, 1873-07-01
A BOLTON MYSTERY.
Death Of a Farmers Wife Under
Strange Circumstances.
The Body Of the Woman Found
Lying on tho Prairie.
Was She Murdered, Killed by Cows,
or Did She Die from
Exhaustion

or Did She Die from
Exhuustion2
Tho Coronor was notified, yesterday afternoon,
that tho body OF woman, WHO WAS supposed to
hayo been murdered ly her huBband. was lying
on the pratre naar Doiton Station, Oh the 1lli-
nois Central 1sailroad, seventoonmilos from Chi
,cago. No particulars woro giyen, nna Alr. sto-
rhei,a said he would 30 ont aud hold IN inquest
to-day. Whom the Coroner obtained $40 not
for viewing a body, impaueling jury, and
hearing tho ovidonco, his alacrity was conf
metllab1o; lo was always OH hand, and M
ono could complain. Whom his fees
woro cut OF, md salary glvon him, ho
became loss d!ligont, mud hus been rotrograding
eyor since, having lately become 30 independent
AZ to hold nm inquest when II suits his convo-
ncnce. II lo las an engagement" ho iulhila
it, although tllero may be half dozen cases re-
41,liring attention. In this warm woather, sspo-
cia1ly, toal body soon becomes otfonBlVe, and,
on account Of tho dereliotion Of Mr.. Stephens,
people are often Obliged to witness tho rapid de-
cay Of friond or relative. No ono darcs
touch tho body of person who ia
euppoaod to havo mot his doath from violont
causes, mud honco o Gttlo moro activity on tho
part Of alr. Stephens would prevont tho oxpros-
aiou OF nunlboGlesB wishes that ho DO consigned
to warmer placo than jamaica. Tho deferment
OF the inquest In tue caso alluded to above was
inoxcusable, as the Coroner could have gono out
on tho 5:15 p. m. train and returned IN the even.
ing, He did not 60, howover, aud tho body r Or
gentleman who brought tho information OF Tho
auppuscd murder to tlih city know
but lttlo OF tho Attending eircun-
stances ao said thas d Qornan
I'm
he had eons hiB wife out on Sunday night to drive
some cows ont Of their gardon, and that, ae sho
did not return, ho went in search Of hor. She
could not be found, and he y wont to PED L., II tho
house stands, ho found tho woman lying on tho
ground dead. THIS statement waa not credited
BY tho three or four persons who saW tho oorpso,
for tho Ioaaon that tho neck, on eltler side Of
tho winGppe, was black. and there wore marks OF
fngera OH the iloBh. Tho gentleman added tlat
Capt. Bixford had ordered the arroat Of tho
German, and ha retention until tho Coroner had
bad an opportunity to mako thorough investi-
Tie TRIBUNE reporter alighted at Dolton at
balf-pnst o'clock lust evening. Upon reaching
tho crosa-road, or rather the bend-in~tho-road
grocery store he fortunately % mot boee%a1 .l. nan
tho supposed murderer in custody j. not with
him, but in house . milo and q
hnlf from The grocery STORE When asked il he
knew ANYTHING about TIE homelds no replied IN
sent in bis buggy, and volunteered to drive him
over to tho Bcone. On the way ho was 1oqua-
eious, and told all ho knew Of what appeared Il to
him to be mysterious crime. Ho aald that y mo
on the Toad, aud told him "as how thero might
bo case ncedin' his attention" Whom presa-
cd for particulars, tho, farmer replied
come com over ;e to Els house about o'clock and told
him that his wito was dead that ho and aho
vent out On Sunday night to drive OF some
cattle, and she had got lost and he bud found
After ton Of dftoon minntes' drive, tho dwelling
Of Werntlle Was reached. 1t iB located on tho
line dividing tho township OF Thornton from
Hyde Park, and fully two miles from
At tho gato tic reporter met Wernd(e
and tho man who was guarding him. Tho
policeman had remarked that the custodian was
an honest 1nan, and no looked it. Ho did not
On tho contrary, ho permitted him to walk
him Ill tho timo.. Worndlo IS q Swiss, about 80
years Of age, mud eompnctiy built. Ao is aa
sboug Unaware S % Of tue BUSINESS II tie reporter
commenced to ten all he know about tho
death Of his vito. When asked where Bho
was, ho indicated with his finger, and,
jcct was seon OH the prairie, about 160 yards
from the house. A neiEhbor---the farmer spaun
happened aiong. at this moment aud tho re-
porter and the others, including the husband,
went to take look at the body. It was lying
within few feet Of d foneo, OH ground that had
recently been moved, covered with al old cont
aud sheet. Lifting the garment, tho features
Of woman about 60 years Of age wero DIS
as II worked to death The reporter had
boon told by the policeman that tho neck Of
Tho docenacd was black and blue. lie.
however, could SEQ no bruiaes mud cursory
examination failed to disclose any tinger-marks.
Thero wore two scars, ono On either side Of the
neck, near the lobe Of the car; tleso may havo
boon mistaken for Impressions Of dgtH, but
they we're very old, aud probably produced by
uleers. In addition, thoro woro O. number Of
marks On the necs and breast, but they woro
probably tho result Of skin disease, long since
exhausted. Tho clothing waB not torn !; there
was no blood visible anywhere; nor wero thoro
any evidence Of COWS having been in tho vicinity
boon :. killed by tho cows," ms tho husband
Rasertod, hor garments would have borne traces
Of tho goEing or stamping. When tue reporter
Ind made as thorough en examination as Was
possible without disturbing tho body, ho ques-
tionod Wornilo. Tho lattor said, in broken Eng-
iiHh, that about 10 o'clock on Sunday night llo
heard tho cows in hs patoh and he called to the
arose, too. and wlo hls wife went IN ono direc-
ton ho followed COW iu another. After driving
his "beast" into the road, not aooing his
wfo hs, at the tl houss' no Gale, called out out
ahe did not answor.. Ho looked around for her,
"not very far" and, being unable to lind her,
vent to bod. She did not return during tho
night, and at daylight ho got up aud commenced
soaroIing for Ler again, aud came across hor
where she was lying near the fence. lie saw
that she was dead. aud. believing the COWS had
killed hor, he called on bis no'ghhor spaun, aud
told him OF it. When asked Ii his wifo had
been i'll 1htoly, he replied: "Voll, she was ziok
hko u,ost vimmens, unit aho drunk q
fiddle dea aumdimes." He added
that she WAS around the house
ell Tho time working, but never complained ot
bcing sick; they had boen married fourteen
years, but had had no children they had lived
Ia Chicago until about two nontha ago, WHOM
ho moved to his present place; Ae was not
working now, but had had situation In the
Btables Of tho Union Diatlllory, on tho Caumo!
River, noar tho railroad orosslng.. Ho Appeared