Notes for: Thomas W. McKinley
The following news article, transcribed from "The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo" (Sedalia, Missouri) of Tuesday, August 31, 1880, appears to have been a compilation of multiple reports over the preceding week.
DEAD IN HIS BED
THOMAS W. MCKINLEY, OF WINDSOR, FOUND DEAD IN THE ILGEN HOUSE TODAY
Last Sunday evening a gentleman went to the Ilgen house and asked Will Ilgenfritz for a room, who showed him up to room ten, and left him.
Will Ilgenfritz then went out of the city, and the other persons about the house did not know who occupied the room, as the house being one which only lets rooms, and does not prepare meals, keeps no register.
The room where the stranger lodged consists of a sleeping and a sitting room, the entrance being through the sitting room. The chamber maids, when on their rounds of cleaning up the rooms each morning, they having pass keys to all rooms, looked into room ten on Monday and Tuesday mornings, but seeing a
MAN'S CLOTHING LYING ON A CHAIR
in the sitting room, supposed he was in bed and skipped the chamber work in that room. About eight a.m. today Linn Ilgenfritz knocked on the door of room ten and failing to hear any response, spoke to Lon Weigart who occupies the adjoining room, and who was walking along the hallway, saying "I can't waken the occupant of No. 10."
After considerable knocking, they opened the door and found a man's clothing piled on a chair in the sitting room. On entering the sleeping room the stranger was found in bed, dead, and the terrible odor arising from the remains disclosed the fact that he had been
DEAD FOR TWO DAYS
at least. Deceased lay in bed with his arms and legs half drawn up as if he had died in convulsions, or at least in great agony. The pillows were covered with blood from his mouth and nose, which had bled profusely, and looked from its location on the bed, as if it had been coughed up and the result of hemorrhage. Lying on the bed beside him was a paper sack half filled with peaches. On a chair near the bed sat three bottles, one partially filled by hydrate of chloral, another with ammonia, and the third, a half pint bottle, about half filled with whisky.
In but a very few minutes after the body had been discovered, several men identified deceased as
THOMAS W. MCKINLEY
a wealthy and well known farmer and stock raiser and dealer residing near Windsor, in Henry County.
No money was found on his person.
Coroner Jones was at once notified, who took charge of the remains.
Various opinions are entertained as to the cause of death. The "Bazoo" will leave the question as to whether deceased came to his death by poisoning, suicide or some kind of hemorrhage which had been thoroughly seated in his system, to the judgment of the coroner's jury. The following
SKETCH OF DECEASED
was gathered up by a "Bazoo" reporter, from the many acquaintances and friends of deceased in this city. He removed to Henry County from Parkersburg, West Virginia, shortly after the war, bringing with him a great deal of money. At that time he was a Republican, but afterwards became a Democrat and took an active interest in local politics.
He purchased a farm of 900 acres one mile west of Windsor, besides cultivating which, he dealt heavily in raising and shipping stock and trading in Texas cattle. This farm he still owned at the time of his death, and was widely known in business circles through Pettis, Henry, Benton and Johnson counties.
He was a married man when he first removed to Henry County, but his wife died soon after their arrival in this state. Some time afterwards he was married to a Miss Stringer of Parkersburg, W.Va., a cousin of Henry D. Stringer, formerly a well known land agent of this city.
There appears to have been some domestic trouble, as deceased had for some time prior to his death, absented himself from home almost continually. He was formerly a strict member of the Baptist church, but was of latter years addicted to gaming. He was always regarded as a very temperate man.
THE CORONER'S INQUEST
is being held this afternoon. The inquest and post mortem examination held under direction of the coroner, are both being held in secret session. All newspaper reporters have been barred out. The "Bazoo" is informed that no verdict will be reached today. The cause of this secrecy is unknown.
McKinley had his life insured for $1,200 - $2,000 in the A. O. U. W. and $10,000 in some New York company.
LATER
The coroner's inquest over the body of the late Thomas W. McKinley is not late completed. The proceedings are all strictly secret. Reporters especially are barred from hearing the investigation.
A "Bazoo" reporter called on Coroner Jones today, and in response to inquiries in regard to the case, the gentleman said:
"The theory that deceased poisoned himself is an untenable one.
"We found a bottle of chloral in the room, but it was but a three ounce bottle. I analyzed it and there was but ten grains to the ounce and there was still two ounces in the bottle.
"Had he taken the entire bottle full of cloral, of only that strength, it would not have taken his life."
The druggist whose label was on the chloral bottle said that he had not used that kind of label for the last three months and that he had no doubt but that the chloral was purchased at his store, but that he remembered nothing about it. (The coroner would not give the reporter the name of the druggist.) The room in which the deceased was found was occupied by transients, and the bottle may have been left in the room for weeks. I do not think the chloral, whisky or ammonia found in the room had anything to do with the death, except that they were placed there to mislead the officers of justice.
We made a close examination of the body, but did no cutting.
We found many signs of violence on the body.
When found in bed, it lay in a position of resistance, one fist clenched and legs drawn up.
On the right side of the back of the head was a contusion, evidently caused by the deceased having been struck with some blunt instrument or probably by the fist.
The right side of the neck was beaten black as if by a fist.
The skin on the inside of the ear was knocked off as if it has been struck by the knuckles of a man's hand.
The right arm was bruised and black as if it had been beaten.
The scrotum was bruised as if by a kick.
The blood spitting was no doubt caused by a knock on the head or by choking.
You know he occupied two rooms; one a sitting, the other a sleeping room, the entrance being through the former.
We found the key lying on the floor, out about five feet from the door. Both doors were locked and both transoms open.
We thought probably the key might have been knocked out into the middle of the floor in that style by kicking on the door when trying to get into the room yesterday; and we placed the key in the lock and kicked on the door, but it was only possible in way to knock the key out about one foot from the door.
We found the pocket book of the deceased, not a cent in it, lying on the sofa in the sitting room.
He was, I am informed, a man accustomed to invariably carry large amounts of money about him.
Now it looks as if he had been murdered, choked and pounded to death, and then robbed.
The half filled paper sack of peaches, sitting on the bed beside him, and the bottles of chloral and whisky placed in sight to mislead officers.
The perpetrators of the deed then, if the key of the door had been mislaid or lost during the death struggle, may have climbed out over the transom, or he or they if they had the key, may have gone out at the door and tossed the key back in through the open transom, still to mislead the officers into the belief that it was suicide.
The coroner's jury adjourned at noon today until 7 o'clock this evening, when they will continue their investigation and strive to ferret out the perpetrators of this horrid crime.
The A. O. U. W. of Windsor, of which lodge deceased had been a member, telegraphed to Coroner Jones to send the remains to them. They were shipped this morning to that lodge, which were to have buried them today with the honors of that order.
NOTE:
Hydrate of chloral, or chloral hydrate, is a colorless solid that has limited use as a sedative and hypnotic pharmaceutical drug. Discovered in 1832, its sedative properties were first published in 1869 and subsequently, because of its easy synthesis, its use was widespread. It was widely used recreationally and misprescribed in the late 19th century. Chloral hydrate is soluble in both water and ethanol, readily forming concentrated solutions. A solution of chloral hydrate in ethanol called "knockout drops" was used to prepare a Mickey Finn. [Source: Wikipedia]
The A. O. U. W. was the Ancient Order of United Workmen, a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada that provided mutual social and financial support after the Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies," organizations that would offer insurance as well as sickness, accident, death and burial policies. [Source: Wikipedia]