Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-03-11
IOWA CONDENSED.

Fire at Ottumwa recently completely
destroyed the stock of the Hub Cloth
ing Company, causing loss of $4,000.
Pallister Bros, cigar manufacturers,
who occupied the second floor, sustain
ed loss of 81 900, and the building
owned by 3. Hoffman was damaged
81 ,OOO The loss is covered by insur-
ance. The cause is unknown.
Des Moines dispatch: Henry Wal
lace has begun suit for $50 900 damages
for alleged libel against James Pierce
and the Homestead. Mr.. Pierce, who
is editor of the Homestead. on two
occasions, Octobers. 1897. and February
10. 1898, charged Mr.. Wallace, who is
editor of VILLAGES Farmer, with hav
ing been bribed for 81 900 to advocate
the gold standard during the national
campaign of 1886.
Charles Gerber, refined and cdu
Gated German, is in Jail at Council
Bluffs for obtaining money on worth
less drafts. He has secured cash in
small amounts from many tradesmen
in several western Iowa towns. At
the city Jail he broke down. He said
between sobs that he was Ga years old.
his home address is 314 Fulton street
Brooklyn. n. Y; that he is connected
with the firm Of Gerber & Co. of that
city and that his sons are well to do.
At Cedar Rapids recently Alfred S.
Healey, stcnographer in the general
offices of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids
& Northern road. shot Miss Libbie
Brauschand twice. once over the heart
and again in the breast, killing her
instantly, and then. turning the re-
volver on himself, sent a bullet through
his head just above the temple. There
is no cause known for the tragedy.
Healey has been boarding and rooming
at the Brauschand home since last
September, but SO far as known he and
the girl were not lovers and had not
been known to have had any trouble.
The girl was not yet II years old. She
and Healey had just returned from
church. whittier they had been accom-
panied by the girls mother and Il
young woman friend. Healey is dead.
Judge Holmes, of the district court
of Polk county. has sustained the
motion Of Attorney General Remley to
strike from the answer of eX-Secretary
Of State W. NJ. Mcfarland those por-
tons which refer to the executive
council of the state. The suit of the
attorney general was against Mr.. Nc
Farland to recover for misdoings
alleged in the petition to have been
done by Mcfarland in his capacity as
secretary of state. McFarland in his
answer. set up that the executive
council had directed him to pay census
clerks such salaries and to do things of
which the attorney general complained
and that only as a member of the
executive council was he responsible
for his acts as secretary of state. The
attorney general thereupon moved to
strike out the parts of the answer
which related to the executive council
Judge Holmes has sustained the
motion. 1t is a victory for the state.
Des Moines dispatch: The American
School Book Company received knock
out blow at the hands of Judge Wool
son. of the United States circuit court,
in it's libel damage case against Presi-
dent Gates of Iowa college. Fourteen
Of the fifteen counts in it's petition for
100000 damages were stricken out.
The fifteenth paragraph or count Of
the petition sets forth a quotation from
the pamphlet to the effect that when
the American School Book company
secured a monopoly of the book trade
in a state or county it puts out-of-date
books in the schools. or that books
were furnished that are the laughing
stock of intelligent and progressive
teachers. and are of little real merit.
1t was charged that these books have
been foisted on whole states for a long
period of years. With reference to
this statement, the court ncld that if
it is false and malicious it is libel,
because it refers to and questions the
methods employed by the plaintiff in
the conduct of it's business, and is
actionable without allegation of
special damages and is susceptible of
proof.
$25, 900 to loan at once upon improved
town properties. Good agents wanted.
Iowa Deposit g. Loan Co., Des Moines, la