Nostalgia & History > Chicago & NW station agent poisened by wife and Doctor Cream

I became interested in this topic when I received some old CNW papers from fellow trainorders member
 Mike Patrick.  He thought I might be interested since they were from my area. I knew a little about this topic but  was amazed when I found the papers Mike gave were the 1881 paperwork transferring station to new agent.
 
Daniel Stott, Chicago and Northwestern station agent at Garden Prairie, Illinois was murdered at his home June 12, 1881.  Garden Prairie is located in Boone County east of Belvidere, IL.  This on the original CNW line from Chicago to Rockford thru Union (IRM) and Marengo.
In 1881 Garden Prairie had a population of 150 and today 220, a town that time has passed.
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Photo 1)  This is a CNW transfer journal from Daniel Stott deceased to the new agent detailing transfer of assets from one agent to the next, received from Mike.   When I saw this it seemed familiar as I had heard the story at a local historical society.  This was was actual paperwork from 1881. What was the odds I would end up with it and who would have known what it was.   Saved at one time and passed along.
 
Photo 2) Stott’s current grave marker at Garden Prairie Cemetery.  Legend is that Free Masons erected the stone on the night of a full moon to replace original after it was found he was murdered.  Stott’s body was reinterned after he was exhumed to determine cause of death.
 
Photo 3) An online older photo of marker more clearly showing Free Mason Symbol.
 
Daniel was married to Julia:  in 1881 he was 61 and Julia was 33.  They had a daughter Revell age 10.
Daniel had a comfortable life but suffered from Epilepsy and was in declining health.  He learned that a
Doctor in Chicago, Dr. Thomas Cream, had a new patent medicine for Epilepsy.  Stott visited Cream and received a prescription for the medicine.  Stott felt it helped so he would send Julia to get more when he needed.
Dr. Cream seduced Julia and they began a torrid affair.  On June 11, 1881 Julia took the train to Chicago returning the next day.  A neighbor,  John Edgecomb,  was present as Julia gave Stott the medication.  He went into convulsions and died.  Edgecomb testified later that Julia did not seem very upset.  However, there was little suspicion since he had been ill and funeral went as planned with a grieving Julia.
 
Cream seemed to get off free but then oddly decided to blame the pharmacist demanding an exhumation and autopsy.  The local coroner gave one of Daniel’s pills to a stray dog which promptly died. Daniel was exhumed and an autopsy showed Daniel died of strychnine, the authorities charge Dr. Cream. He had been under suspicion in Chicago where he was an abortion doctor and there would be little reason to believe the pharmacist at fault.  Julia testified against Cream who was sentenced to life in prison.  Julia was not charged in exchange for her testimony, Julia  and her daughter disappeared.  The trial in Belvidere  got a lot of press coverage at the time both locally and in Chicago papers. A theory is that Julia besides getting him out of the way would be able to collect his Civil War Pension.
 
But it was not over, this is Illinois.  Cream(or his brother?)  inherited money from their father and the governor of Illinois reduced his sentence to 17 years and with time served he was released.  The implication was very clear(it is Illinois)

Bob Jordan
 

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4) The Stott house
5) Garden Prairie depot – information is that in 1881 it was on opposite side of tracks, probably moved but could be new depot.probably i 30's as Elgin and Belvedere Interurban is gone.
6)  Station location today


And it is still not over.  Cream returned to England and was involved in some notorious murders.  He self implicated himself rather bizarrely talking with a detective.  He was tried, convicted and hung.  Declaring at the end he was “Jack the”.
 
Cream had a long history of dead women around him prior to this in Canada,England, Chicago and finally England again.  A little too much to detail.  If interested here is a link to an online book which you can read. 
 
Oddly in Scotland one of his classmates first name was Arthur who would gain some fame as a writer of murder mysteries.
 
You may have to scroll to get to top of this story.  This is an online book of several poisoning stories.
Author may have added a little extra background.
The trial in Illinois created a great deal of publicity and crowds.
 
Google books:  A taste for poison
 
https://books.google.com/books?id=dB4QEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT57&lpg=PT57&dq=julia+stott&source=bl&ots=BBADZMnQ67&sig=ACfU3U2Mrii5e3WwWGkfouqRpo4ndXzd6g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJ4bPPgOz3AhUQm-AKHS_mDzMQ6AF6BAgeEAM#v=onepage&q=julia%20stott&f=false
 
There is another google book:  The case of the murderous Dr. Cream.
 
 
 

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7-8  parts of transfer documents - interesting you can see some fares etc of day

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9) feed Mill at GP
10) PO - maybe old hotel
11) 1962 station photo

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Well, that was a different post.....most interesting.
john

Fascinating mix of history and bizarreness.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

Very interesting, thank you.

Posted from Android

I presume that we are looking west in these photos.
Didn't the North Western have all their depots on the left side of the track?
 

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Looking East, station might have been on north side and moved.

Bob

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/22 14:08 by robj.

What a story!  Reading it reminds me of Erik Larson's book The Devil in the White City.

Having a murderer named Doctor Cream - can't make this stuff up!  I'm sure that this story would inspire Joel and Ethan Coen who produced and directed the Fargo, to make a macabre movie.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/22 20:36 by RuleG.

Dr. Cream is in Wikipedia under "Thomas Neill Cream." Interesting and bizarre!