Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-09
Murder and Lynching in Richland
County.

perpetrated near Richland Center Wis. on
Wednesday, the 23d of last month, and
which was followed by swift retributior
at the hands of the outraged friends ano
neighbors of the unfortunate victim.
1t appears that young man named Join
Nerel, aged but Is years, residing about
six miles from Richland Center, in the
town of Dayton, very promising young
rascal. who, only few days before com
hitting the act which cost him his life,
had MADE an attempt to commit rape
upon little girl of only eleven years, and
! with such violence that her life is even
vet despaired of-left his fathers home
to avoid arrest for this crime, armed with
double-barrelled pistol and couple OF
knives. aaj sd
+ He made his way to the house of Pat
rick Wallace-a distance of four miles
from his fathers house-and asked Mrs.
Anna Wallace, whom ne found at home
alone, her husband being absent at the
Center selling load of grain, to change a
five dollar bill for him. In doing so she
brought her purse to the door, so that
Nepel saw that she had more money, say
about $18 or $40. After giving him his
change she put her purse away and sat
down, with her back toward him. He
drew. his pistol. cooked it silently, and
fred at the back of her head. She sprang
up, all wounded and bleeding, passed out
of the door, and ran in the direction of
her father in-law's house, about eighty
rods distant. Neoe5 followed, snatching
up the axe as he passed the wood-pile,
coming up to her, as she fell exhausted on
the ground With mercless fury he
struck her with the axe until satisfied that
she was dead then returned to the house,
took the money, a pair of trowsers and a
coat, belonging to her husband, and then
started on his journey, his clothes stained
with blood, and his heart blackened and
cursed with a double crime, murder and
robbery, hoping to reach Iowa, and
escape the hand fjustice already reaching
after him for his beastly attack on the
child. 1a1 81 sg8 ase
The husband returned in due time, and
passed the night in wonder and suspence
at the unacountable absence Of his wife.
Early next morning he found her about
twenty rods from the house, deep gashes
cut into each side of her body, the flesh of
one arm cut from it, cash in the calf of
one leg, and the upper part of the head,
severed above the lower jaw, gone. A
track of blood through the cabbage patch,
across two fences, and through the woods,
to where the mutilated body was found
told of fearful race for life, determined
pursuit, and a horrible butchery.
Pursuit was at once instituted, the vii
lain tracked, and finally overtaken at
Ferryville, near De Soto, on the Mississip-
pi river, where he was waiting for an op-
portunity to cross. While being brought
back to the Center, he confessed the crime
but without exhibiting any companction
for it. He was examined on Saturday,
and the examination continued till Mon
day, after which he was lodged in the
county Jail. oot 49,
During the afternoon of Monday, the
remains of the murdered woman were
taken through the town and buried
the rest of the head, found that day, mi
nus one eye, all the brains and flesh eaten
by the hogs, being buried with the body
afterward, after which the funeral party
returned to the town, overpowered the
Sheriff and his force, broke into the Jail,
fastened a rope around the neck of Neoel,
jerked him out, over mass of stones and
timber being prepared for the new Jail,
pelting him. with stones and striking him
so that he was killed before reaching the
tree upon which he was hung.
Swift and terrible was the retribution
that followed upon this dreadful crime
and although we cannot look with favor
upon the act of a mob substituting lynch
law for the operations of justice, yet in
view of the fact that the old Jail at Rich.
land Center is very poor one; and that
it is only few months since, that a circus
man, arrested for attempted rape, and
when the most conclusive evidence had
been produced, the defendants lawyer, by
some hocus- pocus or other, contrived te
;, give him chance to run away and escape
his just deserts in view of such things
we say, we cannot be surprised that the
outraged friends should make sure work
in securing to Necez, the Devil, the pun
ishment he so richly deserved, lest through
the moral or legal obliquity Of lawyers OF
the leaky condition of the Jail, he should
again attempt an escape, and perhaps de
fraud justice of her claims upon him.
pa The County Fair just closed, has
been the most successful fair financially
that has ever been held in the county, the
receipts being several hundred dollars
more than at any previous fair The ag
ricutural society is now clear of debt
and has several hundred dollars in the
treasury.