn,
/ pistol Shot, another man was seen passir
off the bridge on the other side
! Taylor had s;arle! with very little money
IN his psssession-his friends say not over
/ eight CT ten dollars, and from various cir.
cumstances, 1t vas known to those witt
whom he was intimate that he had M
| large amount OF money. Il is difficult tc
/ suppose, therefore, that the motive for /
murder was to obtain money, although whcr
! found his pockets had been r.tl,d, as n,
money whateyer, nor any papers being eunc
upon him.
/ Beyond these few facts, we arc utterly
unable to get hold Of anything tangible tt
give clue to the mystery that surrounds
tIs strange murder. The Mayor has oTertC
a reward Of So 0 for the arrest Of the muir
derer OF murderers. Our whole police force
public and private, has been on the constau
aert-aH the papers found in Taylor.
satchel and trunk have been carefully ex
aminec, yet no fact-no che whatever ha.
been elected, we are assured, to throw raw
Of light on the matter. 1t is true, the toyrT
i fall Of rumors-the very air seems load, q
with them-mauy in the highest degree
absurd and extravagant, but nothing you
hsar is reliable. Al is yet douJt-all pre-
/ found mystery.