McLean County IL, Obituary of Mrs Chism

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File contributed to the McLean County ILGenWeb Project

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These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format 
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File Submitted by: Deb Haines, ddhaines@gmail.com
Date Submitted: April 29, 2007
Source: The Daily Herald, May 18, 1901
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The Daily Herald, Chicago IL
May 18, 1901

Farmer Stabs and Murders Wife in Presence of Children

Merritt Chism, aged 49, living on a farm near Callock[sic], one of the richest 
men in the county, killed his wife under circumstances of atrocious brutality. 
The victim was Chism's second wife, to whom he was married two years ago. She 
started to drive to church in a buggy with two little girls, daughters of 
Chism by his first wife. As they were leaving the bar Chism and his wife had a 
dispute. He jumped into the buggy with a knife, threw the children out and 
repeatedly stabbed Mrs. Chism. He then threw her out of the buggy, raised her 
by the arm, and was again stabbing her when Harvey Freeland, aged 12, her son 
by a former marriage, struck at him with a ball bat. Chism wrested the bat 
from the boy and struck his wife three blows on the head, completely crushing 
her skull. Young Freeland jumped upon him and seized the knife, which Chism 
drew through the lad's hand, almost cutting off the fingers. He then stabbed 
the boy in the arm. Leaving his wife dead in the road, Chism ran across the 
fields. He jumped into a stock well, but the water was not deep enough to 
drown him and he climbed out. He went to his son's house and with him drove to 
Bloomington and gave himself up to the sheriff. Chism owns a mill and farm and 
is worth $200,000.