The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-09-06
THE NEWS In IOWA

DR.. L. e. King of Eldora has some
thing of a curiosity. in the shape of
an apple tree which. while loaded with
fruit bears upon it's branches four or
five nicely developed blossoms. The
tree is of the Halves variety.
George r. Davis, city circulator of
the Davenport Leader, was drowned
in Rock river while trying to save
the lives of several lads after an ac-
cident to the toboggan boat, in which
| they had just been shooting the chute.
There were eleven persons in the boat,
mostly carrier boys, and when it
struck the water the bottom gave
way, letting in enough water to cap
size the boat and cast the occupants
into the water. Mr.. Davis endeavored
to save the boys, being an expert
swimmer, but he suddenly went down
and did not reappear. He was an
old newspaper man and was very pop
ular in the tri-cities. He leaves a wife
and two children.
Frank Peyton, a notorious burglar,
| has confessed at ST. Louis that he and
| Jack Mason, another well known Grim
inal, killed John =. Robson, promi-
ncnt contractor, in his office at Sioux
| City on the night of December 20.
| 1899. Robson was struck in the head
| with a Ratchet as he was entering the
door. Up to the time Payton was ar
| rested in st. Louis the murder was IL
deep mystery. Two men, one of them
Robson's partner for many years, Os-
car Goodrich, We're arrested, charged
| with the crime, and discharged. The
bloody Ratchet was found in the office
back of wood pile. According to
Payton's reported confession, he and
Mason were robbing the safe and We're
surprised by Robson.
Emery Wood shot and killed his
father, Axiom Wood, at their home in
Greenfield township, Jones county,
nine miles south of Anamosa. The
boy was prompted in the deed by the
action of his father, who held loaded
revolver in his hand and was chasing
his wife about their home. Death
was instantaneous, the father falling
with the cooked revolver pointed at
his son. No preliminary hearing as
yet has been held, but the lad, who is
IS years of age, tells straightfor-
ward story and his assertions are cor
roborated by the circumstances and
appearances about the home; also by
the people and neighbors living in
the vicinity of the patricide. The
father for many years has been Sub
ject to violent fits of temper, although
he was not addicted to the use of in
toXicants.
A most fendish outrage has been
practiced on the cows of d. Driffield,
a prominent dairyman of Keokull.
Some miscreant has caused Mr.. Drift
field damage to the amount of $500
during the past few weeks by going
into the pastures at night and slash
ing his cows with a machete, or sim
liar weapon. One COW was poisoned
and an attempt was made to burn the
stable. Detectives have been employed
and Mr.. Driffield has sat up night
after night in the endeavor to catch
the criminal, but up to the present
there is no clue. The depredations
khave been of all kinds. One cow had
i've sashes cut in her hip. Another
49, Ea'nst to pieces in another
part OF The body. A third had one
or her hind legs broken in no fewer
than six places. Mr.. Driffield has now
offered a reward of 500 fer The arrest
and conviction of the criminal.
Clarence Rich, % years of age,
passenger on the midnight north
bound train on the G. G. W., com
mitted suicide on the train Just before
reaching oelwein, by drinking car
bolic acid. He drank the liquid Just
Of hn 1af+
the train was pulling into the yards
he asked the conductor for glass of
milk, telling him what he had done.
As soon as the train stopped the
young man was removed to Patter-
sons hospital, but he was too far
gone to receive any help, and died in
three-quarters of an hour. From
long letter found on his person, writ
ten to his father at Red Wing, Mimi,
it appears that he was on his way
home from a trip to Paris, and hav-
ing been in poor health for a number
of years, with no hope of improve
ment, he had become respondent and
determined to end it ALL
Worthington & Boynton, "tax fer
rets," to whom was awarded the con-
tract by the Polk county board of
supervisors to look up property in
Polk county on which taxes have not
been paid and list them that the
county may recover under the statute
permitting counties to collect taxes
on property concealed or not listed
for period of five years back. have
completed the inspection of the
county records. Their force is now
engaged in entering the names and
amounts due in tax books especially
prepared for the purpose and in about
sixty days the sending out of notices
to persons they claim are delinquent
will be commenced. Under the stat
ute the county is entitled to recover
all back taxes for period of five
years, with an added penalty of so per
cent where disclosure is made of prop
erty concealed. The ferrets, who are
to receive a stated per cent of all
amounts recovered. have been at work
on the books in the recorders office
in Polk county for five months and
it is said that it has been found that
about $4,000,000 in monies and credits
has been concealed and that the tax
will be due on it for the greater part
of the five years.
John T. Kennedy of Clinton. was
run over and killed by the Northwest
ern cars east of that city. He fell off
freight train.
Fire was discovered in the cellar
of George A. Holbrooll's drug store
at Webster City and the entire block
was larpooad l,,, cr,ol,o ,,J .,..o,.