Murder of Officer Jacob Neibert Unfnished

Around 2:30 am on June 13, 1896, 53-year-old officer Jacob Neibert was on duty in Muscatine, Iowa. On Burlington Rd Officer Neibert would come across two tramps. Around 6 shots would ring out in the night. Three shots would happen and then in a few minutes three more. gunshots were not uncommon enough to go check it out until H.J. Smith and his wife heard moans of help. 

H.J. would go out and ask "What's the trouble"? Officer Neibert would scream out "Jim! Oh, Jim! Come Help Me!" This was when they would find the police officer suffering from gunshot wounds. H.J. would run across the street to him.

He told of how two trams he tried to arrest had done it. He would give a description, but it was hard for him to speak as he continued to get weaker and weaker. H.J. would stand Officer Neibert up and try to walk him to his house. However, before they would make it there he would collapse to the ground. They would bring pillows and blankets to make him comfortable while waiting for help. The 15-year-old Smith's son would go and fetch a doctor. 

It was too late to save him. Other neighbors would come out to see the commotion. Soon after the Dr. got there Officer Neibert would take his last breath.

The nearby box car was investigated. This was where he was shot. there were five bullet holes in the boxcar. It seemed as if they were caused by two different caliber weapons. There was a lot of blood and evidence of a struggle inside. Officer Neigbert's club and gun both showed that it was used. 

It was apparent that one of the tramps had been injured. There was a significant amount of blood that led away from the scene that wasn't from Officer Neibert. The blood was traced all the way to the sash and door factory. A black soft felt hat was found at the scene likely belonging to one of the tramps. 

SOURCES:

Iowa Cold Cases

Muscatine

Officer Down Memorial Page

Iowa Cops

The Muscatine Journal June 16, 1896

Murder of Billy Stone

On December 11, 1914, 21-year-old Billy Stone was working at Whitby Junction in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. He was working as a telegraph operator. At 12:05 an accountant for the local asylum walking by. Billy had turned off the lights and the only one on was the one on his desk.

At 12:37 someone would enter Whitby Junction and shoot Billy in the chest. In his last moments, he would go to his desk and call the Bell Telephone Switchboard. Billy would tell them "I'm shot, I'm all done in". 

When law enforcement arrived Billy was dead. He had fallen backward onto the floor and the phone hung over the side. He had fallen from where he was standing and died. There was no gunshot powder on Billy's clothes meaning that he was shot from a distance. 

The scene was not displaced or anything. The killer did not seem to have stolen any money or objects from the station. There were no broken windows the only thing that was out of place was that the ticket window was closed and unlocked. It's believed that this was done after or during Billy's murder. It was also possible that since there was no struggle Billy was shot through the ticket window when it was open.

However, there was evidence that they had searched Billy's body as a bloody handprint was found on the side of a cabinet near the desk. The killer had used it to help stand up after getting Billy's blood on his hands. There was no way Billy made this print as there was almost no blood on his hands.  There was nothing in Billy's pockets and even his watch was missing. Strangely, Billy was robbed, but the station wasn't.

It's unknown who killed Billy, but there are a few motives. One was that Billy's father had killed him for money. His father was examined as a suspect. Feeling like he had become the main suspect in his son's murder he would end his life. He would lie on the tracks and be hit by a train.

A friend of  Billy's claimed that he thought that Italians had something to do with the murder. Another friend stated that he was not planning to marry and was talking to a woman at the time. It could be possible that it was because of a jealous lover.  It was also possible he was killed over a potential gambling debt. 

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

The Standard December 12, 1914

The Tronto Star December 14, 1914

The Province December 17, 1914

The Standard April 22, 1914

Suspicious Death of Martha Mansfield

Martha Mansfield was determined to become an actress at the age of 14. Her first role would happen in a play of Little Women in 1912. She would act, sing and dance in some plays, and model in photographs before being signed by Essanay Studios.

On November 29, 1923, 24-year-old Martha was working at a location in San Antonio, Texas. She was playing the role of Agatha Warren in the movie The Warrens of Virginia. Because it was based in the Civil War she was wearing a costume based on the time. Which was of hoop skirts and flimsy ruffles. 

After filming was done Martha went to her car where her chauffeur was waiting. Her skirt would burst into flames. Those around tried to save her. The chauffeur tried to take her clothes off and the leading man Wilfred Lytell threw his heavy overcoat onto her. 

Both Martha and the Chaufer were burned. Martha's body was severely burned, but her face was not because of Wilfred's jacket. The Chaufer's hands were badly burned. They would be taken to the hospital. However the following day Martha would die. It was from burns of all extremities, general toxemia, and suppression of urine. 

It's unknown what exactly happened. It was known that a match was the culprit of the fire, but it was unknown who had done it. Some witnesses stated that they saw the match go through the window. Others theorized that Martha was trying to smoke and accidentally dropped the match. However, her mother stated that she didn't smoke and that it in fact made it uncomfortable. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

IMDB

Muskogee Daily Pheonix  and Times-Democrat November 30, 1923

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News November 30, 1923

Pensacola News Journal December 1, 1923

News 4 San Antonio Nevember 30, 2020

Murder of Marshal William E. Gibbson

In 1882 Irish-born man 51/52 year-old Willam E. Gibson was a town Marshal for Horicon, Wisconsin. On October 19, 1882, he arrested a stranger for disorderly conduct. The man since he arrived spent most of his time drinking at the saloon and was drunk when arrested. The man was only in town for a couple of days and was believed to be a tramp.  William being a little careless and thinking the man only had one weapon did not check the other pocket.  

The man did not resist or fight to go to jail. When William let go of the man to unlock the door to the cell the man would pull a bulldog a 40-caliber revolver from his left pocket and shoot the him. He would flee from his crime.

It had taken around an hour before anyone knew that William had been shot. At the same time, there was a major fire at the Brunt & Davis Co. factory. The village's attention was focused on the fire which allowed the unknown man to flee the area.

The man had been in town for a day or two there were no clear descriptions of him. Even though there was a wide search for him he wasn't found. He had likely stolen a horse from the stables of Fred Puls about two miles east outside of Horicon and fled. If he was he would have been a victim of a lynching. It was believed that he may have been wanted for a bigger crime than public drunkness and that was why he shot Marshal Gibson.

The killer was never caught for this murder. 

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

Officer Down Memorial Page

Green Bay Press-Gazette October 21, 1882

The Eau Claire News October 29, 1882

End of Watch: Deputy Warden Joseph Clark

In 1864 a man called George Chase was in jail on Collins St in Joliet, Illinois for being a horse thief. It was believed that his name was George Chase, but it was not positive. He refused to talk about his loved ones or where he was from. George was about 30 and described as a stout and healthy man with blue eyes and sandy hair. 

On April 4th George would attempt to escape but failed. However, during his attempted escape, he would hit Deputy Warden Joseph Clark with a rock or club. This injury would cause the Deputy Warden to die weeks later. 

The following January he would be sentenced to death. He was to be the first man executed in Joilet. Because he refused to talk about family friends or even where he was from his only visitors were 3 ministers. On July 27, 1866, George was taken from his jail cell at about 2:30. The three ministers would follow him with their Bibles reading from them. 

He would be walked to a large hallway in the county jail. There was a gallows made specifically for George. There were two posts on each side of the hallway with a beam overhead. a noose would hang from the beam and the other went into a hole in the basement. It was tied with three heavy sandbags that were to bring him up. 

Several official witnesses and newspaper reporters watched the execution. George was tied with ropes and looked to have a dead expression as he was seated in a chair. The chair was under the noose. He would be asked if he had any final words and he did. 

“I don’t think I’m guilty,” he said. “I don’t see any proof that I murdered that man. I think I’ve got as good an explanation of that as you have.” Before he was done talking the Sheriff placed a white hood over his head. “I’m not ready for that yet,” he continued. “I’m as innocent a man as any of you. I am as innocent a man as any in the United States. I admit that hanging is justice. But hanging for a thing a man ain’t guilty of and can’t prove I am guilty of is another thing. It ain’t justice.” He then complained about how tight his bindings were. When the hood was completely placed he muttered, “Gentlemen, I am to be slaughtered.”

The noose would be placed around his neck over the hood. The sheriff would signal the deputy in the basement to drop the bags and they were. George would be pulled from his chair and hung 5 feet in the area. There was a little struggle. They would leave him to hang for 20 minutes. 

He was not taken to a funeral home or buried right after his death. Instead, his head was removed so that doctors could look at the brain attempting to see if there were any clues about his criminal behavior. However, there were no "signs of insanity" in his brain. 

The head was given to a phrenologist and used for lectures. His headless corpse was buried at the prison cemetery known as Monkey Hill. 

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 3

Will County, Illinois Genealogy 

Murder of Oscar Mann

On February 11, 1924, 15-year-old Harrison Brown and 23-year-old Oscar Mann would get into an argument. They were arguing at a sawmill they worked at in Upson County, Georgia. It wasn't stated what the argument was in the newspapers, but Harrison was so mad he went home and came back with a shotgun. He would chase Oscar for half a mile with it before shooting and killing him, It was described in newspapers as a black-on-black crime.

The trial would happen soon after and by February 20th the 15-year-old was sentenced to hang. He would be hanged on August 15, 1924.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Georgia page 124

The Macon News Feb 20, 1924
The Butler Herald Feb 28, 1924

The Macon Telegraph August 16, 1924

Murder of Robert McKay

 

On the night of March 18, 1959, 34-year-old Robert McKay was driving his Taxi.  He was working for Edmonton's Yellow Taxi on and off for several years in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At 8:25 p.m. he radioed his dispatcher from the Canadian National Railways station. This was the last time he was heard from.

At 10:30 p.m. George Bates was returning home to 130th St. in the Laurier Park area when he spotted a Yellow cab parked in the middle of a dead-end st. on the corner of 85th Ave. and 131st St. He went to check on the can and inside Robert was unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel.

When police and ambulance arrived and were removing him from the cab he weakly struggled and mumbled, "What are you guys trying to take me for now?". He would be rushed to the hospital and was operated on, but never regained consciousness and would die.

Robert had been beaten and suffered a compound fracture of the skull, and other head injuries resulting in severe brain damage. His taxi windows were broken and there was blood on one of the doors, but there was no sign of struggle near the taxi.

A local resident would find a hammer with blood and hair on it, a pair of rubber boots, and Robert's cap several blocks away. The items were set beside each other on the road with a nickel and dime on the grown a few feet away. 

Snow would soon hide any evidence of a struggle and they barricaded the area hoping the snow would melt and reveal evidence. An inconsiderate motorist would remove part of the barricade and would drive up the lane destroying any evidence that may have been there.

He had not been robbed his recorded fare money was still in his pocket, and he only had a few cents when he left for work. His glove compartment seemed to have been gone through, so a robbery may have still been the motive. The killer may have been scared off and didn't get the chance to go through Robert's pockets. 

The cab company told police that if Robert was going to pick up a fare and be asked to go to an isolated area like he was found that he would have likely called their dispatch and tell them because robberies often happen in isolated areas. 

SOURCES:

Edmonton Police

Taxi Library

Edmonton Journal March 19, 1959

Edmonton Journal March 23, 1959