Iowa
Old Press
Maquoketa Excelsior
Maquoketa, Jackson County, Iowa
March 15, 1890
Murder Most Foul.
Henry Nurre and wife, prominent and wealthy farmers of Clinton
County, living near Brown’s Station, east of Delmar, were
murdered in cold blood Tuesday afternoon. We are indebted to P.
O. Ward, of Preston, and the Telephone Company for the
particulars, so far as they are known, of this awful tragedy. The
neighborhood in which Mr. and Mrs. Nurre lived is made up almost
exclusively of Catholics, who Wednesday held a thirteen hour
meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Nurre, who are strong Catholics, and seldom
miss any of the meetings of the church, were not present at this
meeting and when they did not appear at the Thursday morning
meeting, the Priest and Theo. Hullman, a son-in-law of Mrs.
Nurre, became alarmed, and the latter went to the Nurre residence
to investigate. Finding what the trouble was, he immediately ran
over to the depot and telegraphed to Preston for a physician. A
party was made up at Preston upon receipt of the telegram and
went to the scene of the tragedy. Entering the house they found
the dead body of Mr. Nurre on the kitchen floor, all dressed and
overshoes on. Two caps and two pairs of mittens were on the floor
near the body. There was a large gash in the back of his head and
another, which the doctor thought severed the jugular vein in his
neck.
The party then went in to the sitting room. Here they found a
large pool of blood, near a table, where they concluded Mr. Nurre
had been sitting writing a letter when attacked. The letter was
in answer to one from his son out west, which was received March
10. The answer, which was nearly finished, was dated March 11.
From these and other indications the party concluded that murder
was committed Tuesday afternoon.
The murderers commenced to wipe up the pool of blood. The cloths
used were found, and stains of blood were found on the tea-kettle
in the kitchen. It is thought that they dragged the body into the
kitchen intending at first to secrete it somewhere and destroy
all vestige of their work.
Going up stairs and entering a bedroom they found Mrs. Nurre,
lying on the floor, unconscious, but still alive. The back and
crown of her head were pounded into a pulp and the skull was
broken in two or three places making it impossible for her to
recover. These wounds were inflicted with a hammer, which was
found. The bedstead was all broken to pieces and the bedding
scattered about the room. The floor and walls of this room were
all bespattered with blood. The indications were that when Mrs.
Nurre entered this room she had barricaded the door. It had been
broken open with a poker, with which the murderers first attacked
her, before finding the hammer.
Continuing their investigations, the Preston party in another
bedroom found Mr. Nurre’s safe. They could not tell whether
the murderer’s had succeeded in opening it or not, but it is
evident that they tried, for the dial had been broken off. In the
same room on the bed was found a little satchel, which Mr. Nurre
usually carried his money and papers in when he went to town.
Over it had been thrown one of Mrs. Nurre’s skirts and in it
was found $1,105 in cash and some papers indicating that Mr. N.
intended to go to Preston as soon as he had finished that letter
and eaten his dinner, which was partially prepared in the
kitchen. The son-in-law, Mr. Hullman, says that Mr. Nurre was not
in the habit of keeping more than from $100 to $150 in the house.
He, himself, had paid Mr. Nurre $1,000 Sunday, which accounts for
his having so large a sum by him at that time. The murderers,
whose object was undoubtedly plunder, evidently failed to find
the satchel, although it was so near them all the time they were
trying to open the safe.
Mr. Nurre was one of the wealthiest men in this part of the
state. He held more real estate mortgages in Jackson County than
any other man. His wealth is estimated by those who have had
business dealings with him at $250,000. He was for years a member
of the Board of Supervisors of Clinton County and was highly
esteemed by all who knew him. We hope the murderers may be
brought to justice.
This tragedy should serve as a warning to the many people who are
in the habit of keeping money in the house. We can hardly pick up
a paper without reading of some one of these persons meeting a
fate similar to that met with by Mr. and Mrs. Nurre.
[transcribed by K.W., May 2009]