LaSalle County IL Archives News.....Death of a Young Girl from an Overdose of Whisky July 13, 1875
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com August 23, 2007, 7:20 pm

Utica [NY] Daily Observer July 13, 1875
Youthful Depravity

Ottawa (Ill.) Despath[sic] to the Chicago Tribune, July 9.

Quite an excitement was created here today by the discovery of the dead body 
of a little girl, aged about five years, wrapped up in some blankets in a 
mover's wagon. The circumstances, as brought to light before the coroner's 
inquest, are briefly these: A man who gives his name as James P. Williams 
appeared at Utica, in this county, at about 10 o'clock this morning, and told 
a lady that he had a strange sight for her, a dead child in his wagon, and at 
the same time exhibited it. -- Then he turned about the team, a single horse 
hitched to a spring, and return towards Ottawa, from whence he had come. The 
man was evidently either much intoxicated or insane, or both. The lady gave 
the alarm, and as quickly as an officer could be found one was sent in 
pursuit. The moving wagon was overtaken about 4 miles below Ottawa, the man 
arrested on suspicion of murder, and brought here. Before the Coroner's Jury 
his testimony was in substance as follows: Name James S. Williams; age 52 
years; better know as Capt. Williams, of the Sixteenth United States Cavalry; 
used to live in Chicago; returned from Kansas four weeks ago, where he had 
lived two years; remained at Chicago three days, and started for Rock Island; 
on the way stopped at Lockport, Joliet, Morris and here, at the fairgrounds 
below town; wife died at Chicago last September; his family when he left 
Chicago last week, numbered six persons, that is, himself, two sons, two 
daughters, and their aunt, Mary Marshall, his wife's sister; when at Joliet, 
the eldest son, aged 16, and his aunt, deserted him and he has not seen them 
since. Before leaving she purchased candy for the children and gave it to 
them; they ate and became very sick; think the candy was poisoned. Got a 
doctor at Minooka, who used a stomach-pump on the oldest girl, and he says he 
got nineteen grains of arsenic out of her stomach. The little one, Catherine, 
the deceased, was nearly 5 years old. She took sick yesterday at the fair 
grounds, below Ottawa, called two doctors, and they disagreed; she died 
between 9 and 10 o'clock this morning; had arrived at Utica, and finding her 
very sick, concluded to turn back; had got a quarter of a mile when she died; 
don't know the cause of her death, but think it was from eating poisoned 
candy, given her by her aunt, Mary Marshall. She was a healthy child, and 
never drank whisky.

Mr. Alonzo Edwards, who lives near where the mover camped, swore that he found 
the little child very sick, breathing heavily, and tried to give her an emetic 
of salt and warm water; her father was much intoxicated. The child evidently 
had taken an overdose of poor whisky; saw the elder girl wet the child's lips 
with whisky; the girl said the child had been drinking horse medicine. Three 
men boarding with him informed him that the child was dead at 7 o'clock the 
next morning.

Dr. Pettit testified that at fifteen minutes before 12 yesterday Dr. Campfield 
and a little girl called at his office to have him visit a sick girl; this 
body before us is the girl; I found her in a state of drunken stupor; she was 
in a wagon in the arms of the prisoner, near the Fair Ground; he begged me to 
save her; she was in a deep sleep, breathing laboredly, and pulse almost gone; 
she had been overdosed with whisky; he said she had got horse medicine and 
drank it by mistake; he was very drunk.

Mary R. Williams, a girl ten years old, sister of deceased, identified the 
body of Catherine Williams. While her father was in at a wayside saloon, 
Catherine had got at a whisky bottle, drank it nearly up, and when papa came 
back she, Catherine, could not speak; she died in the morning, and her father 
put her in the wagon and took her to the little town of West Utica.

The jury returned a verdict in substance that the child came to her death by 
an overdose of whisky administered by her own hand, carelessly left in the 
wagon by her father; and that he be held in custody until the proper 
authorities can test the question of his sanity.

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