The Murder of Daniel Wolfe (1882)

On November 10, 1882, Daniel F. Wolfe—formerly of Carroll, Iowa, and before that Ottawa, Illinois, but then living in Miller, Dakota Territory—was found shot in the head and on fire in the Wessington Hills near town. The weekly Hand County Press was supposed to come out on Wednesday, November 8, but the editors just happened to be running late. So their issue, still dated November 8 but actually released on the 11th, breathlessly recounts the events of Wolfe’s demise. See also “The Northwestern Exchange,” by Brendan Wolfe.

A Double Tragedy!

Daniel Wolfe Found Murdered Near Wessington.

W. H. Macomber, his Supposed Murderer Suicides.

The young city of Miller was thrown into a state of the wildest excitement last evening, by a report brought by Levi Humbert from Wessington, that a man answering the description of Daniel Wolfe, proprietor of the Northwestern Exchange in Miller, had been discovered dead, with a bullet through his brain, that afternoon, some three miles southwest of Wessington. So far as could be learned, the particulars are as follows:

A herder of Mr. Yaw’s saw a fire start on the prairie, some distance from. him, about 12.30 p.m., and immediately galloped his horse over to assist in putting it out. Here he found the body of Mr. Wolfe, the blood and brains still oozing out of a bullet hole about an inch and a half above his right ear. He did not get off his horse, however, until Messrs. McMurtry, Halbert and others who also came running to put out the fire, arrived. His clothes were still burning, and the hair partly burned off his head. His body was perfectly limp, and it was quite evident that he had been dead only a short time. As soon as this information was received in Miller, Constable J. D. Lawrence immediately boarded a freight train for Wessington. In the meantime evidence accumulated against young Macomber, also of Miller, which strongly indicated he was the perpetrator of

THE HORRIBLE CRIME.

and word was telegraphed to Sheriff Price at S. Lawrence to come immediately to make an arrest. F. M. Mead and J. F. Way were in the meantime quietly placed guard over young Macomber, at the residence of Mr. Mead, where the young man had been spending his nights.

Thursday young Macomber had called at Rowland’s livery stable and stated to Mr. Rowland that he wanted a good team for Friday, Saturday and perhaps Sunday, stating that if he was not back by Sunday afternoon, not to think he had run away with the team. He looked over the horses and selected his team. He asked Mr. Rowland how much he would charge him and was answered five dollars a day. He said that was what he expected to pay. Yesterday at about 9 a. m. he called for the rig and asked for two buffalo robes. Mr. Rowland told him he could only let him have one buffalo robe and a blanket. He took Daniel Wolfe, whom he had been sleeping with a few nights past, in the buggy with him. They started a few minutes after 9 o’clock, ostensibly to look at some land near Wessington. Soon after dinner [i.e., lunch time] he was seen in Wessington alone by a Miller gentleman who inquired what he was doing there. Macomber replied that he had started for Huron with Wolfe, that the weather was so cold that Wolfe concluded to take the [railroad] cars at Wessington. Macomber shortly after started for Miller but stopped at St. Lawrence where he played a

GAME AT CARDS

for a time and then came on to Miller. He accounted for the missing buffalo robe to Mr. Rowland by saying he had given it to a friend and he would be around in the morning to pay for it,

SHERIFF PRICE ARRIVED.

about 7:30 p. m. an dafter some inquiry concluded that it was best to arrest Macomber. He started for the residence of Mr. Mead in the company with W. E. Rowland, W. B. Young, H. L. Kelley, Dr. G. W. Gerard, J. D. Miller, J. E. Stover, Henry Newmire, Lorne L. March and the writer. As the sheriff entered the door he found young Macomber at a game of cards with Mr. Mead. As the party fled into the room it was noticed Macomber’s face was blanched with excitement and he sat for a moment toying nervously with the cards. Sheriff Price quietly walked over to Macomber and told him he might consider himself

UNDER ARREST.

Macomber cooly eyed the sheriff and asked him for his warrant. The sheriff told him he needed none, that he arrested him under suspicion of having committed the grave crime of murder, at the same the sheriff produced his manacles. At the site of the cuff young Macomber showed signs of resistance and told the sheriff that he could not put those on him until he produced his papers and identified himself as the sheriff. The sheriff humored him by producing his papers. Macomber took the paper, leaned against a stand near by, stuck a fresh cigar in his mouth and read the paper

VERY DELIBERATELY.

when he had finished reading it he called Mr. Mead into the room and asked him if that gentleman, referring to Mr. Price, was the sheriff. Mr. Mead told him he was. In the meantime he was noticed to keep his right hand in his coat pocket, and as the sheriff advanced to take him, quicker that thought the young man

PLACED THE PISTOL TO HIS HEAD

and fired. The sheriff sprang like a cat at the young man as he saw him draw the pistol, but was unfortunately, yet perhaps fortunately, a moment too late to save him. The sheriff caught him before he fell, but laid him gently on the floor, for he had perforated the brain just above the right ear, almost identically in the same place where Wolfe had been shot. It was exactly 8 o’clock when the deceased shot himself and in thirteen minutes his pulse ceased beating. He expired without a struggle. The weapon was a Smith & Wesson revolver, .32 calibre. The ball lodged in the brain. There was only one loaded cartridge left in the pistol. The body was left lying where it fell and word dispatched immediately to Wessington to coroner Morse to come and hold an inquest. Messrs. Torrey, Anderson, Miller, March and one or two others were detailed to stay with the corpse during the night.

Just previous to the above tragical scene, a dispatch came from Constable Lawrence at Wessington to Turney M. Wilkins stating he had “found teh missing buffalo robe at the depot all

COVERED WITH BLOOD.

It was to be shipped to Cedar Rapids. I stopped it and will fetch it with me. Hold Wm. Macomber at all hazards.”

As usual the people talked the matter over in excited groups until lynching became freely discussed and determined upon when the report that young Macomber had placed himself beyond the [smeared] of any mob’s power to meet out justice.

THE SUICIDE’S APPEARANCE.

W. H. Macomber was a smooth-faced young man of about twenty-two summers. He was of medium height, well built, light hair, grey eyes and wore at the time of his death, a neat fitting dark suit of clothes. He would weigh almost 155 pounds.

FROM F. M. MEAD

and we learned a few of the following particulars of the deceased’s past life: He was born in Maine and while quite a small boy his parents moved to Carroll, Iowa, where he was reared with all the good care fond parents ever bestowed upon a child. He spent a period at Grennell, Ames and Mt. Vernon colleges, leaving the latter college last June. He was for a time in the employ of the Carroll county bank and had read law with his father until he was competent to be admitted to the bar. In fact he has quite a collection of law books with him among his personal effects now in keeping at the residence of Mr. Mead. He took his meals at the residence of Rev. A. H. Foster and Mrs. Foster informs us that the deceased frequently spoke in endearing terms of his mother and our sympathy and regards for this sorely bereaved mother almost compels us to forego our duty of narrating the details of this sorrowful tragedy. The deceased has two sisters and two brothers younger than he. Four weeks ago to-morrow his father arrived with him in Miller and advised him this was a good town for him to locate in. He took a claim some eight miles from town and was apparently endeavoring to work up an insurance business, making his headquarters at the office of G. O. Hutson. He came to Mr. Mead Thursday evening and told him that on the next day he and Mr. Wolfe were going to Wessington and on the following morning would probably go on to Huron from there. He asked for Mr. Mead’s buffalo robe which he borrowed and returned. He arrived from Wessington about half past five last evening and after he put up his team, went to Mead’s office and in company with Mr. Way afterwards walked to the depot when the west bound passenger train arrived and purchased a copy of

THE CHICAGO TIMES.

He afterwards went to Mr. Mead’s house and sat down to read the paper. He refused a pressing invitation to eat supper, and his unnatural nervousness attracted considerable attention. He took pains, when it became dark, to have all the window curtains pulled down. At 6:15 p. m., in accordance with instructions, Mr. Mead and Way commenced acting as guards over him, of course without his knowledge. The unfortunate young man proposed a game of cards and in the meantime was acting very restless. He complained of a severe toothache and sent a boy to Fitzgerald’s drug store to procure some laudanum. The boy was properly intercepted, however, and matters being explained to the druggist, he filled a bottle of creosote and sent it up. Macomber was unsatisfied with that and refused to take peppermint oil made my Mrs. Mead. He afterward endeavored to hire the boy to go again for laudanum, but of course failed in that scheme. About this time the sheriff and the aforenamed party called, and the rest of the scene has been told. It is reported that this unfortunate young man endeavored to borrow money recently from various persons about town. Ye[t] this much we are pleased to note, that his untimely end was not brought about by strong drink, as he was well known to be strictly temperate.

DANIEL WOLFE.

F. M. Mead says he has known Daniel Wolfe for two years at Carroll, the home of the other victim of powder and ball. Wolfe formerly lived in Ottawa, Illinois some sixteen years and about ten years on a farm eight miles from Ottawa. He has travelled all over the United States. He seemed to have no special profession, but is supposed to have had considerable money on hands and was intending to go to Huron to pay off some bills. He was a bachelor about forty years old, square shoulders, a little heavier than the average; wore a heavy light mustache and was slightly bald; nose rather prominent, eyes large and grey; was of Medium height and weighed probably 175 pounds. He wore a grey checkered suit of clothes. His upper front teeth were mostly decayed. Friends of both these unfortunate victims have been telegraphed for.

He has a couple of wealthy brothers living in Carroll county, Iowa, and one or two sisters in the same county. He has always born the reputation of being an upright business man, genial and well disposed to everybody and never addicted especially to strong drink, although a bottle of whiskey was found on his person. He was proprietor of the Northwestern Exchange.

Top of the page: west side of Broadway (where Wolfe’s bar was located), Miller, South Dakota