In July of 1885 the Pantagraph told -- with relish -- the story of a German farmer named Denzer, from Danvers, who married in haste to a buxom immigrant and came to regret it.
Abraham Denzer was a tenant farmer living near Danvers who, through "close trading and close attention to business" had amassed a tidy fortune. He lived as a bachelor in what was termed a hovel for many years. IN the winter of 1884, he met a "good looking, buxom lassie" who came from Germany to Danvers. They decided to marry, but before marrying, she took him to Bloomington and had papers drawn up, by which he agreed that he would give her $1000 if they were unable to live together happily.
The two married and "returned to the old bachelor's hall to renovate and make it a little palace." All went well for a while, but then Mrs. Denzer went to Danvers and ordered a couple of dresses. Mr. Denzer objected to such frivolous purchases and demanded that she cancel the order. When she did not, he took ALL her clothes and burned them in the middle of the bedroom floor.
Of course Mrs. Denzer objected to such wanton destruction -- especially when her husband grabbed her by the hair and attempted to cut her throat with a knife. Luckily, she escaped and ran away to Bloomington, where she swore out a complaint against her husband and sued for a divorce.
Now perhaps Mrs. Denzer was a bit hasty in marrying, and even quicker to divorce, but when Mr. Denzer was told he could not dispose of his property because of the divorce filing, he became enraged. He confronted Mrs. Denzer and told her she could have $200 if she would give him back the agreement, but that if she would not do so, he would make sure neither of them had anything.
He returned to his farm, drove the stock into the barn, drove the buggies and wagons against the house and barn and set fire to them all. The carnage, the neighbors said, was unbelievable. All the animals were roasted in the barn, except a few that managed to avoid being put in the barn. The entire lot burned to the ground, and Mr. Denzer was found hiding in a nearby slough and arrested by a local justice. In Danvers, he lay on the ground insensible, or feigning insensibility, for two hours. While being transported to Bloomington, he attacked the deputies and threw one off the wagon to make his escape. He was run over by the wagon (but survived) and exhibited many more symptoms of madness on the journey.
Such were the joys of marriage in McLean County in 1885. This incident took place not that far from the famous White Oak Road murder, where another man grew weary of a wife taken in haste.