Maquoketa Excelsior
March 15, 1890

Murder Most Foul.

Henry Nurre and wife, prominent and wealthy farmers of Clinton County, living near Brown's Station, east of Delmar, were murdered in cold blood Tuesday afternoon. We are indebted to P. O. Ward, of Preston, and the Telephone Company for the particulars, so far as they are known, of this awful tragedy. The neighborhood in which Mr. and Mrs. Nurre lived is made up almost exclusively of Catholics, who Wednesday held a thirteen hour meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Nurre, who are strong Catholics, and seldom miss any of the meetings of the church, were not present at this meeting and when they did not appear at the Thursday morning meeting, the Priest and Theo. Hullman, a son-in-law of Mrs. Nurre, became alarmed, and the latter went to the Nurre residence to investigate. Finding what the trouble was, he immediately ran over to the depot and telegraphed to Preston for a physician. A party was made up at Preston upon receipt of the telegram and went to the scene of the tragedy. Entering the house they found the dead body of Mr. Nurre on the kitchen floor, all dressed and overshoes on. Two caps and two pairs of mittens were on the floor near the body. There was a large gash in the back of his head and another, which the doctor thought severed the jugular vein in his neck.

The party then went in to the sitting room. Here they found a large pool of blood, near a table, where they concluded Mr. Nurre had been sitting writing a letter when attacked. The letter was in answer to one from his son out west, which was received March 10. The answer, which was nearly finished, was dated March 11. From these and other indications the party concluded that murder was committed Tuesday afternoon.

The murderers commenced to wipe up the pool of blood. The cloths used were found, and stains of blood were found on the tea-kettle in the kitchen. It is thought that they dragged the body into the kitchen intending at first to secrete it somewhere and destroy all vestige of their work.

Going up stairs and entering a bedroom they found Mrs. Nurre, lying on the floor, unconscious, but still alive. The back and crown of her head were pounded into a pulp and the skull was broken in two or three places making it impossible for her to recover. These wounds were inflicted with a hammer, which was found. The bedstead was all broken to pieces and the bedding scattered about the room. The floor and walls of this room were all bespattered with blood. The indications were that when Mrs. Nurre entered this room she had barricaded the door. It had been broken open with a poker, with which the murderers first attacked her, before finding the hammer.

Continuing their investigations, the Preston party in another bedroom found Mr. Nurre's safe. They could not tell whether the murderer's had succeeded in opening it or not, but it is evident that they tried, for the dial had been broken off. In the same room on the bed was found a little satchel, which Mr. Nurre usually carried his money and papers in when he went to town. Over it had been thrown one of Mrs. Nurre's skirts and in it was found $1,105 in cash and some papers indicating that Mr. N. intended to go to Preston as soon as he had finished that letter and eaten his dinner, which was partially prepared in the kitchen. The son-in-law, Mr. Hullman, says that Mr. Nurre was not in the habit of keeping more than from $100 to $150 in the house. He, himself, had paid Mr. Nurre $1,000 Sunday, which accounts for his having so large a sum by him at that time. The murderers, whose object was undoubtedly plunder, evidently failed to find the satchel, although it was so near them all the time they were trying to open the safe.

Mr. Nurre was one of the wealthiest men in this part of the state. He held more real estate mortgages in Jackson County than any other man. His wealth is estimated by those who have had business dealings with him at $250,000. He was for years a member of the Board of Supervisors of Clinton County and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. We hope the murderers may be brought to justice.

This tragedy should serve as a warning to the many people who are in the habit of keeping money in the house. We can hardly pick up a paper without reading of some one of these persons meeting a fate similar to that met with by Mr. and Mrs. Nurre.