Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-05
BY wM. N. DoNNEL.

During Inc early SCuichebtm uiN
.ounty some portions OF it were in
,s.ted with thieves. Being sparcely
Titled. with no railroads or tele-
'rrsph lines, excellent opportunities
wer. afforded for the escape and se-
,retion of persons with stolen prop
.,,v Horse stealing was extensive
To- carried on by All organized hand,
Win extended their route from hide
,,pndencp, Missouri, northeast, by
wav of Red Rock Marion county,
and Fairfield, up the Mississippi riv-
.r terminating at Prairie du CHEN.
sometimes these marauders would
Lriup negroes with them from Mis-
s,nri. for the purpose of returning
them and obtaining the rewards Of
fpred for the capture Of runaway
slaves. They also extended their
business to the robbipg of stores and
stables. hiding with their booty in
the thickly. wooded ravines by day,
and travelling by night. An instance
in which this gang was foiled in a
contemplated raid upon the village
IT Red Rock, is worth relating:- -
In the summer of lS4S, l.. III. Ba-
her kept store in this place, and
employed a young man named Tho's
StaDfield as salesman during pro-
tracted absence at ST. Louis for goods.
Stapfield boarded at the residence of
a man named Bowen--a man of
rough department, and notorious for
drunkenness. He was scorcely ever
known to he sober, and, with two
other dissipated idlers about town,
named Leach and Tusaro, was sus-
pected of getting his subsistence
by dishonest means. However, he
and Young Stanfield were intimate
friends, and Bowen frequently man
Tested a confidence and interest in
the youth that reused a suspicion in
the latter that led him to wish to in
yestigate what was ut first couched
in mysterious hints thrown out by
the former during his drunken fits.
"Tom," he would often say, in con-
fdental manner, when they were
alone, 81 could tell you way that
YOU and could make our living ca
sier than by hard work" And Tom
would respond that he was in for
anything that would prove profita-
ble-he was for easy work and big
pay, no matter what the character of
the business might be. This was in
tended to humor his friend, strength
en- his confidence, and lead to Il reve-
latiOn of what he feared was intend
ed for mischief to somebody.
One Sunday, after having repeated
his desire to initiate his young friend
into the easy and profitable business
in question, and having received the
apparently confidential acquiescence
of the latter, Bowen invited Tom to
rendezvous at the store, after dark,
where he was to let him into the
whole secoet, and Tom was to join
in the enterprise. Feeling much ex-
cited on the subject, and DESTROYS of
knowing the whole truth, the young
man consented to the interview, and
promised to become party in the
enterprise. He arranged to be at the
store lwhere he lodged nights first,
and there was to be joined by Bowen
at certain hour; and then the
whole matter was to be talked over,
and all necessary arrangements made
for AN organized movement.
Tom, however, was not DESTROYS of
bearing so heavy secret alone. The
responsibility of 50 mOmentous an
affair was altogether too much for
him. He needed counsel, and decid
ed to confide the matter to Elias Will
liams, young man "a few years his
senior, who was then at Red Rock,
studying medicine under DIR. Matth-
eWs, aud ask his aid in the emergen-
CIV. lie therefore went to see Will
liams, and asked him to take walk
with him, stating that he had some
thing Of Importance to reveal To him,
and needed his help. Williams,
thinking it might be some love affair
of his friends, accompanied him to
the shelter of the grove north OF
town. Here Stantield told the doctor
Of the intended interview with Bow
en-, and why he believed il was in
tended for mischief. Not wishing to
be alone with such man as Bowen,
ut such "A time and I'm such a place,
and also desiring a witness to the in
terview, he asked Williams what he
t,slld do to help him. A plan was
hereupon arranged for the doctor to
be present. 1t required much eau
tWii w eACtuiS sbC pau dh'o'Ni ~"
by Bowen, but the doctor was on the
alert, and got 10 the store in time.
In the ceiling, directly over the
counter, wrS square hole, just large
enough tn admit a person through to
the unfinished loft. Through this
hole Williams, aided by his confed-
crate, managed to squeeze himself
There being no upper floor, and the
lath being unsafe for heavy person
to rest upon, the doctor was obliged
to stretch himself upon log Jolst,
making his position as easy ~ posi-
bic bo placing blanket under him.
Just after having disposed himself
In this position, with his head near
the aperture, the better to hear all
that might be said, Bowen made his
presence known at the door, and was
admitted. As he stepped within, he
thrust both hands into the pockets OF
his pants, and drew forth couple OF
small, sieel-barrelled revolvers, and,
looking sternly at his companion. as
he held them before him, cooked, he