The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-05-24
MURDERED.
Waddle Edgar Shot Down in Cold
Blood at Givin.


O'Clock. Eight lei have been ar
rested to answer for the crime and
an investigation of the case win be
held in this city Tuesday.
Waddle was killed by a bullet that
was intended for Constable William
Pryor of Givin. The ball struck him
in the left side Of the head and well
back.
The murder was the outcome OF
the general scrap that was started
by the colored people while they
were waiting at the station for the
train that was to carry them to their
homes in Hooking.
There was quite a good sized
crowd of colored people came from
Hooking and Abba Sundays see the
game of ballthatw was played between
the colored team of Muchakinock
and the Hooking team. The Hook
ing team was defeated and the play
ers were more or less s~..sore" at the
way the game had terminated. There
had been considerable drinking in
1.-The crowd and the quarrel that oc-
Cured at the station house in Giyin
was easily started.
The gang of colored people wanted
TO run everything and everybody and
the quarrel was growing serious and
Constable William Pryor of Givin
was sent for to stop to disturbance.
He arrived on the scene Of the
trouble and attempted to quiet the
disturbance. 1t was impossible to do
this however and he saw that he
would have to arrest one or more of
the participants to restore order in
gang. The quarrel was in progress
on the west side of the station. Pryor
had been on the ground long enough
to see that the fuss was made the
worse by one Waddle Edgar,a color
ed fellow, belonging to the miners at
Hooking. He seemed to be the lead
ing spirit among the colored fellows
and the constable thought that by
placing him under arrest he could
subdue the mob. He went to Edgar
and took hold of him and then a
small riot occurred. The whole
crowd was against the officer and
attempted to free the prisoner. Pryor
was attempting to get his prisoner
into the station house to keep him
from the mob. He was assaiied by
the eolored people and was backing
up against the depot keep the mob
from his back. Revolvers we're drawn
and shots were fired. Pryor had got
his man well toward the door of the
depot and was taking him in when
one of the fellows hit him a smash.
ing blow in the face that knocked
him against his prisoner who wal
partly turned around and suddenly
pushed aside. just at this instant
there were more shots fred and {
ball that was very evidently intended
for Pryor struck Edgar and he fell
forward dead, killed instantly. There
were several more shots fred anC
the trouble would not have beer
stopped but for the appearance o.
the Iowa Central-passenger. All the
colored people boarded the train anC
went to Abba and Hooking and nj
arrests were made at Givin.
The officers YER communicate
with in this city and were soon at th'
scene of the murder. Instruction.
were sent to Abba to arrest the gang
at that place when the train arrived
Sheriff Bonner succeeded in arrest
ing eight of the party that was impli
Gated in the affair and they were
brought to this city this afternoon by
Sheriff Cricket assisted by the Albii
gentlemen.
The party was searched by thu
sheriff as soon as arrested but there
were no weapons found. The per.
sons that had the guns had probably
thrown the guns away after the shoot
ing. One of the guns was afterwardl
found where it had been thrown by
the owner. The men arrested refuse
to talk and will say nothing abou'
the trouble.
One of the men of the party named
Henry Bromer, of Abba, cannot b
found. He pulled the bell cord of tn,
passenger train when on the way t.
Abba and as the train slowed up h,
jumped off and has not been founC
since. The circumstance is regarded
with a great amount of suspicion.
There were a number of witnesses
to the entire scrap but there was sucI
a general mix up that it was impos
sible to tell where the shots cam,
from and who was doing the shoot
ing.
Edger, the murdered man, wa
said to be a peaceful and sober maj
and as good a worker as there wa
at the mines. He was married abou
two months ago.
The remains were brought to thi
city and are in charge of corone
Eugene Cheesman.