Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-11-02
THE JOURNAL.
The Murder Of Jerry Boyd II Facl
Particulars Of tho kidnapping
Affair!

The Murder Of Jerry Boyd II Fac,
Particulars Of tho KIdnappin,
Affair!
We have at last full and reliable particu
lars Of the heinous kidnapping and coll
blooded murder of Jerry Boyd, with tn
subsequent attempt to sell his family int
slavery. The following paragraph, concern
ing the finding of Jerry Boyd's body il
johnson county, was published in the lows
City Reporter Of Oct. 18th. 1t was over
looked by US till friend called our atteu'
ton to it:
MYsrERy-PRoBABLE MURDER.-The dead
body of q mulatto man, in considerably
advanced stage Of decay, and partially eaten
by hogs, with a fractured skull and other
marks Of violence upon it, was found near
the residence Of Shredder De Vault, about
three miles west Of Scion, in this county,
last Wednesday, and an inquest held thereon
BY Corones West.
On the 30th of last September, mulatto,
with two negro women and negro child,
left Galena, ILL.,, in company with two white
men, one of whom is said to have kept a
house of ill-fame in this city. There were
parties from Galena here yesterday, who
were to have gone to Scion to have the body
disintered, for the purpose of Identification,
as it is surmised that murder has been
committed by the white men, in order to run
the women and child South to sell them.
The facts of this case are briefly these ::
jerry Boyd, an honest, industrious and inof-
fensive colored drayman of Galena, where he
had led sober and industrious life for twenty
years; his wife, Mary Boyd, whom he had
bought out of slavery with money earned by
the sweat of his brow; girl, also colored but
also free, aged u to IA, who lived in Jerry's
family; and white child that Mary took
care of for poor woman at service were
enticed away from their home by a stranger,
upon pretense that the three oldest persons
of the party were to have profitable and
pleasant employment on farm and in hotel
in Iowa City, some time in September.
After they had started on their journey,
the strangers accomplish made his appearance
on the road as traveller, with carpet-sack in
hand, and asked permission to ride, which
was granted. Jerry Boyd's suspicious were
aroused by the speedy intimacy of the two
men, and he rightly judged that he was the
victim of plot. When the party arrived
near Iowa City, his suspicious were confirmed,
because the men did not take the direct road
for the city. He loaded a revolver which he
was permitted to carry. This, in turn, excited
the suspicion Of the kidnappers, and they
consulted together to know what to do with
him. One of them advised that they should
talk with him and tell him of their suspicion
that he did not exactly trust them, and to allay
his fears. The other thought that the best
way was to shoot him and be done with it
and, whilst they were talking together, Jerry
came towards them, when one picked up a
s hot-gun and the other revolver, and fired
at him and killed him. He was shot in the
immediate presence Of his wife and the colored
girl. When the former made an cutlery, they
threw blanket over her head, threatening to
kill her if she did not cease.
, On the arrival of the party at St. Joseph,
NO., a Southern slave driver offered $1,700
for the two negroes, bit before the bargain
was consummated Jerry Boyd's wife divulg-
ed the whole affair to him, saying that she
had kept silence for fear she would be killed
but that she would as soon lose her life as to
be sold into slavery. The slave dealer pur-
posely delayed matters till the woman story
could be Investigated. Word was sent to
Galena, and two we'll known and highly
respected citizens of that place, Samuel Hugh
lett and w. Weigley, went Immediately to
St. Joseph. They succeeded in procuring
all the kidnapped persons, and also mulat-
to woman who was stolen some six weeks
ago from the neighborhood of Dubuque
Some of the citizens of St. Joseph rendered
all the assistance in their power for the de-
lection and arrest of the criminal parties
The kidnappers went in Missouri by the
names of Goodwin and Bolton, and were, in
that neighborhood, respectfully connected.
Bolton was first arrested and placed in the
JAIL on charge of kidnapping under the
Missouri statute. He is now in prison there,
and will remain there until tried, or taken
on a requisition into Iowa to answer to
charge of murder in killing Jerry
Boyd, or until he gives bail in $1,000
Goodwin was then arrested and ironed and
placed on board the cars to be taken back
to Galena, but escaped by leaping from the
cars Just before reaching Hannibal. Previ.
Gus to his escape, repeated threats were
made by excited Missourians to lynch him,
as he was charged also with horse stealing.
We are informed by r. W. Chinn, formerly
of Muscatine, but now of st. Joseph, who
was PASSENGER on the same train, that the
reports published to the effect that the
Missouri officers connived at the escape
of Goodwin are untrue. He slipped the
handouts over his wrists, and released
his feet by taking off his boots, while
his captors were asleep. There was uni
versal regret that so great villain had sue
ceeded in GLIDING justice, and some hope
was felt that he woull yet be arrested. He
made full confession of the killing of Boyd.
Such is the simple recital Of o horror
which is the legitimate outgrowth of human
slavery. Is it right that this inhuman sys
( tenn should be extended over free territory