Kane County, IL Crime News
Kane County, IL Crime News
Death of Mrs. Gilbert Sutphen
Gilbert Sutphen, who once dispensed drugs in Pool’s Drug Store, has for sometime been mailing clerk in the office
of the Burlington (Iowa) Daily Hawkeye. Will Sutphen was boarding with him, and clerking in a provision store.
Last Monday after the young men had gone to business, Mrs. Sutphen went to the house adjoining the one where they
had previously lived, about one mile from the present one, to visit friends. A rather lively young man of the family,
Joseph Hardy, by name, knowing her timidity, sought to frighten Mrs. Sutphen. To do this he struck the casing of
the door through which she was passing, at which she jumped, and exclaimed: “Oh! My God! I thought it was a pistol!”
Hardy said, Oh no; that was not a pistol. But he could show her one, and stepping to a bureau, took out a large
Colt’s revolver, which he knew to be loaded, pointed it at her to frighten her. An attempt had been made to draw
the load, but unsuccessfully; while pointing at her, the weapon was discharged, the bullet passing through her
head above the ears. She was not conscious afterward, and expired at 3 o’clock the same day. Gilbert sent a dispatch
to her mother, living at Harding (Illinois), who went out, only in time to return with him and the remains of her
child, whose checkerd (sic) life was so early closed. The sad return passed through Earlville on Wednesday morning.
Sermon at Harding by Rev. Stoddard. [Earlville Gazette, 15 May 1874. (Earlville, LaSalle County, IL).
Background info added by Charles Brummel [Source #4] : (John) Gilbert Sutphen married Hattie J. Shetters in LaSalle County, IL on 5 June 1872 and then
moved to Burlington, IA, where the tragedy described below occurred. Joseph Hardy was eventually found guilty of
manslaughter and sentenced to one year hard labor in the Iowa State penitentiary. On 1 February 1880 in Burlington,
IA, Gilbert Sutphen married Mary Ellen Bartruff. In 1891 or 1892 Gilbert and Mary Ellen moved to Aurora, Kane County,
IL where they raised their children and where they are buried.
Albert COOK, who two years ago lived in Chicago, has
been arrested at Minneapolis for the murder of his wife and mother-in-law at Compton, Kane County, this State,
October 6, 1885. [The Newton Press, Jasper County, IL July 27, 1887]
SHOT HIS OWN BROTHER
Tuesday morning our city was startled by the report that David Udell, living on the Vandervolgen farm, three miles east of Batavia, had been shot by his brother George.
Upon investigation it was found to be too true. It seems that the younger brother George, had been living at his
brother David's for some time, and Tuesday morning they were involved in a heated discussion, when Geo. became
angry and drew his revolver and shot his brother David, the ball entering into the cheek and passing backwards,
towards the ear, making a painful but not necessarily fatal wound. Had it went but a slight distance to either
side it would have been instant death. Constable Goram and Police Mulcathy, of Turner, came to Batavia in search
of the fugitive, and with the aid of City Marshal Kavanaugh, who soon located Geo. Udell, they arrested and took
him to Turner for safe keeping. There was a woman connected with the tragedy, who didn't seem to know which brother
she had married. [Batavia Herald, 24 Aug 1893]
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