Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-03-31

been sentenced to six months at Fort
Madison. He met the girl on her way
from the school house to her home and
asked her to ride with him. She did
so and he whipped up the horses, car
rying the girl into Madison county,
where they remained all night at a
farmers house. She was IA years old.
Harry Holiday, a young society man
of Burlington, went hunting, and in
crawling through rail fence his gun
was discharged, tearing away the
lower portion of his left leg, making
amputation necessary. He had ~
policy in an accident insurance com
pany which called for s., 500 in case of
the loss of either hand or foot. The
company refused to pay over $500. on
the ground that when he left his Office
and went hunting he became a profess
sional hunter. 1t is needless to say
that jury required but a short time
to decide that he was entitled to the
entire amount he claimed-$2, 500.
The Burlington police have broken
up and arrested a gang of toughs in
that city who have been committing
all sorts of depredatioIs, headed by a
lad IS years of age. They reached the
climax when they inveigled little
boy living in their neighborhood into
vacant building and tied him hand
and foot in the cellar of the house in
mass of dirt and vermin. After work
ing the child up to pitch of terror
almost sufficient to render him insane,
set fire to the building, decamping at
once and leaving him to be roasted
alive. Fortunately passers-by heard
his cries, and seeing the flames, re-
leased him and put out the fire before
much damage was done to the building.
Whitlock & Fields banking house at
Ladora was entered by burglars few
nights ago, who blew into fragments
the time lock on the safe and got away
with about 81 900 There is no clue to
the robbers, except that the handcar of
the section men was taken from the
house and left three miles from
Marengo, where two strange men
entered the depot and purchased
tickets to Davenport. A reward of
$500 has been offered by the bank
officials for the apprehension of the
bank robbers. The vault was blown
open in the same manner as was the
safe in the vault. The burglars left
bundle of 81 200 in a drawer that they
partially emptied. Quite a number
heard the noise, but did not know
what it was. The job was evidently
done by experts.
Deputy United States Marshal Gray
mas rounded up three men who have
been impersonating governments officers
in the south part of the state. All
have been held to answer to the charge
at the spring term of the federal court.
Frank Florey Is the complaining wit
ness in the particular case in which
they were bound over. He was engaged
in bootlegging at Davis City. John
Allen, Franz Hamilton and Kay Harp,
the men under arrest, went to him and
pretending that Allen was United
States marshal with warrant for his
arrest induced him to give up to them
all the liquor he had, as well as
considerable sum of money. Then
they told him the best thing he could
do was to get over into Missouri.
Instead of doing so he made inquiries,
and ascertaining that he had been
imposed upon he caused the information
TO be filed. 1t is claimed the same Job
has been worked on number of retail
dealers in liquor in the south part of
the state, but the officers cannot con-
pect these men with them.
The wife of Christian Eckstrom.
well known bad man of Burlington,
who has been in numerous cutting and
shooting scrapes, left him on account
of his brutal and cruel treatment and
went to her sister at West Burlington
and there Eckstrom followed her. He
was warned away, but was finally
allowed 10 zee ner. lie tnen went I'D Il
store and purchased revolver. The
salesman suspected trouble and loaded
the revolver with rim fire cartridges.
Eckstrom returned revolver IN hand.
Although warned away, he reached
the front door and forced his way in.
His wife and the family ran screaming
into the other rooms and Eckstrom
followed, making repeated efforts TO
shoot them, swearing that they all
should die. At this point Riley Whit
ten, his brother-in-law, opened fire,
shooting Eckstrom in the side and
back, but failing to stop him and only
infaming his anger. Eckstrom thea
attacked Written, whose life was
saved by the timely arrival of neigh
bors armed with shot guns. One of
the neighbors shot Eckstrom twice.
When the smoke cleared away Mrs.
Eckstrom was unconscious from fright
and Eckstrom dead, revolver in hand,
on the Threshold of the room into
which he had chased the women and
children. Over 100 shots were found
in his body in addition to the revolver