St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, Wednesday, April 26, 1876, issue 343; col F Special Correspondence of the Globe-Democrat. CHESTER, ILL., April 25, 1876. – the particulars of the murder of John McAskin, by Hermann Muttert, in the Harrisonville Bottom, three miles south of Smith’s Landing, on the St. Louis road, Saturday morning, about 6:30 o’clock, April 15, are about as follows: Muttert and Mrs. Josephine Nau lived in a double house, on the Nau farm, and Mr. McAskin was in the habit of stopping with Mrs. Nau when in that part of the county. From the evidence given before the Coroner’s jury, it seems that the Mutterts had some of Mrs. Nau’s personal property in their possession, and had refused to give it up. Mrs. Nau called on McAskin to accompany her into Muttert’s part of the dwelling to demand possession of the property, and he did so, a daughter of Mrs. Nau, Annie, going along. Mrs. Muttert ordered him out of the house, and not going as quickly as she desired, she pushed him towards the door. Charles Muttert, the husband, who was sitting in the room at the time, REACHED FOR HIS SHOT-GUN, which hung against the wall over his head. McAskin, noticing this movement, said: “Don’t be hasty, Charlie,” and stepped towards the outside door. Mrs. Muttert again pushed McAskin out upon the platform, and from there to the ground, at the same time picking up a piece of wood to strike McAskin. Muttert at this moment stepped to the door, with the gun in his hands, and, as McAskin was in the act of walking away from the house, Muttert told his wife to step aside, and, taking deliberate aim at McAskin, fired, the whole charge of turkey-shot entering McAskin’s head back of the left ear, tearing away the entire back part of the head. The murdered man sank to the ground, dead in his tracks, falling over on his right side, where he was left until the arrival of the Coroner. Some of the brain was scattered a distance of about eighteen feet from where deceased lay. After the arrival of Coroner Kuehn, a jury was impaneled, composed of the following gentlemen: Joseph Lacy, W. D. McRoney, Isaac N. Clover, S. McCauley, Calvin Burton, Elias Iman, Charles Loeme, Francis M. Clover, S. Johnson, A. J. Anderson, Ben. Marney and John Heidger, and after a careful examination of the case, THE FOLLOWING VERDICT WAS RENDERED: We, the jurors, sworn to inquire of the death of John McAskin, on oath do find that he came to his death by a gun-shot would inflicted by the hands of Charles Muttert, with the intention to kill him. We further find that the shot was fired from a distance of about ten feet; taking effect in the side of the back of the head, tearing the bones and scattering his brains, thereby causing instant death. Constable Crowder, with assistants, brought Muttert to the Waterloo Jail Saturday night. The prisoner does not seem to realize that he has committed such a terrible crime, and states that McAskin has been troubling him for some time, and that he was justified in blowing out his brains. The murder was witnessed by three persons – Mrs. Muttert, the wife of the murderer, Mrs. Nau, and her daughter Annie. This, perhaps, is one of the most cold-blooded and deliberate murders that has ever occurred in Monroe County. Nothing was shown in the evidence at the inquest at all calculated to justify such a barbarous act. There is a rumor, however, that the murder is the result of some old feud unknown to any one except the parties themselves. THE PRISONER is about thirty-three years of age, five feet nine inches in height, has small dark eyes, low forehead, dark complexion, and weighs about 160 pounds. He has a wife and four children, ranging from ten years to six months in age, and financially, is in comfortable circumstances. All of McAskin’s relations live in Canada, he having come to Monroe County in 1876, when he commenced teaching school, immediately after his arrival, and followed his profession with marked success for a period of five years. During a part of the time he was thus engaged, he was in partnership with Mr. Hilyard, in the mercantile business, at Lilly’s Landing, on the Mississippi. At the end of the three months, the business connection with Mr. Hilyard was dissolved, and Mr. McAskin opened a store on his own account in the immediate neighborhood of where he was so brutally shot. THE BODY OF DECEASED was taken charge of, after the inquest, by John McCormick and Wm. H. Hilyard, who had it interred in Miles’ Cemetery, at Eagle Cliffs. As a teacher and a business man, Mr. McAskin was a success. Indeed, his prosperity was in a measure the cause of more or less of the ill will that had been created against him. Mr. McAskin, during his residence in Monroe County, had gathered around him many warm, true friends, who sincerely regret his untimely death. Muttert, no doubt, will pay the penalty of this fearful deed at the end of rope. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, (St. Louis, MO) Tuesday, April 18, 1876; pg. 8; Issue 335; col C ANOTHER MURDER. This Time it is Reported as Having Occurred in Monroe County, Ill. Report has been received that, on Friday, a man named McGaskin was murdered in Monroe County, Ill., about twenty miles from St. Louis, under circumstances which threaten to convict his slayer of a most cold- blooded and cruel act. The deceased resided near Smith’s Landing, or between that point and Harrisonville, and was engaged in merchandizing. He boarded with a German woman, who, it appears, had loaned some milk-crocks to a neighbor, also of German nationality. Some difficulty occurred between the borrower and lender, concerning the return of the property, and, as the latter was unsuccessful in getting possession of the crock, Mr. McGaskin undertook to negotiate their return for her. He proceeded to the house, and, upon stating his case, the Teutonic Amazon seized a club and made for him in such a threatening manner as to drive him away. Subsequently, however, he returned to the charge, but the second reception was no more cordial than the first, and as McGaskin refused to leave without the crocks, and threatened to take legal measures for their recovery if they were not soon forthcoming, the husband of the besieged woman came to her rescue. Getting his shot gun, he ordered McGaskin to leave at once, and the latter not moving with that alacrity seemingly meet, in the face of the attitude assumed by the lord of the premises, the latter fired at him, the charge taking effect in his breast, and resulting fatally in a short-time. On Saturday the murderer was arrested and lodged in the Jail at Waterloo, and if the facts as stated are proven, will doubtless in the end, get a different idea of the policy of non-interference. McGaskin came from Canada in 1869 or 1870, and before engaging in business at Smith’s Landing taught school at Renault and other places. He was a person highly esteemed by those who knew him. A statement of the circumstances regarding the murder, varying slightly from those given above, has been also reported; but, as the version given appears to be authentic, it is chosen, rather than the one lacking substantiation. The second report sets forth that the party firing the fatal shot was a tenant of Mr. McGaskin, with whom the latter had had some trouble in the matter of collecting rent.