The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-27
The Story Of the Crime.

WeibTen Wartena, q native of the maritime
province of Friesland, Holland, came to this
country. with his family, in the spring of 1883.
Re lived in Pullman, near Chicago, in Cook coun
ty, Illinois. one year, working in shop of some
kind. and as a hand on farm or market garden.
In the spring of 1884 he moved to Keener town
ship. in Jasper county, and after living for short
time on an island in the Kankakee river moved
ratio an unoccupied house about one mile from
the station of Denote. He sought TO make
his living mainly by fishing In the river ard ped
ding the fish, though sometimes working for his
neighbors by the day. The family were desper-
ately poor, and, doubtless, often in actual want
Ehe nearest neighbor to the Wartena family was
sJ0hn Dreger, German, who, though still young,
wasa widower, and lived alone in his house on
farm Of forty acres. He was unofending
and most amiable man, without an enemy in
the world" and, moreover, was very liberal
friend Of the Wartenas and often gave them
assistance in various ways. He owned consider
able personal property and live stock and among
the latter several good cows, the milk OF which
he freely gave to his neehbor Wartena. Some
two or three months before the crime was COM
mitted. Wartena began talking to his neighbors
of check for $400 which he soon expected to
receive from Holland and Of his intentions of
buying Dregers personal property. On the 9th
of October Dreger, after much solicitation on
the part Of Wartena, borrowed a light wagon
Of . neighbor named Brooks, and hitching his
fDreger's) team to the wagon started with War
tena for the river, dstanee of two or three
miles. to bring home some fish the latter said he
caught and left there. Before starting Wartena
loaded his double barreled shotgun, and also
placed in the wagon two old iron pumps which
he had picked up some place in the neighbor-
hood. The two men started from Wartenas
place about o'clock in the afternoon.
The events of that fatal journey are known
from Wartena's own confession, and from
Toborating circumstances. The country in which
these two men lived is thinly settled and most Of
it still uninciosed, and largely covered with
timber and dense underbrush. The place on the
river to which they drove is wild and lonely, sur
sounded by trees and willows, far from any
human habitation, and where. ordinarily, the
sound OF human voices is not heard once year.
Driving up to the river bank the two men got
out of the wagon, Dreger being the first to
alight. Wartena followed, with gun 10 hand,
and in less time probably than it requires to
write the story of this fearful deed. the gun was
clubbed and Dreger fell to the ground, senseless,
by blow across the head. The force Of the
blow broke the gun at the locks and left long,
Jagged point reaching backward from the
breech. With this long point the Inflated
f1an was stabbed IN the neck, below the
ear, again and again, until life was extinct IL
had Seen the intention of the murderer to shoot
prsgsr, but finally, for fear Of attracting atten
tion by the noise of the report. he cruelty and
barbarously mangled him to death in the manner
Described. As soon as Dreger was dead. the
fuufdcrer TOOK bno rope matter from the horses,
and tied the iron pumps firmly to his victims
back. sunk the body in the river, removed all
vestges OF the horrid deed, got into the wagon
ana drove back home. Arriving there he imme-
diately took possession Of the murdered mans
property and removed it to his own house.
Horses, cows and other stock household goods,
everything. even to the deceased wifes clothing
The new suit of clothing belonging to Dreger he
buried 50 cunningiy that afterwards they were
found with the greatest difficulty. even when he
had daapritad tha pIaAa WHARF thav wara hid1op
TO the neighbors he gave out that
he had bought all of this property for $685. and
given therefor draft for $400, and said that
Dreger had. on the morning after the trip to
the river. started for Chicago to get the draft
cashed, with the promise of returning the extra
80 Three weeks passed by. The neighbors
ana friends of the missing man wondered that
ne should have left in sudden and unaccount-
able manner, while the murderer often spoke
OF the $50 Dreger had failed TO repay him.
Whatever the neighbors may have suspected as
to Dregers fate, they could have no way to
prove that he was murdered or fasten the crime
Upon Wartena, but for one fatal error. The
weather was unusually warm for October and
the murderer miscalculated the buoyant power
of the body after it had lain in the water for a
few weeks The pumps were not heavy enough
b hold the body down after the process of de-
composition had distended it with gas, ana on
the last day of October a man rowing his boat
into secluded bend of the river in search of
favorable places to set traps was Mortified to
discover the body o. man floating, face up
ward. in the river.
OF the Identification Of the body. the inquest,
Ill OF which Wartena was an apparently un-
moved spectator of. his arrest and subsequent
Confession. the finding of the buried clothes, and
piany other incidents of this interesting case we
BaDnot speak in detail
In nuary. 1885. he pleaded guilty to the
Eqayge OF murder In the first degree, and was
sentenced by Judge Ward to be hanged May Is,