Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-02
Bert Graves was found guilty in the

bert 1fdVeS was 1Ounu guilty. In the
district court of Polk county of assault
with intent to commit murder, and
there is great rejoicing in local police
circles. Bert Graves has been consid-
cred for years one of the most clever
criminals in the city of Des Moines
All attempts to fasten a crime upon
him have been unavailing He recently
shot Pat Murphy during quarrel.
Three weeks ago T. NJ Reilly, an 49,
year-old boy of Sioux City, was
stabbed while playing with compan-
ions of his own age. He has since
died. Until almost the very moment
of his death he would give no details
of the affair. Finally, however, he
declared: sit was Pat who stabbed
me-" and Immediately breathod his
last. Reilly was an employe of the
Cudahy Packing Company and the
police believe he was killed by fellow
workman whose last name they refuse
to divulge and whose promotion would
have followed Reilly's removal. He is
also alleged to have threatened the
dead boy.
A gasoline explosion in the basement
of the dry goods and clothing store of
j. M. Kittleman at Indianola wrecked
the double front plate windows, and
the stock of goods was more or less
damaged by fire and smoke, and C. d.
Meek, d. L. Reed and Ralph Ceilings,
clerks, were burned severely, Mr.. Reed
being thought dangerously SO. 1t was
a serious accident, and will result in
heavy loss to Mr.. Kittleman, perhaps
$1,000, though the goods are covered
with insurance, and worse than this,
the clerks, all leading young men of
the city, are seriously if not danger
ously burned. Prompt work on the
part of the fire company with the use
of the new water system extinguished
the flames.
A bad wreck occurred on the Omaha
road at LeMars few nights ago,
freight train being wrecked and Mr..
and Mrs. Ernest Hildebrand being kill
ed. When backing up at rate of about
four miles an hour in order to get
start to make grade, the caboosc
struck cow and was derailed. In
going over the embankment the ca
boose dragged a box car loaded with
top of the front end of the caboose,
smashing it into kindling and killing
Mr.. and Mrs. Hildebrand. The next
three cars were thrown from the
track and badly wrecked. The COW
was thrown from the track and killed.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hildebrand, when found,
were locked in each others arms. They
had lived in LeMars but short time,
and had formerly lived in Sioux City.
The law regulating letter carriers
provides they shall work eight hours
per day. In nearly every city they
were required to work overtime after
the law was enacted, but were refused
| pay for the same. The matter was
| taken to the court of claims, where a
decision was made that they were
entitled to pro rata pay for overwork.
The court of claims has recently
allowed claims of Iowa letter carriers
aggregating $500 The Des Monies
claims amounted to 81, sS2.9S. Amount
allowed other carriers: Dubuque,
S452; Davenport, S3,563; Atlantic, $500;
Clinton, 1923; Cedar Rapids, 81 1897;
Council Bluffs, SG,O43; Iowa City,
81, $50; Keokuk, S3,732; Mt. Pleasant,
Aos OF IL
$2.735; Osbaloosa, $1,7O6; Ottumwa,
$2,979. Claims from other Iowa cities
not yet adjusted.
Mrs. j. NJ. Clark, station agent of
the Chicago Great Western railway at
Durango lost five of her children in tine
recent flood and cyclone, and Tom
Griffith, a brakeman, went to his death
while making an attempt to save the
sixth. Mrs. Clark was called up dur
ing the night to report the condition
of the track by the crew of delayed
train. Accompanied by her six young
children between one and ten years of
age, she had just reached the depot
when terrific rush of water came,
carrying the depot away. Five of the
children were drowned. Thomas
Griffith, brakeman employed on the
road, made brave but Intellectual
effort to save the remaining little one
and lost his life in the attempt. Mrs.
Clark, by heroic efforts, saved one
child, although they were carried some
distance in the water.
At Omaha the jury in the Stanley
Claycomb grave robbery case returned
verdict of guilty Us charged. This
was the trial on the Helm case of
grave robbing, Claycomb having been
acquitted in the Larsen trial. Clay
comb is the man who was caught at
Des Moines with two trunks in his
possession containing human bodies.
He expected to dispose of them to the
Drake Medical college for dissecting
purposes. Later, it was discovered By
Omaha detectives that the graves Of
Mrs. Anna Larsen and Mr.. Helm, at
Mount Hope cemetery, in the outskirts
of Omaha, had been tempered with
and the bodies removed. The bodies
cb;pnad tn Des Moines prOycl TO be the