The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-01-18
MAY MOI PROSECUTE HIN
STANTON COUNTY COMMISSION.
ERs DISCUSS MURDER.
STORY OF THE OLD CRIME

Trouble Arose Between Charles Wells
and David Sohurter In Stanton Coun.
ty In 1873 and Wells Killed sohurter.
Now Confesses to Murder.
stanton, Ncb,, Jan. Especial to
| The News: The startling information
that Charles W. Wells had been ar.
rested at Suffolk, Virginia, and had
confessed that he had killed David
SchurtCr In stanton county in 1873, was
to the people of this vicinity of moro
than casual interest
II was in 1871 that David Schurlcr,
n native of Switzerland, came to the
state of Nebraska with his wife. home.
stCadCd l2O acres of land, and erected
| hts sod house ON an elevation OvCrlOOk.
| ing the junction of the Butterfly valley
with the broader valley of the lllkhOrn.
Just across the road to the southwest
and Just across the main travelled road
TO stanton was the homestead of
Charles W Wells. The latter in the
parlanCc of the day had good start
| anu was NbIllDuI ullNtlN NItIhlllh WN'Il
fixed" The former was n hard work.
ing man who knew something of sew
oral trades but possessed little OF this
worlds goods.
Trouble Over Cow.
In the year 1872 SChurtCr purchased
a COW from Wells. Onc.half of the
purchase price was to be paid In cash
and the balance was to be worked out
in days work by Schurter. The cash
had been paid, and only $1l of the
work remained unperformod There
had been some feeling created by de
mands made by Wells upon Schurter
for work at times when his services
were employed by others. Finally Joe
Stibley, now a resident of Madison
county. and another person from the
state of Ohio came to Nebraska and
commenced working for Wells on his
farm. II Is said that on some occasions
| Wells made demands on SChurtcr to
perform work when he was actually
engaged in working for other persons,
in threshing and under circumstances
which rendered compliance with his
demands impossible on the part of
Schurtcr, and on Schurters failure to
comply with his request asserted the
right to claim the money value for the
work that was performed He also
claimed the right to retake the COW
from Schurters possession on which
there remained unpaid the sum of $l1
which was to be paid in work. Consid.
cradle feeling existed between the par
ties
On the 2lst day of February 1872
Schurtcr, while out with neighbor
hunting rabbits, stated that Wells had
threatened to kill him if the 81 was
not paid in cash. This neighbor at the
time laughed at his fears
Advised to Shoot.
On the 22nd day Of February 1873
| Wells came to town and consulted his
lawyer, Mr.. Clark, in reference to the
matter and was advised by Mr.. Clark
in presence of S. S. Garfield, the then
sheriff, to go to Schurter's presence
and retake the COW; that he had Just
as much right to do 1t as an officer.
Tradition has 1t that Clark also ad.
vised him to shoot Schurter II it was
necessary to get the COW.
On his return home he stopped at
the home of his brother, Erie Wells,
also a resident of Madison county, and
borrowed an old musket, took it home.
cleaned and loaded it with buckshOt
and then leaving the gun at his home
went up to Schurter's house to get the
COW. 1t is evident that Schurter re-
| fused to deliver the possession of the
COW. Wells says that Schurter got his
rifle, long barrelled gun of the SPUR
rel hunter type and ran Wells off his
place. At any rate, Wells returned to
| his house, grabbed up his gun and,
Notwithstanding the pleadings of Mrs.
| Wells, went up to Schurters place
| again.
Schurter Found Dead.
AS to what followed no one save the
wife of Charles Wells, his daughter.
and himself. knew. Schurter was found
| lying dead within ten feet of his own
door. He had been shot through the
neck with a charge of buckshot. The
wound was about the size of dollar
and extended almost through the neck;
the backbone in the neck was shat
tered and the shot could be plainly felt
on the rear of the neck The beard
and throat were blackened and burned
with powder.
Wells at the time claimed that when
he went up the first time Schurter met
him with the rifle in his hands and
was going to shoot him. that he, Wells,
then returned to his house and got
his musket and went up and renewed
the alteration. That Schurter stood
with his rifle muzzle down and had
commenced to raise it to shoot when
he, quicker than the murdered man,
raised his musket like flash and fired
it full in the face of his opponent
Wells thereupon went home, got on