The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-06

OF Norway, took place Il most brutal murder, the
facts OF which as related in the FREE TRADER at
the time are these:
The locality OF the murder is one quarter OF q
mile east of the village of Norway, Il large settle
ment Of Norwegians, at the house of Mr. Peter
son, Il man 70 years of age, II resident OF the
county 40 years, possessed of large amount Of
property and universally respected and esteemed,
The old gentleman had for several days prior to
the time OF the outrage been hauling grain to
The town of Sheridan, and was supposed to have
drawn large amount of money on Saturday,
which is the only cause to which the murder
can be attributed. On Saturday evening Il friend
by the name Of Benedict SarensOn, residing in
IrOquOis comfy, came to visit Mr.. Peterson, and
was sleeping with him that night. The scene of
the tragedy was in the front room of Petcrsons
farm honsc--a room some II by II feet, to gain
access to which the tends broke open the kitch-
en- door, and passed through the remainder of
the house Al about haf-past T. o'clock on
Saturday night, Mr.. Peterson was aroused by a
sound IN the room, and, on raising up In bed, was
confronted by two rutlians with Il lantern, each
placing a revolver ut his head and demanding
his money. The old man sprang from bed, and
was Immediately knocked down, receiving severe
cuts about his head and face. The scutfle aroused
Sarcnson, who, in attempting to rescue Peter
son, was shot through the breast and brutally
cut and manglcd about the head. After shoot,
ing their victim, the barbarous bruteS dragged
him outdoors through the mud and pounded his
head almost to a jelly. Despite their efforts the
Other inmates Of the house were aroused, and
came to the rescue, Just in time to see the muir
dercrs take flight. On following them outdoors,
it was discovered that prior to committing the
act, they had secured Mr.. Petersons team and
prepared for a hasty flight. Mounting the horses,
they were soon lost in the darkness.
A thorough effort was made to apprchend the
murderers but without success, and the case was
all but forgotten, except that neighbors OF Peter.
son were suspected of the murder.
T.h I "a " ltnofr las MI u
or August attracted much attention, but nothing
was further from mems minds than that his con-
viction there had anything to do with the sou-
ton Of the mystery Of the murder Of Benedict Sar
enson, but it now appears that it had. For about
August %, 1879 the sheriff Of this county was
asked by the police of Balston n Y, if such a
murder had taken place in this county. He tel
egraphed that it had taken place; to which he
received an answer in the way of letter
from the police Of Balston d. B. Morrison, dated
Sept. 20 in which Morrison states that an accom-
plce in the murder related these facts:
He drove to Mendoza and put up at a hotel OPP
poSte the depot, registered in the name OF j. D
Williams He left the hotel with his horse and
wagon about 9 p. NJ. II was q black sQuare-boX
buggy, with room behind for sewing mecltne.
He drove Il bay horse with a star on his forehead.
He took in the rest of the party on the outskirts
Of Mendoza. After the murder he drove back to
the hotel, reaching there abOut4 An 10 divert
suspicion he had previously told the hoster ut the
-
he got back to the hotel at o'clock, he and the
hostler sat in the bar room about an hour. While
IN the hotel and before the man left, which was
about o'clock, the city marshal, tprObably one
Of the constabulary force of Meudota) who had
heard OF the murder by telegraph or otherwise,
entered the hotel ard seeing this man took hold
Of his gloyed hand and looked at it. The man
asked the marshal whether the glove was his,
whereupon the marshal walked to the bartender
or hotel clerk and asked who the atranger was.
Thn plp ark ipl he a
agent who had horse in the barn, and the mar
shall seemed satisfied and went away.
statement from the man himself en-.
closed to the sheriff, did not give the murdcrcrs'
names, but said there were two and described
them and said they went for the purpose of rob
berry only, surprising there were several thous-
and dollars in the house He gives as reason
for "squealing" that the matter has been great
load on his mindfor long time and he is ANXIOUS
to get rid of it; and intimating that he feared
Lamb might confess all his msdeeds before
swinging as he then had an excellent prospect
OF doing.
His name as given by the n Y. attorney as
sistinr Morrison is COllamer, alias Lynch, and is
under indictment for forgery. The N \. attor-
ney-one Hamilton also furnished the further
particulars that those who assisted in the case
were Bass Barnes, of Marengo, McHenry county,
then stopping at some town near Norway; MAI
kenroy; now serving a term Tor burglary al
jackson, Mich; and Johnny Lamb,-the two lat
ter being the murderers and Barnes the origina
tor of the Job, having furnished the others with
the information on which the expedition was
based.
The sheriff worked on the case saw the clerk
of the Mendoza hotel who remembered some
thing of the KIND Lynch said He hunted up
Barnes, got out requistion for Lynch; drew
the reporters about him to herald the success OF
his various arrests, and started the boom" He,
himself, and Jack Reddick AS historian, started
for :" Nei Yorrick," while Tom Clark, his right
bower, with Ed. Nattinger as ink distributor,
swooped down on Mareugo and Bass Barnes.
Their heroic achievements have been duly
chroncled in the Chicago papers. Barnes was
CAPTURED on Friday last and deposited in Jail here
on SATURDAY. He was found in cigar store in
Marengo by the sheriff of Mclienry county, who
pointed him out to Clark. The warrant was READ
to him, and he seemed excited by the grave
charge Of murder. He gave up without resist
ence, however handed his gun " to Clark,
deposited his money in the bank Csome 5000,
called on lawyer who recommended him to EN-
ploy Mr.. Bull (Which he has dCneJ after which he
rode back to Woodstock with the officers, where
he slept in Jail Friday night reaching Ottawa
on Saturday.
Barnes is sporting man and nobody's fool by
II good deal He has travelled about the country
since boy, as Il follower OF circuses, &c, WIN
gambling games. He had one of his little games
at the Aurora reunion, buying the privilege
from the "trooly loil " managers, (price therefor
several hundred dollars, and making big money
thercfrom He has wide acquaintance with
the sporting men of the state, and was In OTTAWA
once-iust after the Morris races OF August a
year ago. He is quite an expert al silght 81 !.
hand tricks and plays the three-card game y
with precision quite startling to novice, al
though he has given it up, he says, since IL oe-
came g penitentiary game lie stSutly denies
having had anything to do with the Norway case
The Ballston man named Lynch he says he
knows through others, but has never seen him.
Lynch's wife was for few months in 1919 MS
mistress, but when he learned that she was a