CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA - FIRST MURDER IN CEDAR COUNTY ==================================================================== NEGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the NEGenWeb Archives by Carol Tramp Permission granted by: Rob Dump, Editor, Cedar County News ====================================================================== CEDAR COUNTY NEWS January 17, 1952 STORY OF FIRST MURDER IN CEDAR COUNTY REVEALED IN MATERIAL FOR HISTORY BOOK Ed. note - Material in this story was taken from an article written by W.C. Condit, former state sheriff, who is preparing a book on early day Nebraska sheriffs and peace officers. The detailed story of the first murder in Cedar county will be part of his book. October 19, 1873, the murdered body of Henry Locke, who had disappeared from his home at St. Helena was found in a patch of timber where he had been cutting wood. He had apparently been killed with his own axe by some unknown person. Later a neighbor of the murdered man reported having seen a stranger who was apparently tramping through the county and gave a detailed description of the man. Following a vague clue officers picked up the man's trail but it was not until the following year the Deputy Sheriff John McDonald located the man working on a farm not far from Omaha. At that time he gave his name as John McBeth, but it also developed that he had used the name of Jameson. He was said to be half white and half negro. Since there were no railroads here at the time, Deputy Sheriff McDonald returned his man to Cedar county by way of Yankton and indications are that the trip was made to Yankton on a river steamer. Early history reveals that as McBeth was being brought across the river he took poison but this only made him very ill. That night the sheriff and his prisoner walked five miles to a farm house where they spent the night and the next morning were driven to the county seat at St. Helena. Upon arrival at St. Helena the county judge could not be located the story relates, so the county commissioners called a meeting of all citizens in the community to consider the case. According to the information, a vote was taken which was unanimous that McBeth should hang. May 14, 1874, citizens of the locality decided to take the prisoner from the sheriff and hang him. When the man was told he was to be hung he asked for a priest. After a priest was brought to the scene and he had ministered to him McBeth made a full confession. He related he had killed a man in Kentucky which he claimed was an accident. He later enlisted in the army under the name of Jameson, after which he confessed to killing a man at Fort Buford. He said he came down the river on the steamer the "Peninah" and left the boat above Yankton. He said that he came upon the cabin of Henry Locke and spent the night with him before accompanying him to the timber where he killed him. He said that the only thing of value he realized was an old watch and $1.50 in money. Following his confession he was placed in a lumber wagon which had been driven beneath a tree to which a rope was attached and the noose adjusted about the condemned man's neck. He was then told to jump as high as he could and the wagon was driven from beneath him. Unfortunately the story goes the rope broke and the man fell to the ground. While another rope was being prepared, McBeth was said to have calmly smoked a pipe. Then with a new rope he was ushered into eternity.