November 15, 1880 Springfield, Missouri John Doe

On November 15, 1880, an unknown man would "drop dead" in or close to Springfield, Missouri. He would be buried at the Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

Murder of James Clark Nicoll

 In 1871 James and Amelia Nicoll would come over to America from Scotland. The couple had 7 children in total 2 of which were born in Iowa where they settled. He would then establish the first baker in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was located on the north side of Broadway across from Ogden Hotel. The family would live above the bakery. By 1884 the business would thrive allowing them to build one at 130 West Broadway, where he moved his home and business.

Around 8 pm on March 16, 1885, 52-year-old James would leave his home. at 10 the next day James body was found in a ditch that led to Indian Creek on Tenth Ave by a man passing by. He was frozen in the 15 inches of water. His hand and one shoulder were the only things seen above the ice. He was weirdly enough not wearing his hat, shoes, or stockings. It was unknown how or why he had died, but it was suspicious. 

SOURCES:

Iowa Cold Cases

Find a Grave

Murder of Marshal Willam E. Gibson

 

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

September 11, 1880 Springfield, Missouri John Doe

On September 11, 1880, an Unknown Man died of heart disease in or close to Springfield, Missouri. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

January 12, 1880 Hull, England Baby Jane Doe

On January 12, 1880 body of a newborn baby girl was found in a box in the lady's lavatory in Paragon Station in Hull, England. It's not stated if she was born alive or not. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

Unidentified Photography: Group Photo, Apparently in the City

 

Acton Historical Society is looking to identify the people or place where this photo was taken. This photograph had no label or date and the place is unknown. The photographer George Hastings was at 147 Tremont St in Boston Massachusetts in the mid-1880s to late 1890s. It's believed that this photo was not taken in Acton, but it may involve someone from Acton. It's possible it was a stock photo.

SOURCES:
Acton Historical Society

1881 Tombstone, Arizona "Teamster" John Doe

In 1881 a Teamster (similar job to today's truck drivers) was killed by the Apaches in Cochise, Arizona.


SOURCES:
Find A Grave

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce 

May 31, 1883 Dodge County, Nebraska Desperado

On May 31, 1883, an individual died in Dodge County, Nebraska. On June 1st they were buried in Ridge Cemetery in Fremont. It's not stated the cause of death, but they were described as a desperado. Meaning they may have been some sort of outlaw or criminal.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

March 1885 Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Baby Jane Doe

In March of 1885  Milwaukee County, Wisconsin a baby was found dead. It is believed that the infant was a stillbirth.

SOURCES: 

Find a Grave

August 24, 1880 Worcester, Massachusetts Jane Doe

  On August 24, 1880, a baby girl was found dead in the jail yard on Vine St. in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was about a month old and had died from exposure. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Murder of Richard Rugman and Attempted Murder of Eliza Smith

On the night of April 1, 1887, 80-year-old Richard Rugman and his live-in maid 76-year-old Eliza Smith was at their home on Morton St. in Thornbury, England. visited by their neighbor Mrs. Brown. She left the two at 6p.m. and then another friend of theirs, French, came and visited till after 7 p.m. The two seemed to be in a good mood that night. A third visitor would come that night and create a tragedy.

Richard was sitting in his chair by the kitchen fire and Eliza was sitting nearby. A man would come to the house and lift the latch of the door to the kitchen. Eliza did not recognize the man as he demanded £5. Eliza would reply with a "My good man. we've got no money to give you. We can't afford it." The man angry at the response would then strike Richard upon the head with a large stick and then struck her. Richard would be struck at least five times over his right eye, and his arm broken from trying to protect his face. Eliza's face was badly beaten and he beat her on the left side of her body. The two lay on the floor till the next morning.

Eliza took all her strength to crawl outside the house. She would be discovered by George Trayburn, a tradesman, who came to get their order of meat. He would get help from a man named Horsman, who was working nearby, to bring Eliza into the home. They discovered the grizzly scene and Richard. The police and doctor would be called to the scene.

 It was found that the stick used was from the garden. The killer took it from a bundle of withies that was going to be used to make spikes. The murder weapon was found. It was about two feet long and the butt end that used to hit the two broke off. 

Richard's wounds were so severe that doctors worried about his survival. He would lay in and out of consciousness as people who knew him visited. He recognized his friends and family, but unfortantly he would die over a week later.

Though the unknown man had the opportunity to ransack the house he did not. There was gold and silver on a table upstairs and Eliza had a box with  £13 inside. The cottage they lived in was humble in nature and it was strange that the man thought they would have the money to give.

It was suspected at first that Eliza may have done the murder, but doctors stated she did not have the strength to do such blows. Also, her retelling of the crime right after may have been inaccurate due to her injury and worsening memory problems she had over the last few years. 

This case remains unsolved.

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

Thornburry Roots

Citizen April 9, 1887

The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser May 4, 1887

Jan. 12, 1888 Monroe, Nebraska John Doe

On Jan. 12, 1888, a man died due to a blizzard in Monroe, Nebraska. He would be buried at the New Hope Cemetary. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

1878-1884 Tombstone, Arizona Kansas Kid

 Between 1878-1884 a cowboy (likely male) was killed in a stampede in or near Tombstone, Arizona. They were buried in Tombstone and the graveyard was active between 1878 to 1884. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce

1882 Cochise County, Arizona John Doe

 

In 1882  the body of a man was found in the bottom of a sixty ft shaft in the abandoned Minute Mine in Tombstone, Arizona. It's believed he's not someone who died while mining. He was well dressed when he died.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce 

1878-1884 Tombstone, Arizona Two Cowboys

 

Between 1878 and 1884 Two Cowboys who drowned were buried in Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona. There is little information in this case. 

 SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave (Cowboy 1)

Find a Grave (Cowboy 2)

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce 

Ghosts: The Rose of Vulcan Hotel

 

St. Bathans, New Zealand (Formerly Dustan Creek) was the settlement center for the Otago Gold Rush, though the mining has long since stop and people now visit the town for a holiday retreat. The city had many historic buildings including the Vulcan Hotel.

The Vulcan Hotel was built in 1882 of mudbrick and originally went by the Ballarat Hotel. The hotel holds a lot of history and the spirit of a murdered young woman called "The Rose". The Rose was a prostitute who worked in Room 1 of the hotel. In the 1880's she lost her life in the hotel by being strangled to death. Her murderer was never found and that is why she still haunts the hotel.

People have said that they've seen her in the corner of their eyes. That she terrorizes male guests that stay in Room 1 by pinning them down onto the bed. The room would be freezing cold though it was warm elsewhere.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

NZ Herald

Stuff

April 5, 1889 Texarkana, Arkansas John Doe

  His killers had made his grave too small and had to cut off his head where it was buried separately. Inside his body was lying on its side. He had been stabbed as a common and sharpened kitchen knife was found between his ribs. Three pieces of oak wood were placed around the body. His clothes had disintegrated and a leather belt was found. He had red hair. He had been dead for at least 2 years. 

I'm not sure if this John Doe was ever Identified or if his killers had been. There was only one source for this murder. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Austin Weekly Statesmen April 11, 1898

December 8, 1886 Auckland, New Zealand Jane Doe

 On December 8, 1886 the body of a female was found in water (not stated what source). She had drowned to death. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES: 

Find a Grave 

Murder of Annie Yates

In 1884, 23/24-years-old Annie Yates was living at No. 12, Burton-Crescent St. (now knowns as Cartwright Gardens) in London, England. It was a home that rented out furnished apartments to women. Annie's room was on the first floor in the back. At the time Annie was working as a prostitute. Annie's past is a bit mysterious. It's believed that Annie Yates was an alias as a friend said that her name was Mary Anne Marshall, and her friends were in Reading. One article refers to her as Mary Anne Yates. 

On the night of 8 March 1884 Annie Yates and another lodger Annie Ellis this was not unusual for the pair. Around 1 a.m. The two would part at Euston road as Annie Yates had gotten into a conversation with a well-dressed man. It wouldn't be until around 2 a.m. that Annie was heard coming home with a man who is assumed to be the same man she was seen with earlier. 

Around 3 a.m. screams were heard from Annie's room, but it wasn't unusual. The other lodgers said that she would go into bouts of hysteria and those sounded similar to her screaming that night. A considerable time after the screaming sounds of a man going downstairs and leaving the house was heard. This was also not an uncommon sound in the place so nobody went to check.

Annie would not end up coming down for breakfast. Between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Annie Ellis went upstairs to check on her friend. The door was already open a crack so Annie E. went inside. What she saw was the bedding piled up on something. Seeing Annie's foot sticking out from underneath Annie E. pulled them off. 

Annie was laying on her stomach. She was partially dressed and was laying in a pool of her blood. She had a serious gash on the left side of her head above her ear and had a towel tightly tied around her mouth with the knot on the back of her head. Annie E. noted that there were bruises on the back of her legs. It was found that there was blood on the wall bed and towel. 

The alarm was raised to Mrs. Apex the landlady of the house. Mrs. Apex would send for medical help and notified the police station. Unfortunately, Annie had been dead for hours and it was believed the towel wrapped around her mouth had led to her suffocating.

Police searched for the weapon used to hit Annie, but it was not found. It's likely the wound on her head knocked her out and then the towel was tied around her mouth while she was unconscious It's unknown if he did intend to kill Annie or to silence her in case she woke up.

The room had also seemed to have been ransacked. It was found that the killer had possibly stolen a dark leather purse with a clamp and a gold ring Annie was wearing that night/morning was gone. Annies ring was described as 9-carat gold with three gems, a turquoise gem in the middle with two pearls on either side of it. 

The man last seen with Annie was around 25-years-old. He was described as being fair, with a medium height. He was wearing a black felt hat, brown cutaway coat, he seemed to have a respectable appearance.

According to Wikipedia, this murder was never solved.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

The Times 9 March 1884

The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser 15 March 1884

The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser 22 March 1884

Cochise County Does 1878-1884 Tombstone, Arizona

 

The Boothill Cemetary in Tombstone, Arizona was active between 1878 and 1884. On Row 11, Lot 9 two Chinese Does are buried there. They had died from leprosy, but it is unknown when they had died, but it's likely between 1878 and 1884.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Find a Grave