Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-10-28
Capture of William E. Kidd, the
murderer of Katie Jordan,
He Confesses his Guilt and commits
suicide by taking Strychnine.
A Horrible Story of Crime.
From the Grant County Herald of Oct. 90.

From the Grant County Herald of Oct 20
W m. Il. Kidd, the murderer of Miss
CatharIne Jordan. in Glen Haven.
June Is, 1868, was captured by j. I.
Delaware, formerly resident of @ len
Haven, but late of Omaha, Nebraska.
and Frank Winship, of Sioux City.
Iowa, Oct. Sth, in Mobiles Co.. Mimi.
and on the 18th of Oct. committed
suicide by taking strychnine, whilst
on the cars near Jefferson, Green Co.
Iowa. They arrived at Lancaster
with the remains of Kidd, Oct. 10th.
The body was rec ognized by his faith
er and brother on the on the 18th and
on the 18th the remains were buried.
Careful search had been made about
the person and clothes Of Kidd for con
cealed weapons or poison, but nothing
was found. After taking the poison
hIdd told of 1t, saying, "Yo ou searched
well, but the small paper of strych-
nine had been sewed inside the linlno
of the waistband of the pants, where
Its discovery was next to impossible"
The poison had been provided for use
IN case OF need under circumstances of
arrest. His death took place an hour
| and twenty-five minutes after taking
the poison. At intervals between
spasms he cOnversed freely and even
with cheerfulness, giving directions as
TO what should be told his friends at
| home, &c. The quarter hour next the
closing struggle he occupied III earn
est prayer. An hour after, the cars
arrived at Boonesboro, where an in
! quest was held, the verdict of which
was, that deceased came to his death
/ by poison administered by hls own
hand
The rewards offered for Kidd's ar
rest and delivery were as follows by
the State of Wisconsin, $500; bv
Grant Co., $500 by citizens of Glen
| Haven and Bloomington, $3.50; and
by citizens of Fennimore, Sl0O max
ing in all, SI65O.
The two men, Delaware and Win
ship, are entitled to public thanks
for the pursuit under dificultie. and
for the entire management of Kidd in
a prompt but kind and humane man
ner. Their written and semi-official
report of transactions, made to the
! County Board are straightforward and
unquestioned for truthfulness.
Kidd confessed to Delaware as fol-
lows, on the first night of his capture:
| That he and Katie Jordan had al
ways been intimate friends, Were
raised together, had taken her to par
ties, and made her many presents;
that at one time he got to drinking.
She induced him to stop, saving: If
you will stop drinking I'll make
man of you" At one time he told
her he loved her. and if she didn't
marry him she never should marry
any one-this two months before the
murder A couple of days before
the act he took his trunk to Cassville
and shipped the same, marked, IS
0. B. Martin, Mazomanie." On
Monday eve'ng following he went with
his horse and buggy to McIvor's to
see her; asked for her and she came
out to see hIm, and they talked awhile. /
and he asked her to take ride with
him, saying that it would be the last
ride they would ever take together !
said he was going away, but would be |
back on the 4th of July and take her /
sister to dance. She got into the |
buggy. He referred to the presents he !
made her. and that he had n set of /
furs in his trunk he had intended to
give her, and other articles observed, |
while riding, that ring he had I
given her was not worn. He then re- |
turned her picture, which she took !
and put in her pocket. He let down /
fence, passed through field, came
to a ravIne, turned his horses quar- /
terlng across the road Their tpyk out /
his revolver and asked her to shoot
him. She refused and answered -
William, what are you going to do /
| am afraid of you." He then took F
out his knife, and she said-"My God +
William, are you going to cut my I
throat?" He answered, Il am. -
He then placed his arm around her 1
head and aimed to draw the knife /
across her throat. She seized the |
knife and, in SO doing, cut her hand I
severely. He then wrenched the /
knife from her and cut her throat. !
holding her head with his arm until |
life was extinct He then alighted /
and lifted the body ont of the buggy,
intending TO throw it IN sink-hole /
near by when the horses started
Thinking some one was coming, he
left the body and jumped into the
buggy. drove to his fathers, left his
team and got horse and fed.
He went TO Bosccbel that night and
arrived just as freight train was
about TO start; saw at the depot Rev.
Franchier Of Eiroqua who called him
bv name, but he dare not recognize
him and denied that his name was
Kidd; went on TO Mazomania, stopped
to get his trunk. failed. went on to
Milwaukee and thence to Grand Ha-
ven. thence back 10 Milwaukee TO
get the box, failed; thence TO Chicago.
There he overheard some policemen
soeak OF his crime: thought then he
would be caught. and concluded he
would get ticket to Galena and go
TO Lancaster and deliver himself up :
Hanged his mind and ticketed TO
Council Bluffs; stopped at Clinton,