Murder Near Cottonville

CRONK, WATKINS

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 10/26/2007 at 17:13:12

Maquoketa Excelsior, January 31, 1867:

MURDER NEAR COTTONVILLE

Last Thursday, when we had nearly completed working off our issue for last week, news was brought us that a horrible murder had been committed the night previous near Cottonville, in this county. The murdered man was a young man about twenty-two years of age, named Samuel S. Cronk and was at the time acting as a deputy sheriff, and had on Wednesday been to LaMotte serving subpoenas. On his way back he and an acquaintance by the name of Watkins stopped and spent the evening at a Mr. Nelson's, living a mile or more east of the main road between Cottonville and Andrew. Cronk and Watkins left Nelson's together, coming in the direction of the main road. When about twenty rods from the main road Cronk was murdered. His forehead was smashed in by a club, his hand and head cut with a knife and two holes perforated in the back of his head. He was stripped of his pants, his body thrown over the fence, his overcoat thrown over him, and a few rails placed on him. In this condition the body was discovered next morning by some children going to school. Watkins was arrested for the crime. He claims to have left Cronk some distance before reaching the spot where he was murdered taking the fields to Cottonville, Cronk being on horseback and Watkins on foot.

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