The Immigrant Murder: Part 7

🕯️ The Immigrant Murder – Part 7

Based on true events | March 1897 | Bay County, Michigan

In Episode 6, a troubling inconsistency surfaced in Peter Peplinski’s account of his wife’s disappearance.

Peter claimed he got off the wagon with his wife at Midland Road. She then drove the carriage alone for the final half-mile home—including a bridge crossing over the Kawkawlin River.

But when he arrived home, Stanislawa was gone.The carriage, however, stood quietly in the yard.

He told neighbors and his son, Joe, that she must have gone missing along the short route. A search party formed.

But the next day, the sheriff’s men heard something that didn’t add up.

There were no footprints from Midland Road.Only wagon tracks.

Sheriff Gunterman ordered Peter Peplinski to be held in the Bay City jail. The suspicion had turned sharp.

🏫 March 27, 1897 – The Inquest at the Midland Schoolhouse

The tension was thick. Neighbors, officials, and reporters crowded into the room. The coroner’s jury assembled.

One strange detail—newspapers and the court began misreporting Peter’s surname as “Pelinski.” That error would spread and become permanent.

From the Bay City Times, March 28:

👤 First Witness: Thomas Clezlowlski

“I joined the search for Mrs. Pelinski around 9 a.m. Wednesday.I was alone in a boat. Fred Cotton was on the bridge holding the rope.Others were nearby—John Nichols, Joe Rider, Joe Kaczmarek, Ed Rider...Around 10:30, I spotted a cap—on the left-hand shore, downstream on the west side.”

A navy-blue woman’s cap was held up in court. Clezlowlski identified it immediately.

He continued:

“I went home just before noon. Came back in the afternoon.More men joined us: the Carrolls, the Kaczmareks, Ed and Joe Rider, Albert Gillman...That’s when we found her.Face-down in the water. We pulled the body to shore and waited for Justice Dunham.Her hands were drawn tight to her chest. No hat. Hair loose around her neck.Pelinski was there, watching the search—both in the morning and afternoon.Around 3:30 we found her, 70 or 75 rods below the bridge.One leg was bent, like she’d been kneeling. The other was straight.Water was shallow—maybe two feet. No current. She wasn’t floating.Her back was just beneath the surface... perfectly still.”

🛑 Peter Refuses to Testify

Peter Peplinski was called next.

But his attorney, Curtis E. Pierce, intervened:

“Given the serious charges and that this inquest holds no power to determine guilt... I invoke my client’s right to remain silent.”

Justice Dunham and Prosecutor Gilbert debated the point. In the end, the court allowed Peter to withhold testimony.

🧍 Jacob Droomers – Neighbor and Searcher

“At first, I didn’t think to look at the tracks by the bridge.But later... I did.The snow had been trampled. No clear prints left.I did see one set of wagon tracks—right down the center.Then they veered off slightly near the end.But no footprints south of the bridge. That’s what raised my suspicion.When Peter first came to me, he said he’d left the wagon at the stone road to ease the horse’s load.But he didn’t seem in a rush to search that night.From what we saw, we all figured she must be in the creek.”

👢 Edward Reder Testifies

“Didn’t see any tracks from the stone road.I know that horse could’ve pulled them both. I’d seen it before.Peter didn’t let anyone else drive his horse.I never saw them fight, but... I heard rumors.Horse and wagon tracks were clear.When they rode together, Peter always sat on the right side—next to her.”

🧾 Phillip Kaczmarek

“No footprints from Midland Road to the bridge.But wagon tracks? Clear as day.”

👦 Joseph Peplinski – Son, age 18 (with interpreter)

Joseph’s testimony matched his father’s on the sequence of events. Oddly, the reporter notes show no questions about the tracks.

But what he said next was chilling:

“They argued. A few times.Once, I heard my father say,‘From this day forward, I will not be afraid of you.’Another time he said,‘If you’re going to kill someone tonight—kill me right away.’”

👩 Mrs. John Kaczmarek – The Neighbor

“Stanislawa came over sometimes. She was worried.Told me Peter might be poisoning her.Said the food and tea he gave her tasted bitter... and made her feel worse.”

The inquest ended late that evening. The room was silent, grim.

Two days later, the Bay City Times reported:

Peter Peplinski was arraigned on murder charges. No bail.The trial would begin on Thursday, April 1st.

🔍 To be continued...👉 Follow @ArborGenealogy for Part 8 soon.

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