Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-11-02
MURDEROUS REVENGE.
Farm Hand at North Bend Kills His
Employers Daugh-

| Galesville, Wis, Oct 2S.-[Special.1-
| Filled with a desire to revenge himself
on his employer for some slight griev-
ance, George Il. Palmer, farmland,
enticed the 3-year-old daughter of Oscar
Marshall, farmer at North Bend, into
! the barn last night and killed her with an
ak. Palmer is IS years old and had
been adopted by Marshall from the state
school for dependent children. North
| Bend is hamlet with about seventy
five population, is thirteen miles east
of here and is in jackson county. Ex-
element runs high and it is feared that
the youth will be lynched before the Of
fcers can get him in jail at the county
seat IN Black River Falls.
Marshall is a Well-known and highly
respected resident of the southern part
of Jackson county. He and his wife are
both young and Hazel, the victim of
| last nights tragedy, was their only child.
1t is two years since Marshall adopted
young Palmer. The boy was bright and
on the whole well-behaved, though he
was always rather headstrong. Mr.. Mar
shall was away last evening and Mrs.
Marshall and the child were alone in
the house, while Palmer was doing the
chores around the barn.
During the day Mr.. Marshall had oc-
casion to reprimand the boy, and at
the time the latter showed some resent
1
would end there. But it seems that
Palmer was consumed win a desire for
revenge, and as the afternoon hours wore
away he began making plans for muir
derous attack on the family. 1t is be-
| ieved that it was his intention to kill
waylay and kill Mr.. Marshall when he
returned in the evening.
Hazel was playing in the yard and it
was an easy matter for Palmer to coax
her into the barn. Then he seized an
Ak and dealt her several blows on the
head, any one of which would have been
enough to cause heath. From the barn
Palmer went toward the house, carrying
the ak. He intended to kill Mrs. Mar
| shall, but as he neared the house his cour-
age failed him and he turned back, drop
ping the bloody ak on the steps.
crime then frightened him and he conclud-
ed to try to secure compassion by pretend
| ing to commit suicide. He smeared his
| lips with carbolc acid and went out to
| the icehouse to await the discovery of
| his crime.
| missed the child and made a search
which ended in finding the body lying in
a pool of blood on the barn floor. The
child was still breathing, but died a
| few moments later. An alarm was Civ
en- and the farmyard was soon filled with
neighbours, who began to search for
Palmer, on whom suspicion fell at once.
His suicide ruse and feigned unconscious
ness failed and he was roughly dragged
from his hiding place in the ice-house.
Then he was bound and held to await
the arrival of the sheriff or some of
his deputies.
Palmer finally made complete con-
fession, relating the details as given
above. He said that he had been read
yJlSP 49, tod
he got his idea of securing revenge from
one of these tales. Numerous threats
of lynching were made, but better coun-
sci prevailed and the officers were per-
mitted to start with him from the county
Jail at Black River Falls.
Galesville, Wis, Oct. 29.-[Special.l-
George Palmer. the murderer of little
Hazel Marshall at North Bend, escaped
lynching only by the quick action of
Constable John Haag in removing him
to the county Jail at Black River Falls
The constable quickly got the prisoner
away at 3 O'Clock III the morning and he
is now behind the bars at the county
seat. Palmer had but little to say re-
garding the awful crime. He had not
the slightest provocation, nor did he
strike the blows on the impulse Of the
moment He enticed the child to the
barn and coolly Drained her with an ak.
Palmer's mother lives 1T Wausau and
his father is an inmate of the state hos
pital for the insane at Oshkosh, and has
been for over five years. The boy is
about II years of age, but does not look
over II. The funeral of his victim was
held today.
Black River Falls, Wis. Oct 20
Young Palmer is suffering from the eff
fects of the carbolic acid mixture which
he took with suicidal intent after the
murder, and has been very weak. 1t is
feared that inflammation of the bowels
will set in. The common belief is that
the boy is insane.