Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-24
TRAMP FiENDs.
shoot Two Brakemen and Throw
Them Under TraIu.

Shoot Two Brakemen and Throw
Them Under Train.
Des Moines, Aug. 23.-C. Matthews,
of South Des Moines, and j. Z. Wilson,o of
Oelwein. brakemen on the Chicago
Great Western railway, We're murdered
and thrown from a freight train two
miles west of Marshalltown at 1880
Monday night. There is no doubt that
the crime was committed by three
tramps who were seen to board the
train at Marshalltown.:
An eye witness to the shooting has
been found in the person of Joe Maui
chi, who is employed as night track
walker by the Northwestern. He says
he saw the train pass and in the bright
moonlight observed the three tramps
on the coal car, and the two brakemen
with lanterns, apparently arguing with
them. He stood and watched the train,
and a moment later, after it had pass
ed him, he saw the flashes of the re-
volver or revolvers and heard three
shots, two in quick succession and one
a little later. Then he saw the tramps
drop something between the cars and
| in a few minutes leap to the ground
and disappear in the shadows. He was
badly frightened and. did not go over
to the Great Western tracks to make
an investigation and did not report
what he had seen until after he heard
of the murder.
Two men have been arrested at
Boone on instructions of Sheriff Nc
Pherson. of Marshalltown. The men
answer to the descriptions sent out
and they give their names of Boston"
Kelly and James Il. Weleh. They We're
heard in Oskaloosa Tuesday morning
by Jailer Maxwell discussing the num-
her of shots fired, but whether discuss
! ing the murder of the brakemen was
not revealed.
\ trio of suspects is under arrest at
| keystone, a town on the Milwaukee
east of Elebron. The men are said to
answer the description in general
way OF tine supposed murderers.
4 Tuesday night a posse from Mar
shalltown consisting of Deputy Sheriff
Garvey, City MARSHALL Jones, Consta-
BILE Nicholson, Detective Clarey of the
Great Western. Rudolph Henry. F..
Northrup, Marshall Anderson and w.
C. Rails went to Grinnell and thence
to Dixie. They arrived at Dixie about
midnight. The supposed murderers
had been tracked to near that point.
The suspects could not be found that
evening. They were reported, ,howey-
er, half mile north coming southland
were supposed to be trying to get TO
Grinnell on a freight train. "A part of
the posse boarded "a freight which
came along. When the train reached
Grinnell Deputy Sheriff Garrey dis
covered man on the brake beam and
ordered him to surrender, The man
eraNled to the opposite-side of the ear
i and jumped off. He wasjseonfronted
3Eby Constable Nicholson and Rudolph
Henry. He was ordered to halt. For
reply he drew a gun from his pocket
and fired twice. One of the shots
passed close to Henry. Henry fired
twice in return. and Marshal Jones
sent two more shots after the fugitive.
The man cried as ii in pain. but did
not stop. and made good his escape. Ii
is thought the other two men did not
leave the train until the grade east of
town.was reached The searching par
ty today took an easterly and
southerly course from Grinnell, but
have not been able to apprehend their
| men.
4 A curious story, which may have a
bearing on the case against the sus-
pected murderers, comes from Osll;l-
loosa. Tuesday morning two men en-
tered saloon near the Central tracks
4 at Oskaloosa shortly after o'clock
and purchased Il i0-cent can of beer
i While the beer was being drawn one
of the tramps. said: 'sDid you hear oil
the murder up the line last night -
i The barkeepsr replied that he had not
j and then the tramp said: "One OF
4 your old police officers named Mat
thews was killed by iramps on IL Great
! Western train near Mnrshalltown.'
The bartender wanted to know how
and the fellow answered to the effect
that he had been shot six times. The
other tramp contradicted him and
made the statement that he had been
shot only three times. Having given
II few more details of the affair the
tramps went out and that was the last
seen of them. Ii is supposed that they
left the city on the east-bound Central
at 6 o'clock or perhaps by way of the
Rock Island trains that left the city
!; later.