Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-07
'0UTsIDE POINT OF VIEW.

:souTslDE POINT OF VIEW !:
ss-s-s-se-.-s-.-s-s-s-s-e-s-
Written for the Times Republican.
Marshall county has had within the
past few years three terrible murder
cases. and the perpe traitors are in each
cases, and the perpetrators are in each
murder is no greater case of mystery
than the one at LaMoille or the last
double murder of the brakemen near
Luray. What adds to the Improbable
ty of detection and conviction Of these
FLOODED murderers is that no liv-
ling witnesses of any one of the three
cases are known. Tramps are supposed
to have murdered the brakemen, but
there are fairly good reasons to suppose
they also committed the bloody work at
LaMoille and Green Mountain, and the
writer Just now has laid down a paper
giving the account of a deadly assault
on another Great Western brakeman at
Oelwein. Citizens not only of Marshall
county but all over the state are Begin
ming to ask, has not the time arrived
for general state action on the tramp
business?
Put 1t down as fact that 90 per cent
of the tramps in Iowa today are nothing
more nor less than highwaymen. The
honest tramp, the one really seeking
work, has found it. This 80 per cent are
tramping to avoid work. Again, a large
percentage of these highwaymen are
armed with revolvers and other weap-
ons. Press reports show they shoot upon
peace officers and citizens with little
provocation. Once more it can be stat
ed with no exaggeration that life and
property are not safe in any railroad
yard in Iowa a quarter of a mile from
the depot. this after midnight. Travel
ers who ride on freight trains and get
out of a caboose in the night a little dis
lance from the depot are only safe from
tramps when there is a party of two or
more to walk together down to the de-
pot, and this is no idle warning. Trav-
elers in Iowa now take great chances of
| being held up" If they get off trains at
any one of twenty junction points any
| time after 9 o'clock in the evening. We
have many functions in Iowa where the
| depot is the only building sometimes
\ for mile away. There is no night OPP
| orator and these functions are tramp
| headquarters. All trains have to stop
for these crossings and tramps can thus
get out in any direction. The reader
should bear in mind all this is in Iowa,
In 1899. not in Italy. where brigandage
tlourshes.
| And yet there is a simple cure for this
tramp curse, only it seems radica
one. for it is just the opposite plan we
| now pursue. The cure is to stop the
| tramp. not cause him to move on. We
are now compelling him to pursue his
ation-move on, tramp. 1t is more
than probable. then, IL the proper off,
GERS at all towns adjoining MARSHALL
4 town had stopped the tramps on the day
/ preceding the murder of these two
| brakemen the railroad men would have
/ been alive today The probable murder
4 ers at Green Mountain at midnight, or
4 the one al LaMoille at O'Clock in the
4 morning, if safely locked up the night
| before, could not have executed their
4 horrible butchery. And right here some
! one is saying this is impracticable.
4 Look at the expense involved! Sup
i posing q general state law to the effect
/ that all tramps found in Iowa on the
i first day of October would be arrested,
4 would Marshalltown. Tama, Nevada
| Union or Gr!nnell have any more on
1 their hands October 1st than they do to-
4 night? Would any of the smaller towns
Il north. south, east or west have larger
i number than they have tonight? OF
4 course not, simply because those from
4 Nevada or Tama the city marshal OF
4 those towns has ordered out of town on
4 the previous plan of move on" have
d not arrive in Marshalltown. Grinnell
and Eldora will not receive the daily
:; contingent from Marshalltown, because
, Marshalltown has stopped them. After
!, the stopping has occurred then comes
the question of food anu shelter. Give
all stopped" tramps supper and lodg-
ing. Those that will go to work on the
streets the next morning feed them ane
pay them small sum of money FOL
; such work Detain every tramp 10 days
unless extra special reasons are shown
. why he should be allowed to move on.
!. Then give him his liberty, with small
sum of money and certificate from thu
oil mayor, showing he has worked 10 day:
t for the city. To those who will no
! work, lock them up and feed them or
3 good bread and pure water, nothing
! more, until they die or go to work. Thi,
t is a much cheaper plan, Will cost tn
Il citizens of Iowa much less than ou
present system of making them" NOV,
] on" 1t is humane, 1t is reformatory, !
oil is a benevolence to the honest tramp
: BIT is not original by any means with tn
: writer, for it is the substance of tn
t system Germany, has successful!
: adopted in dealing with the tramps IL
S that country. Iowa having such Law
would soon be rid OF much of the traml
\ curse.
ii But not to wait for more legislation
i this should be done at once and every
n where in Iowa. All tramps should b
e searched for concealed weapons. Their
s is no excuse for allowing these desper
: ate characters to be armed, and clos
: observers say three-quarters of then
s carry a deadly weapon of some kind
d This much can be done now, at leas
t give our railroad men an even chanc
s in dealing with them, for not one rail
n road man in fifty is armed while follow
u ing his occupation. In the arrangement
e of affairs, 1T does seem that such awfu
t murders as those of these brakemer
: have to occur before society wakes u
o to its duty. Some terrible object lesso