Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1884 — Murdered for Money. [ARTICLE]

Murdered for Money.

A Farmer Murdered In Keener Township and Thrown into the Kankakee Hirer. ) On last Friday afternoon, one Brainard, a professional trapper and hunter, discovered the body of a man Bloating in the Kankakee river, at a point about one-fOurth of a mile below what is known as French Island Landifig. He did not stop to make any examinatian of the body at all, but immediately rowed two miles above the landing and informed another trapper, named Duteher. The report of the dig* covery Was then taken to the village of DeMotte, in Keener township, but, darkness having by this time set in, no attempt was made to reach the body Until the next morning, when Sduire Elam D. Fairchile organized a Coroner's jury, aud in the morning the jury and other parties repaired to the place, and found the body in the situation described by Brainard. Before it was removed from the water it was recognized.a3 that of John Dreger, a well known resident of the township The body was much decomposed and bore the appearance of having been in the water for several weeks. Upon examination two iron pump heads were found securely tied to the body, and upon the forehead was an appearance as of a heavy blow, and in the neck, below the left ear was a deep hole, which, at the time was thought'to have been made by a gun shot, but which was, on fuller examination, decided to have been made by a knife, or some other pointed instrument. The evidence of Brainard was taken at the river, and the body was then taken to DeMotte and the examination there proceeded with. Dreger had been m issing for about three weeks. The last any of his neighbors had seen of him was on the •Sth of October when he went to the house ot Albert Brooks, a neighbor, and borrowed a light wagon, for the purpo.se as he said, ot going to the river (about 8 miles) after fish, with one YerbCm Wartrier. He promised to return* the wagon the next day, (Thursday) but not doing do Brooks went- after it Friday and found it at Wartner’s, in a badly broken condition, but he saw neither Wartner nor Dreger. A son of Wartner was asked the whereabouts of Dreger, and at first said he did not kuow, but on lurther questioning said that he had gone away on the oars. The body had no sooner been recognized than suspician fell upon Wartner aud it was dcuided to arrest him at once. 11. W. Marshall and George Markham set out on horseback to make the arrest, but upon arriving at DeMotte, Sheriff Powell was found, by chauoe, to be there, and he went fro Wartuer’s house and took him to DeMotte, allowing him to understand that Ire was wanted merely as a witness, ft is proper to state here, that a short time asher this Mr. Powell, acting: on the advice of Mr. S. P. Thompson, Who also happened to be present, and who, at that time, had keen persuaded that Whartner was innocent, allowed him to go home to ear dinner, alone. This ill-advised move gave Wartner a good chance, if he desired # it, to conceal much possable evidence against him. Immediately after dinner, Mr. A. Tyler, neighbor of Wartner'?, enma to the village and in surprise asked why be had been allowed to go away, and stated that he saw him going towards his house at a pace little slower than a run. At the earnest solicitation of Messr*. Marshall and Fairchild, Mr. Powell then drove at once to Wactner’s house and again took him into custody, and since which time he has been held a close prisoner. The Coronet's inquest was resumed Saturday afternoon. Wartner, the accused whs examined at great len°-th, and made many contradictory statements. lie s iid he had never gone after fish with Dreger. Knew nothin' l ' of how Brook's wagon was broken, denied all knowledge" of the iron pump heads ifcc. In the evening I)rs. Hartsell ami Washburn, of Rensselaer, who had been called by telegraph, madeat post-mortem examination of the mu - deled man.- The verdict of the inquest , was to the efibet that Dreger came to i liis death by violence, at the bauds of U iebner \\ attner aud recommended that the latter be held to answer to the ; charge of murder, without bail. . . i SVNOPSIS UK KVIUKXOB. 1 Our report of the proof already ! brought to light, mutt be taken with 1

some grains of sißbwanoe, As we have not seen the written memoranda, and gather our facts only from hearsay. To start with, all of the personal property of John Dreger was lomnd in the possession at Wartner, be had moved everything, except some hay in the stack and corn in the shock, not a single thing wa» left, the house was completely gutted and the windows nailed up; among the effects was Dreger’s own clothing, and all of the clothing belonging to his dead wife; all of the little trinkets and keep-sakes etc., and among the bedding a featherbed that had been given to them by the parents of Mrs. Dreger. Mr. Kosky testified that after the death of Mrs. Dreger, John told them that he never would sell nor move that bed away, but it he ever made any change, he would let them have that sed for a keep-sake. Mr. Brooks testified that John had told him many times that he would not sell any of his personal property unless he first sold the farm; and the very day he borrowed the wagon, he traded roosters with Brooks, ami md not say one word annul selling property, nor going to Chicago. Now Wanner swears that on that same evening he bought all of Dreger’ s property, everytinng, that it was a verbal nargain, not a scratcn of a pen put to anytning, not even to the# check or draft which he claims he paid him witn, that a specific price was not mentioned for any single article, tbe cows, the horses, the hogs, chickens, crops, tools, furniture, everything, was lumped off for-f 875, a little more than half the real value of the property. : Now about the check. Wartner said he got it from his brother in the old country, that a letter came with it, and and that he could produce the letter; his wile hunted all day Sunday, but the letter could not be laund . Wartner swears he paid Dreger tne check the next morning just before he started for Chicago. His wife swore that he paid him the night before; that she he »rd the bargain, had the check in her hand, and saw Wartner hand it to Dreger, that check is being looked after, if there ever was a check it can be traced. Now for the pumps. They are the heads of old iron pumps, and were tied on to the body to stay, when the body was lifted from the water, D. £. Fairchild said r*“Well, don’t that beat you?” Mr. Marshall replied “Yes. aud those pumps will yet beat the man that put them there.” Wartner took oue glance at the pumps and swore he was positive he had never seen them, l'he pumps have been identified and been traced to Wavtner's place. Wartnei’s gun vvis found at liis house, broken and hidden away, the stock is broken off at the lock, a fresh break; Wartner swore it was dons only a short time since, that he stumbled, threw out the gun to break the fall, and broke tne gun. The body was fully identified, not one siugie person, except. Wartner, that had ever known John, Dreger hut was satisfied it was Dreger, those who had Known him best, were the most’ certain; his cicthes, even to the boots on liis feet, were identified. Wartner did not tninkiLivas Dreger. The elothts found on Dreger were his old every-day working clothes, the same ho had on when he was at Brook’s house, Wednesday alternoon, Oct. Bih. Wartner swears Dreger had on his good clothes when he left his place, Thursday morning, Out. 9. There were no papers, letters, documents or valuables found upon the body except a jack knife. The broken gun and that knife will probably be heard of again. Mute witnesses are sometimes eloquent. Tne Grand Jury has been discharged for the term. Mr. Walker, the Public Prosecutor, is not here, reported sick* aud this being the last wefek of the October Term of Court, the murder case will have to lay over until the January Term. Much other matter iii regard to this ci s we are obliged to lay over until another week.