Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-03-10


now the university law department
building.
Dell Balderson, the young man who
confessed to numbering old man
Goodale in Union county two years
ago, has been released by the Alton
police after few days confinement.
At the trial Balderson was proved to
be insane, and he and "A man he impli-
Gated were acquitted. Balderson left
the country and returned to Alton last
week, his appearance causing consider
able uneasiness.
Suit for $4,000 damages for alleged
SANDER was begun at Keohuk a few
days ago by c. II. Leas, manager of the
Hamelton Mill Company, against Will
liam Ruddick, of Gregory, Mo. 1t is
charged that Ruddick maliciously, and
for the purpose of injuring Leas in his
business, stated that plaintiff was no
good, was a scoundrel and had stolen
so bushels of corn. Mr.. Leas very
naturally claims that he has already
been in iured in his business as grain
dealer, and has felt keenly the disgrace
of being falsely charged with crime.
Marshal Mara, of Iowa City, arrested
Boston Clay, negro wanted at Mus
catine, on charges of perjury and
subornation of perjury in connection
with the Mahin, Kessinger and Rosen-
berger dynamite case. Clay is Il
brother-in-law of Negro Robinson, who
was brought to Muscatine recently
from the penitentiary, and is charged
with being implicated with his brother,
Tom Clay, and the convict in giving
testimony on the strength of which
innocent men were arrested for house
wrecking.
A peculiar case of sickness was
recently reported in Henry county.
The attending physician was unable to
decide what it was, and called To his
aid all the leading physicians of the
county. To the horror OF the com
munity it was diagnosed to be Asiatic
leprosy and the unfortunate victim,
Lewis Korngable, prominent and
well-to-do farmer, can only account
for the loathsome disease from the fact
! that he came in contact with some one
suffering from it while enroute to the
country from Europe.
A tragedy, resulting in the fatal
shooting of Mrs. A. NJ. Patterson, by
her husband, and his death by his own
Of
question whether it was murder and
suicide, or an act intentional on the
part of both was disproved by letter
both parents left to the children, in
suicide for some time and resolved to
die together. Opposed to this theory,
however, is the fact that when found,
the wife, who had retired and was in
night robe, had one arm across her
face, as if to shield it, and bullet in
the arm. while her husband was fully
dressed Mr.. and Mrs. Patterson went
to Madison from Algona, Iowa, for the
purpose of educating their children at
the State university,
A. j. Eitman and wife, of jefferson,
were parties to confagration that
terminated fortunately. Mrs. Eitman
had ironed during the day and hung
the clothes on rack that was placed
by the stove when the family retired
at night. Sometime during the night
the rack fell over against the stove and
the clothes took fire. AS the garments
burned that side of the rack was light
ened and it tipped back, going over the
other way and striking Il shelf upon
which there was a box of matches.
The box fell upon the bed occupied by
Mr.. and Mrs. Eitman and in some way
was ignited, setting fire to the bed
clothes. About this time the occu-
pants awokc and their bewildered eyes
beheld room filed with flames and
smoke. Mr. Eitman ran out and called
for help, but no one heard him and he
and his wife went to work to try and
save the house, and after hard strug-
gle actually extinguishcd the flames
although Mr.. Eitman's hands were
badly burned. The loss is small and
covered by insurance.
Some time ago A. f. Powers was
brought to Marshalltown by an officer
and lodged in Jail, charged with swind-
ling O. +. Anderson, Marshall county
farmer, out of $500 on land deal
Powers acted in the capacity of agent
for some southern land and Anderson
authorized him to buy tract for him.
Powers pretended to have done so and
told Anderson he had advanced $500 of
his own money to bind the bargain,
whereupon Anderson gave him his
check for the amount Instead of APP
plying it upon the alleged purchase
Powers had the check cashed pocketcd
the money and skipped to Kansas. The
matter was settled few days ago
however, by Henry c. Asp, a brother
in-law of Powers, arriving from Guth
rie, Okala., and paying Anderson the
amount of which he was defraudcd. as
well as the costs in the case. Then, in
order to save the county further costs,
the officers agreed to proceed no fur
thcr with the prosecution and the pris-