The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-09-10
MURDER.
Dora HeilWagner's Dead Body
Found Yesterday.
indications that a Brutal
s. Slaughter Occurred.
Husband and Father-in-law
Suspected of the Crime.

a< - z.Tz ~ses.ss -
! A murder was committed at Hampton, a
station on the c., NJ & ST. P. road about
twelve miles from this city, during the
present week, whose details equal in atroc-
ity anything in the criminal line that has
ever been perpetrated in this county.
A defenceless woman has been killed in
cold blood, and the mystery attached to
the murder on account of the unknown
murderer and his motive for such slaugh-
ter renders the affair highly sensational
and has prodnced unusual excitement
throughout the entire country.
/ THE VICTIM,
Mrs Dora Heilwagner, young married
woman of Hampton. is the party whose re-
mains were yesterday found in a corn-feld
some six hundred yards from her humble
and unostentatious home in that vicinity.
She was the wife of J. Otto Heilwagner, and
eldest of whom is but four years and
the youngest baby, scarcely twelve
months of age. She was also the daugh-
| ter of Emanuel Klinaur a well-to-
do farmer of Hampton township.
She is described as being % years Of age,
very slight in figure and weighing not over
| 100 pounds. She was also quite delicate,
and is said to have been an invalid for
some time previous to her death
HER HISTORY.
| fhn .aI
J. Otto Heilwagner, man who was en-
ployed as miner and Waterman of the
different coal banks in that locality. A
short time after their marriage the couple
lived with Mr.. Klinaur, on the farm. They
subsequently moved to Cleveland, and still
later lived near the Frels mine, in which
locality the murder was committed. 1t is
reported that a short time ago their mar
ried life was not as happy as could be de-
sired, and ranor has it. that the couple ex-
perienced many quarrels and unpleasant
scenes. $3.50
The last see ne of this character is said
to have been enacted on the last day of
August, when a note. whose payment could
ment At this time the husband is said to
have left his home and position as watch
man of the Frels mine and started for Dav-
enport, where he claims to have been con-
tinuously employed on gravel train from
that day up to yesterday. when he return
ed to Hampton.
THE DISCOVERY
Last Monday night the murdered woman
was seen in her home with her three little
children. Tuesday morning members of
the senior Heilwagner's family, father of j.
Otto Heilwagner, visited the house of the
junior Heilwagner, and found the three
young children alone. The baby was cry
ing, and this noise first attracted attention.
The mother was nowhere to be found
Her continued absence soon caused serious
alarm, and during that day and on We'd
nesday the family and friends instituted a
search without effect. The miners started
out in the search on Thursday, and by a
concerted action, every bit of territory was
carefully examined without discovering the
whereabouts of the missing woman. All
the banks and coal shafts were searched,
but not until Friday was any trace
of Mrs. Heilwagner discovered. At
that time, as some miners in searching a
cornfield in the vicinity of her home dis
covered her decomposed remains, laying
face downward just inside the fence and
about 600 yards from her dwelling. Her
skull was badly fractured and in addition |
to this injury small bullet hole was dis |
covered to the right of the other wound
and in the back portion of the head.
THE SUPERSTITION
is that the woman was assaulted by some |
brute in her house and while attempting |
to escape from him she ran towards her
father-in-laws house. On reaching the |
cornfield she was struck by some object
from person following her, as her posit- |
ion when found would indicate that she |
fell Frustrated by the blow and died almost
instantly, This theory is rendered plaus-
ible by the fact that members of the elder |
Hielwagners family claim to have heard
some ore cry for ''Alto'' last Monday |
night.
CoRoNERs JURY
Coroner Morris was notified at late |
hour yesterday of the affair, and fastened !
to the scene of the crime. He impaneled |
a jury consisting of Albert Wells, Henry
Nichols, Perez Come, Henry Hardy. Orrin
Cook and Levi Clark.
The remains were examined, and all the |
facts in connection with the affair were Sc
cured
A large stone enclosed in a sack was dis
covered on the ground not far removed
from the remains. This is supposed to be
the instrument with which the skull was
fractured. but as yet no firearm has been
secured to account for the second injury in
the head of the deceased.
The husband of the dead woman return
ed from Davenport during the inyestiga
ton, and he, as well as his father. were ar
rested and held on coroner's mittimus I'M
til the inquest was concluded. The YER
dict of the Coroner's jury was that the
deceased came to her death by being muir
dered by party or parties unknown to /,