Pepin Murder! Part III

While Jim Carter spent his days in Waupun prison Mag Wheeler was held in sheriffs custody at Eau Claire, comparatively free from the closed in walls she left behind. Mag arrived back in Eau Claire on April 3rd 1869 after she served nearly 22 months of her life sentence. Mag was basically on parole promising not to escape and was given a temporary home in the unoccupied sheriffs residence. She retained her old lawyer Meggett to clear up her estate and began to prepare for her new trial at Pepin. She sold off her interests and paid Meggett for his past work while awaiting what was to come.

Somehow through all these years, the love founded so long ago across so much tragedy survived and without warning one day in June, Mag had a visitor. Richard Doyle, the handsome young apprentice on the steamboat reappeared. Richard and Mag rekindled their love as he visited her over the next few weeks. Richard was anxious to attain Mag's freedom and in late August, Mag retained a new lawyer who prepared a writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court had neglected to order her committed to safe-keeping in Eau Claire meaning she should be set free. The application was made on Saturday, August 28th and the case was adjourned to the following Monday.

While the writ was being submitted, the sheriff of Pepin county got wind of the procedure and when Mag was released by the Eau Claire court commissioner on August 30th she was immediately re-arrested by an officer from Pepin county. The arresting officer took her directly to Durand where they still had no jail so Mag was detained in a room on the second floor of the deputy sheriffs house. Taking no chances, the windows were boarded over from the inside and the sheriff departed to the southern end of the county on more pressing matters.

Mag was under the supervision of the deputy sheriff for the rest of the time while she awaited her court hearing on Monday, September 6th. Richard Doyle, a steamboat engineer, must have known Mag's brother who was a steamboat Captain. Together they may have conspired to help Mag escape with the promise that Richard would take her away, love her and keep her safe in Missouri. On Sunday night, September 5, 1869, the evening before the trial some person or persons raised a ladder to the rear window on the second floor, quietly removed the boards from the window and helped Mag escape justice.

Monday morning at 8:30am just before court was to open, the sheriff heard of Mag's escape. He immediately took measures to recapture her. Several parties were sent in different directions in pursuit but to no avail, Mag had made clean her escape. Whether the deputy was involved, the brother, the lover or persons hired to do the deed will never be known. Mag left her old life behind and never again faced the legal repercussions for the murder of her husband.

Sometime later in St Louis, Missouri, Mag was reunited with her children at her new home where they grew to adulthood and married. The children did return to Pepin to file a claim against the disposition of their father's estate. The last anyone heard of Mag Wheeler was posted in the Pepin County Courier, May 15, 1891: "Capt. Ira A Fuller received a telegram last Thursday announcing the death of his sister, Mrs. R. Doyle; at Venice, Illinois." Mag would have been 49 years old.

After considerable research, I discovered that Mag was at the home of her son in Venice, Illinois while ill. Her death certificate states date of death 04/30/1891, married, cause of death: cancer of stomach, burial at Bellefontaine. Richard and Mag lived mere blocks from the courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri in a good neighborhood. Richard must have loved her deeply and treated her well in their new life. Richard continued to work as a steamboat engineer but was also in failing health.

Richard Emmet Doyle enlisted into the Army of the Confederates States of America December 31, 1861 and mustered out May 1, 1865. Sometime after his wife died in 1891, he appears to have given up his home in St. Louis. In April, 1899 Richard applied in person for a position as steamboat engineer at Lexington on the Missouri River. His prospective employer immediate saw that Richard was unable to care for himself much less a steam engine. He and some others got him accepted to the Confederate Soldiers Home at Higginsville City, Missouri where lived out his life. Richard Doyle died and was buried there in September of 1913.

While Jim Carter served out his miserable sentence at Waupun prison, his brother was hard at work obtaining a pardon for him. The Reverend Henry E. Carter managed to amass the signatures of the Pepin townspeople, the judge, and hundreds of testimonies to Jim's good nature. He convinced the governor that Jim was merely a dupe to the wiles of Mag Wheeler. On the pleas of so many and the good nature of Jim Carter, on July 31, 1874 after seven years in prison, Jim was released with a full pardon from the governor.

History states that after his pardon, Jim Carter married, had children and was leading a responsible life as the foreman of a lumber mill on the Chippewa River. A bit of research found Jim Carter married, with two children running a farm just south of Knapp. One of the census lists Jim as a woodcarver but he was an active farmer. Jim died on September 27, 1899 leaving his widow and children behind. Jim's wife continued with the farm, eventually moving into Knapp and renting out the land. Jim, his wife and both children are buried just outside of Knapp in Forest Hill Cemetery.

There is much, much more of this tale to tell. I have studied it for nearly a decade and it has almost become a part of me. I learned of this story from a friend of mine by the name of Alayne Stassen. Her husband Fred Stassen and his partner, Jon Horton did years of research the hard way before computers, hoping to make this into a movie. Unfortunately, Fred died before it could get off the ground. Alayne, graciously gave me all of their research and I could not let it go without finishing the story and telling it.

As a further gift, I will relate the side story to this one that I find of great interest for the times. A woman who likely shared Mag's jail cell in LaCrosse during the trial has a short aside and that will come next. I hope you found the tale interesting, intriguing and if you would like more information on it, please let me know.