Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-11-30

Ed Warner and his hired man,
Charles Hofeditz, were instantly kill
ed at d crossing tire miles east OF
Iowa City, by passenger train No. i,
pulled BY engine No. 472. Warner.
and his man had been out to the
farm, gathered a load of corn and
started toward town, approached the
crossing, and as it was nearly dark
and the roads rough, it is supposed
that the on coming train was not
noticed. The train was stopped and
backed to the crossing, where the
bodies of the two men We're found
about twenty feet from the track.
The wagon was broken into pieces,
one horse being killed and the other
escaping injury. Both men leave fam
lilies. The train was behind time and
was running at a high rate OF speed.
The robbing Of the department
store of Colonel Brant at Cedar Falls
has brought to the surface an organ
lied band of juvenile robbers. Most
of the stolen property was found
hidden in the ola paper mill and some
was found on the river bank. In
making search the officers discovered
a cave which had been constructed by
the young thieves ana raft made
from lumber stolen from the Cedar
Falls Lumber company. The door
to the cave had been appropriated
from one of the slaughter houses.
The officers are of the opinion that
the robbers are of tender years and
are victims of the dime novel. A
similar organization was discovered
there several years ago. No arrests
have been made, but the police say
they will round up the gang in .
bunch.
The worst wreck the Northwestern
ever suffered ON the northern Iowa
division occurred in the yards at To-
ledo a few days ago. A double-head-
er, with three refrigerator cars and
twenty-five cars of stock, ran head
end into the way freight, which was
unloading merchandise. The engines,
Nos. $50, 446 and 467, were piled up,
and will have to be entirely rebuilt.
One car on the way freight and two
refrigerator cars on the other train
were badly damaged. Fortunately
none of the stock cars left the track.
The firemen and engineers all
jumped, escaping uninjured, except
one, who got his knee cut. Had they
stayed in not one would have es-
capped. Some stockmen and the con-
ductor were in the caboose of the
stock train and were well shaken up,
but not hurt. The damage is esti-
mated at 100000.
Charles Rocker, hired man, who
once worked for August Schroeder
at Doom, is charged with the MUIR
der of his employer last June, in an
answer filed in $4,000 damage suit
in the courts of this district, of
Woodbury. county. Schroeder was.
found dead in his barn last June,
with rope about his neck. His
wife and the hired man said it was
a case of suicide, but his brothers,
Adolph and Fred, said the twain had
murdered him. Rocker brought
damage suit, and now the brothers
set up as q fact that the hired man
did kill his employer, and that his
wife was also implicated in the
crime. The attorneys for the broth
ers say that Rocker and the dead
mans wife are now living together
on farm near Redtield, S. d., which
was bought with the money secured
on $4,000 insurance policy held by
the dead man. Sensational develop
ments are expected when the trial
is held.
A dispatch from Des lLoines says:
A few dealers nave resumed the sale
of cigarettes and announced that
they will pay the SIS quarterly tax
for the last three months of 1900. In
order to do this, however, they have
doubled the price of cigarettes. Since
it is certain that only a few dealers
can afford to pay the tax, they will
not meet with the competition that
has heretofore existed. A few other
dealers are still selling cigarettes
ION the sly but they will soon be
suppressed. If any attempt IS made
to collect the back tax it is said that
the dealers will seek to recover from
the American Tobacco Company all
the taxes or fines that may be assess
ed and collected against them. They
say that the American Tobacco Com
pany guaranteed to protect them
against damage if they went ahead
and sold that company's cigarettes.
If the lack taxes can be collected the
American Tobacco Company will be
made defendant in scores of suits
aggregating many thousands of dol
lars. This j. the reason the COM
pany was in such haste to nollfy
the dealers to quit selling. The lat
ter are now doing business at their
own risk.
There was wild excitement in Abba
q Iew days ago, when Sheriff Donor
arrived from Fort Madison in charge
of Alva Brooker, negro who is al
legged to have committed rape ON the
person of Mrs. Sarah Howell Of Abba.
The ;-heriff was assisted in guarding
the prisoner for safety's sake by a
detail of members of Company G.,
Iowa National Guard, from Ottumwa-
A large crowd of Infatuated Abba
people met the official party at the
depot on it's arrival there, and threats
of lynching by rope were openly and
vigorously made, but the appearance
of the soldiers with tEe'r bayonetted
guns and the representations of The
sheriff had fhe effect Il keeping the
crowd at bay. The prisoner was
marched to the court house in a hol-
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