This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Barwick, Jacobson Classification: Biography Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/DFC.2ACE/2.385.1.3.2 Message Board Post: Source - The St Point Journal 5 Mar 1898 WAS IT BARWICK - Serious Charge Agaist a Former Resident of this City - Peter Jacobson lived in Ashland and held the position of crossing tender on the Omaha & Milwaukee road about a mile from that city. He was in the habit of driving out there and putting his horse in a barn nearby. This he did on Saturday morning, but soon after he had entered the barn a tramp was seen to leave it, and a few moments later the barn was discovered to be on fire. After the barn was burned the charred remains on Jacobson were found in the debris and a subsequent investigation showed that Jacobson's head had been crushed before the body was burned. A reward of $500 has been orrered for the arrest of the murder of Jacobson and the man who committed the ded is believed to be Anton Barwick, formerly of this city. Officers have been on the lookout for him in the whole northern part of the state. An arrest was made at Phillips Tuesday, but whether the right man has been secured has not yet been ascertained. Barwick was at one time employed as fireman on the Wisconsin Central and later as watchman in the yards in this city, but on December 5, 1887, was arrested for stealing brass castings from the company. The charge against him was grand larceny, but on the 13th of the same month he escaped from jail and disappeared. About 8 years afterwards he showed up again, but remained around here only for a short timel In the meantime, Mrs Barwick had secured a divorce, which was granted Dec 7, 1889. When seen today she said she had not heard anything about the Ashland affair, and that the last time she saw her former husband was a year ago last Easter. At that time he unexpectedly appeared at her house in the evening, but the police were called by a Central employee and he was made to leave the house. Mrs Barwick lives on Wayne street and since deserted by her husband has supported herself and three children by doing washing. A dispatch from Ashland says Barwick has gone there under the name of Miller. He speaks English, German and Polish and is a stone mason by trade. When arrested in 1887 the specific charge against Barwick was that he had stolen $120 worth of the company's property. It was claimed, however, that he had been stealing old brass and copper from the company's shops for more than a year and had shipped the same over the Green Bay road to Chicago. He made his escape from jail by slippling out the door when the other prisoners were carrying in wood. He is now 46 years of age, but the dispatch from Ashland discribes the man wanted as being from 33 to 38 years old. On-line sources to check: Stevens Point Area Obituary Index http://library.uwsp.edu/Obits Cemetery records at: http://library.uwsp.edu/cemetery/ Census records at: http://library.uwsp.edu/census/ Portage County Historical Society http://www.pchswi.org/index.htm Portage County Courthouse: http://www.co.portage.wi.us/ UW-St Point Archives http://library.uwsp.edu/depts/gen/genealog.htm#ARCHIVES Recent obits can be obtained from WI Newpapers On-line - http://www.wisinfo.com/ I am not related to nor have any additional information on these surnames. If there is a question of error in this transcription, please consult the original documents. R/S MAK http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiportag