Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-15
.LASTEXECUTION
IN COUNTY HELD
MARCH IL, 1883
Carter is First Man to Be Hanged
Since William HeilwagOn Was
Sent to Death.
FOR MURDER SONS WIFE
Body of Dorothy HeilwagOn Found
Lying in Field On Farm In
Hampton Township.
FOR MURDER {

The hanging which took place
this morning, was the first to be
held in Rock Island county in 80
wears. 1t was also the second pri-
yate hanging to be held in the his
tory OF the county ----
The last hanging in the county
occurred the afternoon Of March
"a. 1888. when William Heilwagon
of Hampton township was executed
for the murder Of his sons wife.
This incident is still fresh in minds
OF many of the older residents OF
the city.
In the 30 years that have elapsed
since Heilwagon met his death on
the gallows, the state has, in a
number Of cases, asked the death
penalty. but it was never granted
by jury.
1t will be remembered that He'll
wagon was charged with the muir
der of his sons wife, Dorothy He'll
wagon, which was committed Sept.
s. 1881. death resulting from
wounds brutally inflicted about the
head with a hammer. The body
was found on the Heilwagon farm
between the villages of WatertoWn
and Hampton. He was arrested
and tried at the term of the circuit
court held the following January
in 1882. Judge A. A. Smith pre-
sided at the trial, Levi F. Harsch
being clerk of the court. Z. E.
Parmenter was the states attorney
at that time and J. Frank Ankrum
was the sheriff.
The trial lasted for a week, dur
ing which time the court was COM
PEELED to adjourn TO the room of
the city council on account of the
partial burning OF the county Jail,
which shut off steam heat from the
court room.
William Jackson, now senior
member OF the Rock Island County
Bar association, assisted in the
prosecution Of the case. Hon. Pat
rick O'Mara and Joseph l.. Haas,
now master-in-chancery, ably de-
Tended the accused man.
At conclusion of the trial, He'll
wagon was found guilty and was
sentenced 70 be hanged. The scat
fold was erected on the north side
OF the Jail yard, and Heilwagon
was executed on the afternoon OF
March "a. 1888. This was the first
private execution in Rock Island
county.
Son Committed Suicide.
HeilWagon's son, the husband Of
the murdered woman, committed
suicide afterwards In Adams coun-
ty, Ill As the father was con-
victed purely on circumstantial evil
dence, the sons suicide led many
TO believe he might have been the
guilty party, In fact the sons sui
eide created such profound I'm
preston here that many people
openly declared that an innocent
man had been hanged,
Goaded on by the many rumors
afioat States Attorney Parmenter
conducted an exhaustive investiga-
ton of the case, Every possible
clue was run down but the prose-
cutor failed TO verify any of the
stories that the son might have
been the guilty party,
Those who witnessed the last
hanging in the county included ].
NJ. Montgomery. Thomas Johnston.
John w BoyIes. Charles B. Knox,
II. r Hull, W. s. Sweeney. II. c.
Cleayeland. j. r {. Field. Eugene
Klein. L. b. Thomas. W II. San
derson. r Hill. Rev Irving A.
Searles. DIR. G. G. Craig, DR..
Thomas Gait, L. r. Parmenter,
states attorney, l. J. Harson, cir
cult clerk. and r. W. Donaldson,
eeuntE clerk