The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-18
HUNG AN INNOCENT MAN.
The Awful Work of a Masked Cour
in Iowa.
From ne Chieaoo HeroI

rum tfte lHANAst AeFAs4-
OTTUNwA, IA, Jan. 4-One fine day In
the fall OF 1881 Christian McCallister drove
into Abba aud drew from the Monroe
County Bank sum Of money. This began
a series of tragedies as strange as were ever
recorded.
McCallister lived near Blakesburg with
his wife and his father aud mother. He re-
turned home from Abba directly. The
next evening he was called to the door by a
knock. He stepped out and was never seen
alive by his relatives afterward. The next
morning his headless body was found about
twenty feet from the door Of the house, and
the bead itself was discovered some hundred
feet farther on. The skull had been crushed
by blow from some dull instrument. and
the head was severed from the trunk by
an ak.
Biakesburg at that time was not the most
enlightened community known, and the
residents had some very pronounced ideas
concerning the proprieties. But, with all
their moral idiosyncrasies. the tragedy of
the McCallister farm aroused such excite
ment as had never been felt there even dur
ing the most stirring revival times. Young
McCallister was a general favorite, aud to
avenge his death was generally accepted as
the true duty Of BlakesburR. During the
early morning hours after the dis
covery Of the body the scene at
man in the community. The only things
which seemed to offer q probable clew to the
murderer's identity we're preserved in the
slightly frozen soil, clear and distinct. the
footprints, made the evening prior by the
murderer as he walked from the lane to
the house and around the body. These were
numerous enough, and singular enough
fhn t2NVT- axrfv, li.rl xy
formed boot-to attract attention, ana some
Hawkshaw made plaster cast Of one the
tracks. It was afksrward used in evidence
in one of the most noted murder trials in
the annals of Iowa.
Among the earliest arrivals at the Nc
Calllster farm on the morning IN question
was Pleasant Anderson. He was one Of the
numerous tribes OF Andersons who had
lived long enough in that section to TO gain
a decidedly unenviable reputation. but
Pleas was huge brute, built and muscled
like giant, with bad disposition, a gen-
eral contempt for other men, and disa-
greeable habit of visiting condign punish
ment On those who incurred his displeasure.
1t was this that subsequently, got Ander-
son into deep trouble.
Anderson, who was a United States deputy
marshal and Cedar Rapids detective, took
charge of the case at once, and under his
general directions, the search for the MUIR
derer was commenced. Rewards to a con.
siderable amount were offered and many
guesses were made, but no murderers were
found. Two young men were arrested and
confined in the school house. They easily
| established their innocence and were res
leased not. however, until Pleas Anderson
had pleasantly suggested that they be taken
out and hanged little while IN order to ac-
| celerate q confession.
After these young fellows had gained
| their liberty the matter apparently slum-
| bered, for but little was heard of it, and
| affairs at Blakesburg dropped back into
their old way of going. and Chris McCallis-
ter was no longer talked about except now
and then as the local VidocQs got together
and wondered why their efforts had never
been crowned with SUCCESS. Meantime
| Pleas Anderson added to his unpopularity
in various ways, and the Monroe County
Bank Of Abba passed to the realm of the
has been. At no time had the search for
McCallister's murderer died out entirely.
One day In June, 1888, warrant was
sworn out before Justice Orr In Ottumwa,
charging Pleas and William Anderson with
the murder of McCallister. They were ar
rested and brought to trial. So deep was
the interest felt that the hearing Of the case
| was had in the main court room at the
county court house in order that the throng
of curious people might be accommodated.
| Fifteen days was consumed in the prelimi-
| nary hearing. A chain Of circumstantial
evidence that would ordinarily serve to
| hang a man was constructed around Pleas
| ant Anderson. His boot fitted the tracks
made by the murderer; the plaster cast and
| the boot were identical; a shoemaker
who made the boots identified them
positively; Chris McCallister's skull was
brought into court und the deep de-
preston in it was exactly fitted by the end
/ I'M. a IL
| Bill Anderson turned states evidence aud
swore he sat in the road, holding his horse
and the one Pleas rode. while Pleas called
McCallister out ard killed him. McCallis-
ter's father and mother both swore they
overheard the short conversation betwe cen
their son and his slayer, end that it was
! Andersons voice they heard. Over aud
against this, which was backed by cloud
of witnesses eli anxious to testify to Ander-
sons bad character, was the unqualified
| statement of the defendant that he did not
kill the man, backed by the testimony of
| his wife and child to the effect that the hus>
| band and father was at home at the time
| the crime was committed, and considerable
testimony to show Bill Anderson's general
untrustworthy character.
Bill Anderson swore that Pleas had prom.
ised to give him a cultivator in return for
his assistance. He said that on one other
occasion he and Pleas had paid midnight
visit TO old Sam Phinney's house, and, on
calling the old man to the door, Pleas had
taken a shot at him. ut would be lots of
fun to shoot at old man Phinney }" Pleas had
said, and he had given Bill harrow as a
reward for his company and subsequent
discretion. All this was denied by Pleas,
but he was held to court without bail to
await trial on the charge of murder.
During the next six months Anderson was
frequently visited In jail by the writer, to
whom he invariably protested his innocence,
although on several occasions tacitly ad-
uniting he knew more about the case than
be would care to tell. But public opinion
generally held that the murderer Of Chris
McCallister was at last safe In jail
While this was in progress at Ottumwa,
I'D at Abba the farmers and others who had
been losers in the Monroe County Bank
failure were making things mighty interest
ing for Dan Miller. the cashier, and Sam
Miller, sheriff of Monroe county, his
partner. Dan Miller was under arrest,
charged with forgery. and was held in jail
at Ottumwa awaiting trial on some ninety
seven counts He and Anderson had unin-
terrupted communication with each other
for more than two months, when Miller was
tried on three counts and sentenced to seven
and one-half years imprisonment at Fort
Madison.
Dan Miller had been a Sunday school
SUPERINTENDENT at Abba and a prominent
church worker. His wife was a gentle lady
of refinement, and he had two as sweet
l. T.. u. f.