The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-02-21
A HORRIBLE CRIME.
The SinguIarIy Brutal Murder OF
Mr.. and Mrs. James L. Will
son, Near Chicago.
They Warmed Viper in the Person Of
Visitor, Who First Robbed
and Then Killed Them.


character was recently perpetrated at Win
netka, H., town of 600 inhabitants, situated
on the lake shore, a few miles north Of Chi
| cago. the victims being James l.. Wilson, an
old and wealthy settler, and President OF the
winnetka Village Board, and his wife,
member OF another family of early Illinois
settlers named Weare. He was in his I'D
| year, and with his wife, who was nearly ten
years his senior, and crippled by paralysis,
lived alone in large. retired house. The crime
was attended by circumstances of peculiar
| atrocity, and 10 surrounded by veil OF mys-
| terry that defies the efforts OF the detectives
to penetrate. From the Chicago papers we
CLEAN the following particulars OF the terrible
butchery: AS mentioned above, the aged
couple lived alone, and the crime was not
discovered until several hours after its COM
mission. Mr.. Wilson's body was found lying
in cramped condition behind the stove in
| the sitting room. The right hand was cinched
and beneath the head, and the left arm raised
as II TO ward off a blow. He had been shot
twice 1t was found, once in the left cheek
and once in the left side OF the chest There
had evidently been desperate struggle for
| life by the old man, as there were numerous
bruises about his head, arms and legs, and the
| footfender of the stove and the back of one
| of the chairs had been broken. The post
norton examination revealed the fact that
nine OF the old gentlemans ribs were broken,
! as IL his murderer had finished his deed by
| jumping upon his victim as he lay writing
| in the agonies of death before him.
| But horrible az was this discovery another
even more bloodcurdling awaited the neigh
! bors, as they searched the house further. In
an upper chamber Mrs. Wilson was found
dead In her bed, with her head beaten so
that her features were almost unrecogniza-
| bic. The flesh from her entire forehead
was stripped from the skull by blow after
blow, and the skull beaten in. Gashes TO
the bone were visible on her chin and
cheeks, and the only arm which she had
with which TO defend herself was bruised
from the shoulder to the fingers. The pillows
and bolster, which by their position showed
that the Old lady, though almost a helpless
| paralytic, had desperately struggled Tor her
| life, were saturated with blood. She was lit
orally pounded to death, and about the bed
and room lay the implements with which the
fend in his murderous frenzy, had done the
deed. At the foot of the bed lay broken and
splintered the white-thorn cane which she
was accustomed TO use in moving about her
room. The murderer had evidently beaten
her with this first, and when he had
broken 1t had seized pair of iron fire
tongs, and continued the beating with mad
dened strength. These, too, were broken into
no less than half-doZcn pieces over the old
lady's head. Pieces were found scattered on
the bed and about the room. some OF them
covered with blood and having gray hairs
torn from the victims head clinging TO them.
Beside the bed lay a sword in its scabbard,
cherished remembrance 10 the old lady of
her only son, who was a surgeon in the war
and died of yellow fever before its close. The
dents and blood on the scabbard showed how
the murderer had completed his infamous
work. The bedroom presented horrible
sight aside from the manglcd corpse il con-
| tanned. The walls at the side of the led and
| beside the headboard were thickly spattered
with blood, and even the high ceiling and
walls opposite, and some twelve or fourteen
| feet distant from the bed, were sprinkled
with it also, as if, as was doubtless the case,
the murderer's weapon, as he swung il
around for another blow, had thrown of the
plentiful blood that had adhered 10 it from
the previous one.
All that is known concerning the muir
derer is this: The village had scarcely been
alarmed when Neil Kaigue, who keeps a
butcher shop not far from Mr.. Wilson's
house, furnished partial solution of the mys
terry. He says that Mr.. Wilson came into
his shop about O'Clock Tuesday night, and
said: "Give me two pounds of your incest
| porter-house steak; have friend stopping
, over night at my house, and ! want you TO
send over another steak in the morning"
Ii is next TO certain that this friend"
| whoever he may be, ia the one who commit
ted the murder. But no one has been found
| who saw any one go TO the Wilson house on
! Tuesday evening. Mr. Wilson tC ok the steak
| home, il is supposed, and the three (Mr. Will
| son, his wife, and the guest ate il for their
! supper. When the house was reached the
next morning no traces of the steak, or
| OF its having been cooked, could be found.
A good-siZed veal outlet was found untouched
| in the pantry. The table stood in the center
of the diningroom, with the cloth thrown
over the dishes. Upon lifting il, IL was dis
covered that it was set for three. There
| were three plates, three cups and saucers,
and knives. This showed conclusively that
Mr.. and Mrs. Wilson had entertained some
one at supper.
The appearance of the sitting room as IL
was found was suggestive of the manner in
which the murder was committed The table
and chairs stood as IL two persons had been
sitting there talking. On tive table was an
unfolded newspaper and upon IL were Mr..
| Wilson's glasses. On the table, also, was a
| portfolio containing some OF Mr.. Wilson's
business papers. The suppositoh is that this
was brought out by Mr.. Wilson during a
conversation with his guest upon business
matters. During the talk Mr. Wilson may
have revealed the fact that he had con-
| siderable money in the house, and this
may have suggested TO the man there
with him the idea of robbery, even if he had
not previously entertained the purpose. II
is supposed that, having determined TO kill
| Mr.. Wilson TO secure his money, the man
drew his revolver and shot at him without
| giving any warning. IL is thought that the
Grst shot took effect in Mr.. Wilson's jaw, and
that as the two jumped to their feet the sec.
ond shot was fired, putting ball into his
left side. After telling his victim TO the
| floor after n brief struggle, the murderer
| probably rushed up stairs and killed Mrs.
| Wilson, as has been described, and then
| returned and finding Mr.. Wilson still alive
stamped upon him, crushing in his chest. On
the floor Of the sitting-room were found two
cloth vest-buttons, which had evidently been
torn from broadcloth vest. These, without
a doubt, were forced from the vest of the
murderer during the struggle, and are re-
garded as important evidence which may
lead to his identification.
Mr.. Wilson was worth $4,000 to $780, 900,
| and always had n considerable sum of money
| about him. Mrs. Wilson was eccentric, and
always had from $500 TO 81, 900 i'm the house
| for her own requirements. This money was
undoubtedly the incentive for the crime.