Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-09-26
STORY OF AN IOWA HOMICIDE
Graphic Description of the Murder
of Peter Larson.
Interesting Specials From Alton, Sibley
and PIanlsinto on Complete Review of
Events Occurring in These Busy
Northwestern Towns.

MASON CITY, Ia, Sept l7.-Wm.
Darow, the supposed murderer OF Peter
Larson, is having his preliminary hear
ing at Hampton today. 1t is the gen.
eral opinion that he viii be bound over
to the grand jury, and it is the wish of
Darow and his friends that he should
be. lie tells rather crooked story
and there is no end to his talk and the
more he talks the worse the case grows
against him. 1t Is supposed that Lar
son was killed on the night of August
%, hauled off and buried. The evil
dence for this belief is based on the
finding of large pools OF blood in the
barn, horse with his throat cut badly
turned up at IA neighbours house the
following morning, blood found on
Darow's clothing, and Darow's threat
ening to kill Larson. 1t is the theory
that he was killed with an ax, his
body thrown into buggy and hauled
away and buried. Although diligent
search has been made for it no traces
have been found. lie tells story
about as follows: con Saturday, Aug
ust 90, my wife and myself
were putting up hay in the
field west of the house. Larson and
one of our neighbors were working in
the field east of the house. Larson
quit work about 1880 p. m came to the
house and put up his team. He then
went in to eat supper. My wife and
quit work about o'clock and we went
to the house and my wife got supper. |
unloaded little hay in front of the
barn, put out my team and went in and
ate supper. After supper tended my
team, did the milking and then
pumped water on the milk. / went to
bed about $40. slept all night and
was not out of bed. My wife slept
with me and was not up during the
night, got up at 5 o'clock Sunday
morning and did my chores. | started
for the hay field about 10 o'clock.
Early this spring kept in my trunk
about 5000. got this by working out
by the month. This was paid out dur
ing the summer so that | had with me
on Saturday about 500. i carried this
for | expected to buy some land that
day. On Saturday evening man
came driving in from the east and
stopped at the house and wanted to
sell some land. lie claimed to be "a
land agent. Larson went out to the
barn and put bride on the horse over
the halter and rode away. / saw Larson
but did not see the land agent. Lar
son went the east road. A short time
before Larson went away he came TO
me and said that he expected to buy a
piece of land and wanted to get some
money. / can't write, but Larson made
me out bill of sale for hogs, cows,
etc, and | gave him Sl35. lie wrote it
on the side of the milk house. That
was the last ] saw of Larson. He had
on stiff straw hat, was dressed up,
and rode away bareback. AS to the
blood on the barn floor, it is common
occurrence for the horses to kick the
hogs and they bleed around considera-
bic. On last Tuesday Larson had a
hog kicked and he was lying back of
the horses. He was not dead and Larson
and myself picked him up and threw
him back into the yard. Never
saw any blood marks on the
door and never tried to hew
off blood marks. There might have
been some blood marks in the buggy.
/ washed off the wheels about two
weeks ago. Three weeks ago picked
up dead chicken that was in the barn
and threw it into the buggy. ] hauled
it away about two miles and threw
it out by the side of the road" twas
not his custom to haul chickens SO far
away when they died To those ac-
60 20. l.
money question does not agree at all
with the facts in the case. Another
thing, on the Saturday evening in
question he was seen about / o'clock
driving rapidly north. His buggy,
horse and Darow himself were posi-
lively identified. 1t is probable that
the preliminary hearing will last sew
eral days. Darow claims that there is
a girl question involved and that Lar
son is not killed but has skipped out