The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-20
Eliza Booker, the colored rapist.

the man who had military escort
from Ottumwa to Abba two weeks
ago to save him from an Abba mob.
An Investigation by officers into
the cause of the death of William
Jones at Jewell has developed the
startling fact that Jones was muir
cered. Jones was 20 wears of age.
and gave his home as Peoria, Ill. He
came to Jewell from Webster CITY
and about $40 in his possession, The
investigation of the police has de-
veloped startling evidence, possibly
duplicating some of the young men
OF the town and leading conclusi,ely
to the opinion that Jones was muir
dered and robbed.
Dick Crawford of Lineyille. while
drunk, went to. the residence OF his
divorced wife, broke in the door and
attacked her. He then went to the
room of James Ferris, his cousin,
boarding there, and attacked him,
threatening to kill him with a big
knife. Ferris fred two shots from
thirty-eight calibre revolver, strik-
ing Crawford in the right side of his
stomach and lodging in the muscles
OF his back. Crawford's physician
says the chances are ten to one
under arrest, and failing to give
bonds, is under guard. Ferris re-
ceived several severe slashes across
the throat and face. Crawford was
presumably jealous of Ferris.
At Ottumwa few days ago Eliza
Booker, colored, charged with the
rape of Mrs. Sarah Hoevel, white
woman residing at Abba, was found
guilty. The crime was committed
Two months ago and occasioned terri
tic excitement. For time a lynch
ing seemed inevitable, but in the end
cooler heads prevailed and justice
was permitted to take the usual
course. Defendants secured a
change of venue to Ottumwa, because
public sentiment at Abba was so
strong as to prevent an impartial
trial there. On the witness stand
Booker testified that he had fire.
quently met Mrs. Hoevel by appoint
ment, palpable falsehood. 1t had
the effect of causing Mrs. Hoevel to
faint in the court room.
A case of troubled conscience and
restitution is reported by Allyn
Bros, bankers. of Mt. Ayr. Twenty
years ago when the bank was under
the management of Norris & Allyn,
Rice township farmer had on de-
post $500. One day he went into the
bank and drew from the deposit,
which was subject to check, $3.50
Some time later he drew out the re-
malnder, and by mistake was paid
n mr. % IL. n1nn
For twenty years he had the use of
the $3.50, and he stepped into the
bank last week and related the Incl
dent to Mr.. Allyn, and wanted to paw
back the money with compound in
terest. Half the money was sent to
flr. Morris widow, at request of the
repentant farmer, and the other half
was retained by Allyn Bros.
A dispatch from Des Moines saws:
The high price of butter in Iowa is
bringing into the state large guam
titles of inferior butter that has beep
worked over, colored and doctored
with drugs to take out the offensive
smell. The price of first class cream
cry butter is 80 cents a pound in the
retail stores, but this stuff is being
worked off at several cents pound
less. The dealers make much larg-
er profit on it than on the pure
creamery. Deputy Dairy Commits
sioner Wright recently made an ex-
tensive trip through southeastern
Iowa to investigate charges that
bogus butter, probably butterine or
oleomargarine, was being sold in
some of the cities. He found that
the butter on sale was the odds and
ends of country trade that had been
worked over and doctored. 1t is COM
ing chiefly from Kansas City.
Another Iowa judge has declared
that there can be no recovery for
back taxes under the so-called tax
ferret law. In the case of M. L.
Brown, guardian, etc., VS.. ]. B. Lamb,
treasurer, ct al, pending in the Palo
Alto district court, Judge Bailey filed
an opinion holding the portion of the
law under which it is sought to re-
cover taxes upon property which had
been omitted from assessment prior
to 1900 to be invalid. He holds that
section 1874 of the code, which makes
provision for demand and suit by
the treasurer for back taxes, is in
operative and void, and that chapter
SO of the law of the Twenty-eighth
general assembly is not retroactive.
The effect of the holding is to pre-
vent the recovery of taxes upon
property which has been omitted
from assessment for any year or
years prior to 1900.
Two masked men made a desperate
attempt to rob Treasurer Rounds in
the box Office of the Grand Opera
house at Sioux City few nights ago.
during the performance Of Shore
Acres. They beat him badly over the
head with their revolvers and shot
at him twice, but the bullets merely
pierced Rounds clothing and the rob
bers were frightened away without
getting the money that lay on desk
near by. While counting over the
tickets with Manager Ross of the
Shore Acres company, Treasurer
Rounds went to the street door of
the office to answer rap. The door
was pushed open violently and two
masked men entered and Immediately
set upon Rounds. Ross saw the stu
alton and threw table at the rob-
bers who then fired two parting
shots, both at Rounds. The big audi
ence in the opera house became al
most panic stricken by the noise of
the fight. They imagined that the
walls of the house were falling and it
took the combined efforts of players
and orchestra to quiet the house.
Miss Ethel Crawford of Mitchell
vile, while lighting fire with kero-
sene, was suddenly enveloped in
flames and before help arrived was
baked from head tn foot Spo 80 Nd