Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-02-25

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at Waterloo that the man is insane,
but the facts are being investigated.
Thomas and Frank Brown, Frank
Keys and Dick Sharkley, all single
men except the latter, were sentenced
to the penitentiary by Judge Towner,
of the Union county court. Sharkey
goes to Anamosa for five years and the
others to Fl. Madison for four years
each. They were all convicted of bur-
glary.
| Persons in the vicinity of the cloth
ing store owned and controlled by John
Myers, of Adair, heard the report of a
revolver in the rear of the building.
Several friends rushed in and found
Myers bleeding profusely from bullet
wound under his left ear. He had
committed suicide by shooting himself
with a 32-caliber revolver and death
was almost instantaneous. Myers was
| so years old and in moderate circum-
| stances. He was we'll known in that
section of the country, having moved
there from Dexter some six or seven
| years ago. He leaves wife and
daughter is years of age. The only
cause advanced for the deed is depres-
sion In business.
The democratic state central COM
mittee will hold q meeting in Des
Moines February 81 for the purpose of
fixing the time for holding the state
convention and selecting the place and
to transact such other business as may
be brought before it at the time. 1t is
believed there will be lively compe-
tition for the convention among the
cities of the state. Des Moines will be
candidate for the convention should
the committee see fit to call it for that
city, but will not make an effort to
secure it. Dubuque is after it and will
make strong effort, while it is
understood Davenport, Council Bluffs
and Cedar Rapids will also make bids
for it, The indications now are it will
go either to Dubuque or Des Moines,
with the chances favorable to Dubuque,
where a convention of the party has
not been held for a number of years.
| The little town of Mount Sterling
was the scene of n tragedy in the
killing of II. NJ. Smith by L. Kirby.
They had been having some trouble,
which is said to have originated over
some money matters. They met in the
postoffice about o'clock in the after
| Nom oD1 ,aS,r,a1 tba;r 5;copectop af
| their affairs. Their words soon
| brought on a fight, which ended by
| Kirby drawing revolver and shooting
Smith in the head. The bullet struck
him squarely in the middle of the
forehead, passed clear through his
head and shattered window pane in
front of the postoffice. Smith lived but
two hours, all of which time he was
unconscious, and was in that condition
! when he died. Kirby went to
Keosauqua and surrendered himself to
the authorities there. Kirby is the
representative of nursery concern
and Smith was a mechanic.
A dispatch from Iowa Falls says:
Joseph Harper, farmer living north
east of town, lost nine head of steers
within forty-eight hours after turning
the herd into the stalks. The disease
seemed to attack them in the most
virulent form, and just before death
they became raving mad and attacked
everything and everybody who crossed
their path. In attempting to corral
them several men narrowly escaped
being seriously injured, one old gentle
man being knocked senseless by one
of the Infatuated beasts. No one seems
able to explain this mysterious disease,
but farmers are inclined TO attribute it
to the smut" that cxudes from the
corn stalks, while others assign various
causes for the disease. Hardly farmer
who has turned his stock into the corn
stalks the past fall and winter has
escaped the loss of one or more head
of cattle. Various remedies have been
applied, but to no avail, and the
average farmer is becoming skeptical
on the question of corn stalk fodder.
DR.. j. Z. Wilkinson, one of the lead
ing physicians of Ottumwa, is on trial
in the district court for the alleged
killing of Miss Hattie Marsh, who died
on October 10 last of a criminal opcr-
alton. Circumstances point with
reasonable directness to the guilt of
the defendant. Much time has been
spent in the argument of what is said
to be a new and very important law
point-whether or not the physician
who attended the girl at the time of
her death and heard from her lips the
alleged facts of the case of her health
should be allowed to tell the same on
the witness stand, and in the hearing
of the jury. The defense essays to
contend that such facts are not
admissible, because of their having
been given him in response to questions
asked by him in his diagnosis of the
case and to assist him in properly
treating said case, and that they there
fore were privileged communications
made by the deceased to her physician.
This identical question has never before
been passed upon by supreme court,
and very likely never before presented.
The decision by Judge Eichelberger