W. Elmer Dudrey
22 YOA
Webster City Train Station
Webster City, IA
Hamilton County
June 7, 1896
“Riding the blinds” was a popular way for tramps and others to travel the American rails in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Situated right behind the tinderbox, the “blind” car had one door — not accessible through the train itself — that faced towards the engine. A small space on the outside provided a foothold and protection from the wind.
Courtesy photo Popular MechanicsIt was dangerous and illegal to “ride the blinds,” but it was free transportation and was commonly done.
Railroad police checked the blind cars at each stop to make sure no one was stealing a ride. Knowing this, the blind-riders jumped off just before the train arrived at a station.
Train No. 2 eastbound on the Illinois Central pulled into the Webster City train station about midnight on Monday, June 7, 1896. There, Officer Butler, as he always did, checked the blind baggage car behind the engine for tramps.
That night he saw a man sitting against the door and jumped up to shoo him off. When he touched the man, he realized he was dead, although still warm to the touch.
Butler summoned assistance and the limp body was carried onto the platform. The Hamilton County Sheriff and Coroner were immediately called to the scene.
The man had been pistol-whipped on the cheek and temple. And he had a bullet hole in his sternum.
An autopsy revealed that the bullet entered the sternum and glanced inward and downward through the heart, indicating that the killer stood over and above the victim.
Photo by Neal BowersShortly afterwards, a young man named G.W. Adcock appeared at the depot looking for his 22-year-old friend Elmer Dudrey. The two had been working on a farm near Storm Lake and were “beating it” home to Macon, Illinois, with their wages, stealing train rides to conserve money.
Adcock said that as the Illinois Central train pulled into Cargo Junction near Fort Dodge a number of tramps jumped from the platform onto the train. Close to Duncombe, Adcock heard a shot. As they neared Webster City, Adcock jumped off and waited for Elmer Dudrey to follow him; but his friend never appeared.
Adcock was first held on suspicion in the crime, but a man named Hewling from Webster City corroborated Adcock’s story, He said a tramp held a revolver to his head when he tried to stand up and told him, “Sit down or I’ll shoot you.”
In another account, Hewling said:
“I heard men quarreling back of me, and during the quarrel heard the shot. One of the tramps pointed a revolver at me and told me to sit down. I did so.”
Adcock and Hewling were both cleared of any involvement in the murder by the coroner’s jury. The tramps by that time had scattered and the guilty party — described as “drunk and quarrelsome” — could not be found, even though a posse was formed to search.
Willis Elmer Dudrey — always called “Elmer” — was born February 27, 1874 in Macon County, Illinois, to Emma Funk and Abraham B. Dudrey. He had four sisters — Ida Luretta Dudrey, Eva Lena Dudrey Mathias, Ollie Leona Dudrey, and Daisy Lenora Dudrey — and three brothers: James Ruport, Edward Ellsworth, and Normal Hubert Dudrey.
The Dudrey family was plagued with tragedy. Normal Dudrey died in 1881 at the age of 4, and in 1882 James passed away at 4 months. A few months after James’s death, Elmer’s father Abraham died at the age of 34 and his 35-year-old mother Emma died a year later, followed by his 10-year-old brother Edward not long afterwards.
In 1894, Elmer married Mary English in Macon. The couple had a two-year-old son, and Elmer worked hard to support his young family.
Mary Dudrey sent a telegram to Webster City claiming her husband’s body. Elmer’s sister Eva Mathias received word from Iowa that Elmer’s body would be shipped immediately.
The Daily Review noted:
“The body will likely arrive this morning, and if possible will be taken to the home of Fred Mathias on Bradford Street, where funeral services will be held at 10 o’clock. If the body must be interred at once it will be taken to Mt. Gilead direct from the train.”
In a separate article, the Review noted:
“W.E. Dudrey, or Elmer as he was usually called, was well known in Decatur [Illinois]. He was a brother of Mrs. Fred Mathias and was a young man of pleasing address and well liked by all who knew him.”
The Oelwein Reporter called Dudrey “an industrious and sober man.”
Courtesy photo findagrave.comHe was buried near his parents in the Mount Gilead Cemetery near Decatur in Macon County.
Questions and information about the unsolved 1896 murder of W. Elmer Dudrey should be directed to the Webster City Police Department at 515- 832-9166, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at 515-832-9500, or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
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