Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-13
AFFAIR At URDANA
Further Details of the Blowing Up
Of the Monitor Office and
Burrell's Store.
killing Of Clarence Burrell Has
Aroused Intense Excitement
Reward is offered.
Every Effort Being Put Forth to
Capture Guilty Parties-The
Denison Wreck.

Vinton. Nov. 13.-Nothing since the
Novak tragedy at Walford, this county,
two years ago, has so stirred UP this
community as the mysterious crime
committed att, an early hour Saturday
morning in the quiet little village of
Urbana, ten miles northeast of here. In
which the life of one of the bright and
promising young men of the county was
taken and over $4,000 worth of proper
" destroyed. An investigation at the
scene OF the strange affair has been
made by your correspondent, from
which the following details are given:
The people of Urbana We're awakened
at 2:l5 in the morning by what they at
once supposed was a discharge of dyna-
mite, and before they could realize
what had happened the report was fol-
lowed by another and much larger ex-
plosion, which aroused the entire viii
lage, men, women and children rushing
in wild excitement to the streets. The
first explosion was at the Monitor of
flee, weekly newspaper published by
Fisher Bros, where it appears that dy-
Mantle must have been placed under
the floor in the rear of the building
The building is a total wreck, and the
press, type, furniture, fixtures, stock,
material, and in fact the entire contents
of the building and office are pied,
appearing as if taken up, shaken alto
gether and dropped. On hearing this
explosion Mr.. j. ID. Burrell, who, with
h fn tl, h
dwelling situated perhaps fifty feet east
of the large two-story building owned.
and where Mr.. BurrelI has for many
years conducted a successful merchan-
Idising and banking business, arose and
his two sons and himself rushed for the
store to see that everything there was
all right. Clarence Burrell, the second
son, bright and promising young man
10 years of age, was a little ahead of
his father and brother Will. 1t seems
he got Immediately in front of the
store when, without a moments warn
ing, he was hurled into eternity, his
father and brother being on the lawn
of their dwelling place, less than forty
feet away. Clarence was thrown from
the walk into tho middle of the street,
being struck by several pieces of the
shattered building. One stick struck
him, passing entirely through his body
and directly through the heart. There
We're several wounds upon the body,
any one of which would have caused in
slant death. The first theory of the
crime was that it had been committed
| to cover up the robbery of the safe in
| the bank, but an examination of the
| safe shows everything intact and that
| it had not even been tempered with
and the most apparent cause for the
| dastardly deed seems to be pure devil
| ishness. There was nothing Of value
J taken from the office of the Monitor
| and so far as could be ascartained OF
| judged nothing of value had been taken
| from the store of Mr.. Burrell. This is
the third fire for Mr.. Burrell since he
/ has been engaged in business in the
place, all apparently of mysterious or
| igin, and he is at a loss to understand
| who would care to harm a hair of his
1 head. He stated to q reporter that he
was not aware that ne had a single en-
/ envy who would want to harm him.
His building was a two-story frame
/ 44x46 occupied below by his genera
store and bank, and above by the l. O
10. F., who owned the portion of tbs
building occupied by them, and by the
/ NIasons and Brotherhood, who rented {
room, and by Mr.. Burrell for the stor-
age of goods.
1 The excitement over the tragedy anC
/ more especially the killing of Clarence
! Burrell was so great that nothing va!
saved from any part of the BURNING
building. The Monitor office will suffe
a loss of 1000 from the explosion
/ which will have to be borne by them, "a
/ the insurance liability would not cove
damage from explosion. Mr.. Burrell
y loss will be fully 5000, with $1,000 in
surance on the stock in the Farmers, o
Cedar Rapids; $500 insurance on tn
building in the same company and $40
insurance on the furniture and fixtures
and $500 insurance on the building IL
the Hawkeye Insurance Company Q
Des Moines, making total of SS,lo
worth of insurance.
The /. o. O. F. carried $500 insuranc
in the Farmers on their hall and furni
ture, but their loss will exceed $1,000, f
d. Troxel, one of the active members o
the Vinton fire department. who hap
pened to be in the place at work at hi
trade, did valiant work, and it wa
:. through his heroic efforts that tn
dwelling of Mr.. Burrell, situated abou
fifty feet east of the burned building
was saved from destruction.
The little village was thronged a
day with excited and anxious visitors
On the faces of all could be seen eN
pressions of sorrow and sympathy 70
the unfortunate sufferers. and the gen
eral expression OF the vast crowd seem
ed to be that the dastardly deed wa
committed by some one in retaliatio
for an imaginary grievance.
! County Attorney NJ. j. Tobin, tn
; sheriff and large number of Ninto
people, as Well as officers from Black
, hawk and Buchanan counties, We're o
= the scene by daylight and thoroug
5 investigation of the case is going OF
, | but up to the present time not tn
slightest clue has been secured, saw
the report that a strange man was see
in the village Friday evening and coul
not be found Saturday morning. EN
: erybody in the village is at an utter los
D to comprehend the motive for such
j. crime. as never in the history of til
: place had there been feud of an
kind. and so far as known, neither NJ
Fisher nor Mr. Burrell have any enc
mics who would resort to such tactic
!, for revenge. 1t is evident, however, tha
i both explosions occurred from the sam
. cause, and 1t was undoubtedly the inter