1882 Murder of Noella

Arkansas City Traveler, September 6, 1882.
The case of the State vs. John Freylinger was tried by Esq. Bonsall on last Friday, C. L. Swarts appearing for the State and Christian & Barnes for the defense. The defendant was fined ten dollars and costs.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 13, 1882.
The case of Frelinger vs. Nolie tried before Justice Bonsall on last Monday resulted in a verdict for the defendant. Johnson & McDermott appeared for plaintiff and C. L. Swarts for defendant.
[Note: Should have read Freylinger vs. Nolle. MAW]
[MURDERS.]
Winfield Courier, November 2, 1882.
A DOUBLE INQUEST.
A Murder and a Suicide Disturb the Peace and Quiet of Arkansas City.
A German and a Cattle Man the Victims.
Arkansas City seems to be having more than her share of bloody occurrences. Last Thursday news was telegraphed that a murder had been committed, and Friday morning the coroner received a telegram requesting his immediate presence to hold inquest over two dead bodies. A reporter of the COURIER was dispatched to the field of battle. He found one Henry H. Foster, a cattle man, lying dead in the public hall with his head literally torn to pieces. The wound looked very much as if his head had been split open with a hatchet, but a post mortem examination revealed the fact that he had placed a large revolver to his fore-head and that the charge had exploded in his head. He shot himself at his camp about twenty miles below the city. One Geo. M. Aul, a herder, was in camp when the deed was done. Foster had been despondent for weeks, and on that day seemed unusually oppressed. When Aul came into camp, he pulled off his revolver and threw it down on the bed near Foster. Soon he heard the shot and going into the tent found Foster dying. Foster was the owner of 650 head of cattle. He left a letter to his family, written the day before, in which he said that he felt he had undertaken too much and would lose his property; that the money he was using belonged to his wife’s father, and if he lost it, it would bring the old people to want, so he concluded to kill himself and get rid of his troubles. His family live at West Lafayette, Ohio.
A COLD-BLOODED MURDER.
The murder of old man Noella by Mrs. Freylinger, which occurred 3 miles east of Arkansas City last Thursday, was the most brutal and premeditated ever known in the annals of crime. Freylinger and his wife had rented Noella’s farm for the period of one year. Some months ago they had a quarrel over some breaking, which finally resulted in Freylinger and his wife beating Noella severely and running him off the place. He went to Arkansas City, filed complaint against Freylinger for assault with intent to kill, on which charge he was found guilty of assault and battery and fined. Noella then went to Beaver Township to live with Henry Hansen. On the 26th, Noella and Mrs. Hansen drove down to Noella’s farm to get his household traps and a few sacks of wheat. Below we append a plat of the scene which will better convey the idea of the shooting. [DREW SKETCH.]

NOELLA’S HOUSE.
*WELL. HEN HOUSE.

FREYLINGER’S HOUSE.
PRIVATE ROAD SHOWN FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND TO THE RIGHT OF IT A FENCE RUNNING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.
TO THE RIGHT OF THE FENCE AND DIRECTLY BELOW THE HEN HOUSE: WATER TROUGH IS SHOWN.
SMOKE HOUSE. [BELOW FREYLINGER’S HOUSE...SET A WEE BIT TO THE RIGHT OF LEFT SIDE OF HOUSE AND EXTENDING FURTHER SOUTH THAN HOUSE.]
WHEAT BIN. [BELOW SMOKE HOUSE...WEST SIDE SET ABOUT IN THE MIDDLE OF SMOKE HOUSE AND EXTENDING MORE TO THE RIGHT THAN SMOKE HOUSE.]
CORN CRIB. [BELOW WHEAT BIN...TO THE LEFT OF IT.]
STRAW STABLE. [BELOW WHEAT BIN/RIGHT SIDE OF ROAD & FENCE.]

Noella drove through the pasture from the north, to the west between the two houses and around to the wheat bin, where he unhitched the team and left it standing between the smoke house and the bin. He and Mrs. Hansen then went over to his house, which was about twelve feet from Freylingers, and after taking out some goods, went to the east side of the house to pick up some tools. At this Mrs. Freylinger came out of the house and told him he should not take anything away until he paid them for the breaking. He said all right, he would not take the things, but would take his wheat and go away. The old woman answered that he could take nothing until he settled up the breaking business. He said all right, he would go away and leave everything and that their time would be up soon, when he would come back and take the place. The old woman answered that he wouldn’t come back in one year or in twenty years, and went into the house. Noella and Mrs. Hansen then drew water from the well, took it to the water trough in the pasture, got the horses, and watered them. He then hitched the horses to the wagon while she went to the straw barn and got some pups. During all of this time they were out of sight of the door of Freylinger’s house, the smoke house intervening. After hitching up they drove out to the road and in front of Freylinger’s house. Both were walking, Mrs. Hansen being about midway of the wagon on the side next to Freylinger’s and Noella near the hind wheel of the wagon on the opposite side. As they got opposite the house Mrs. Hansen looked back and saw Mrs. Freylinger come out from behind the smoke house with something concealed beneath her dress. When she saw Mrs. Hansen looking, she ran back behind the smoke house again and Mrs. Hansen said to Noella, “Look out or she’ll hurt us.” He answered that he guessed not, and went on. In a moment more the old woman emerged from behind the smoke house, and standing near the corner of the house, fired, the charge taking effect in Noella’s back. He fell forward on his face, the team ran away, and Mrs. Hansen followed as fast as she could. Looking back she saw Mrs. Freylinger go into her house and Noella lying on the ground. Mr. Tucker was another witness to the affair. He saw the woman shoot, saw the man fall, and the woman run in the house with the gun. She came out, started down the road to the east, came back, and went in the house again. Soon she came out and went to where Noella was lying, apparently to satisfy herself that he was dead. She then went into the house again and then out into the field where her husband was shucking corn. He took her in the wagon and started to town. When they came to where Noella was lying, he had to be rolled out of the road before they could pass. They then went to town, as the old woman said, to pay her fine and go home. She said: “You make it put a tollar unt I pays it now unt goes home.” Her preliminary examination was held Saturday and she is now in the jail here. She is coarse and ignorant, and has a most demoniac expression in her eyes. The whole neighborhood was afraid of her, and we learn since that she shot at and barely missed a man some years ago for driving over a piece of breaking on their farm. She will get the penitentiary for life, and it is much the best place for her.
[PAPER AT TIMES SAID FRELINGER...AND HANSON...???]
Winfield Courier, November 9, 1882.
Old Mrs. Freylinger seems to take her confinement in jail in a sort of dumb way. Monday she asked the jailer to let her go up town. He told her the Judge had ordered him to keep her in jail and not let her out. She said, “Ish dot so? Dot’s offal!”
Arkansas City Traveler, December 6, 1882.
Mrs. Frelinger was found guilty of murder in the second degree, and was sentenced to the Penitentiary for the term of her natural life.
[Should have said “Mrs. Freylinger” and not Mrs. Frelinger. MAW]
Winfield Courier, December 7, 1882.
The Court sentenced Mrs. Quarles to the penitentiary for three years; Tom Quarles for three years, and Mrs. Freylinger for life.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 27, 1882.
Jerry Tucker has been appointed administrator of the estate of A. Noelle, who was shot some months since by Mrs. Freylinger.
Winfield Courier, December 7, 1882.
The Murder Case.
Mrs. Freylinger was found guilty of murder in the second degree Saturday evening for the killing of Noella, an account of which appeared in this paper at the time. The facts as brought out in the evidence showed the act to be decidedly cold-blooded and repulsive. Mrs. Freylinger is over fifty years old and brutally ignorant. Her ignorance and vindictiveness make her a dangerous person in any community, and the sooner she is confined within the walls of the penitentiary, the safer will neighbors feel. From the evidence it seems that she and her husband and Noella had been having a family row. That she suspected Noella of stealing her cabbage, and put poison on them; that Noella suspected her of stealing his cabbage, and also put out poison, and that finally Freylinger’s horse got some cabbage and died, and the old lady claimed that it was Noella’s cabbage that the horse ate. After this the Freylinger’s made it so warm for Noella that he got afraid to stay around there, and left. After this, according to the testimony of the old lady herself, she and her husband watched many nights for him to return—she watching half the night and he the other half—with a gun, intending, as she said, to “shoot him shoost like a rabbit.” He finally did come back, in the day time, and she carried out her threat and shot him like a rabbit, killing him instantly. There was no row or words previous to the shooting, as in fact Noella was afraid of her and when she appeared he retreated. It was the most cold-blooded affair we have knowledge of. The ignorance and natural fierceness of the old woman’s nature are the only palliating features of the case.
The Court sentenced her to the penitentiary for the balance of her natural life.