Murder of Eliza McNulta

By 1873 34-year-old Henry McNulta and his wife 36-year-old Eliza lived in Chillicothe, Illinois. In 1871 Henry started to go to Peoria at night to get drunk. When he would return home would beat Eliza in a drunken rage. It became so frequent that neighbors only slightly acknowledged it was happening, and paid no attention.

There were several times that Henry had half-beat Eliza to death. Every time he was arrested for his cruelty towards her she would go and beg for his release at the court. He would be released and the two would return back to their home. Early September was the last time Eliza plead for Henry's release.

On the night of September 21, once again Henry would go out to Peoria to drink. He would return and neighbors would hear the last beating Eliza would get. In the morning Henry would go for a physician as his wife was dead. He would claim various stories about what had happened to Eliza. One was that when he came home that night he found that his wife had fallen out of bed and was struggling to get back in the bed. Another was that he left his wife the night before sick in bed and she was dead when he returned.

Autopsy showed that two of her ribs were broken and her spleen had bursted causing her death. There were boot marks left on her body as she had been kicked and stomped on. Henry would deny beating his wifeand claimed he did not beat her in a way that would have killed her. People were not suprised that Henry had finally beat Eliza to death.

Henry would go to trial for the murder. It would take 7 hours for the jury to find him guilty. On December 13th he would be sentenced to be hanged by the neck. They trield to obtain a new trial, but failed. It was said Henry was hopeful for a change in his sentence up until he was on the gallows.

On Feb 7, 1873 Henry would be hanged. During his last speech was bitter as he claimed innocence. He blamed everyone involved with the execution. He claimed that his cousel wanted him convicted,Dr. Morley, and Judge Puterbaugh. He claimed that the Judge had decieved him and his friends. That the Judge had stayed and got drunk in Peoria and went to Sprinfield to drink with Govoner Beveridge. The speech made people solidify their thought that he was guilty of the murder. At 1:22 p.m. was hanged and was cut down close to 2 p.m. 

SOURCES:

Peoria Historian

Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 4

The San Francisco Examiner September 25, 1872

New York Daily Herald Feburary 8, 1873

Chicago Weekly Post Feburary 13, 1873