Atrocious Murder in Wayne co. 1866

KLIDER, DUNCAN, HOGGMAN, SULLIVAN

Posted By: Sharyl Ferrall (email)
Date: 3/7/2006 at 05:08:10

Atrocious Murder in Wayne County, Iowa

from the Corydon (Iowa) Monitor, 8th.
Lineville, Wayne Co. Iowa, March 2.
Editor Monitor, -- One of those cool, brutal murders, the bare recital of which makes the blood run cold, has just trown this community into the greatest excitement, a brief synopsis of which, with your permission, I propose to lay before your readers. It appears that a German by the name of Geroge Klider, living about three-fourths of a mile from this place, on a farm belonging to T.H.P. Duncan, of Ottumwa, has been missing since the night of Feb. 22nd. Mr. K. was a single man, about thirty years of age, and lived alone. The house in which he lived being about half a mile back from the road, and about the same distance from any other dwelling. From the subsequent conduct and contradictory statements of a German neighbor by the name of Wm. Hoggman, the people here were led to suppose that Klider had met with foul play, and arrested Hoogman as the murderer. Upon being questioned as to the whereabouts of the missing man, the prisoner fainted, but upon recovering, stated that Klider had gone to Trenten, Mo., and left his property in his (Hoogman's) charge until his return. The arresting party then proceeded to examine Klider's house. Large spots of blood were found on the floor and walls of his room, the whole place emitting the most sickening odor; large quantities of human bones were found in the smouldering ashes of the fire-place. The lower jaw was but little disfigured. Large peices of the skull, together with peices of human flesh, were dug out of the ashes; a portion of the former showed an incision as if the body had been chopped in pieces with an axe, preparatory to burning. The most of the bones, however, had been pounded to pieces. Portions of the murdered man's saddle were found in the ashes, burned probably to substantiate the story that he had gone away on horse back.

Upon examination, the following facts in relation to the prisoner Hoogman were elicited: That he left home on the evening of Feb 22nd, about five o'clock, and did not return until after sun rise the next morning, and that he failed to give any satisfactory answer to his wife's inquiry as to his night's absence. That he was engaged during the entire day of the 23rd of February in removing the missing man's effects to his own house, telling his wife that Klider was coming to live with them on his return. That on the 24th he went to Princeton, Mo., and traded off a horse belonging to Klider, which he had concealed since his disapperaance. That he offered to sell a note of Klider's for $250 on Mr. J.L. Sullivan, of this place, but on account of some crooked statements he made in relation to the note, failed to dispose of it, and the note, together with the pocket-book, pocket-knife, and other trinkets, identified as the property of th emurdered man, were found on the prisoner's person at the time of his arrest. The murderer must have been engaged in his devilish work of burning the remains during the entire night of February 22nd. it was with the utmost difficulty that the citizens could be restrained from wreaking summary vengeance on the prisoner. He is a large, muscular man, about thirty-five years old, with a brutal countenance, which you can scan in vain for a single indication of the finer feelings of humanity. He is now in jail in Princeton, Mo. awaiting trial. The only motive for the hellish act appears to have been that of gain.

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source: Grand Traverse Herald, Traverse City, Michigan, March 30, 1866

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