The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-01-17

at his home in Newton on the night
of the 9th of heart disease. He re-
turned from a trip to Grinnell, where
he had been trying law suit and was
apparently in the best of health. He
collapsed so suddenly that he was
dead before medical assistance could
arrive. Deceased had long been
prominent in Iowa politics. At last
summers republican state convention
he was one of the leading candidates
for secretary of state. He repeated
ly held state office, was member of
the legislature and was speaker of
the house of representatives. He
served through the civil war with
conspicuous honor. He was close to
&C years Of age, but seemed strong
for his years.
A suit has been filed in the district
court of Boone county by Miss Mar
guerite Patterson against Nose Vein
berg, prominent merchant, one of
the proprietors of the Bee Hive,
claiming damages in the sum of SIS, 600
for breach of promise. Miss Patter-
son was former employe of the Bee
Hive and while there employed, she
claims, Weinberg made love to her,
made numerous presents, ending in
an engagement of marriage, which
was to occur in the spring. Recently
his approaching marriage with a
young lady of Carroll was announced
and the case was put in the hands of
attorneys. Both parties are promi-
nent and well known, the plaintiff be-
ing a young lady of irreproachable
character. The case will attract con-
siderable attention.
The ownership of the John Pierce
house at Sioux City, drawn by ticket
No. 1886, may have to be decided
by a quiet little trial before the
committee of men who assisted Mr..
Peirce in disposing of his home.
There are intimations that in case
this decision is not satisfactory the
case may go into the courts for fur
Their adjudication. In case of any
effort at law to determine who is
entitled to the house some interest
ing questions would arise. Article
3, section %, of the Iowa constitu-
ton provides that "no lottery shall
be authorized by this state nor shall
the sale of lottery tickets be allow
cdr and a heavy penalty is provided.
Messrs. B. M. Bills, Cato Sells and
M. j. Tobin of Vinton have gone to
Sioux City to look after the clam of
Mr.. Bills, who expresses all con-
fidence that he is the rightful owner
of the property.
A Burlington paper prints sensa-
tional story to the effect that Pat
Grove, of kidnapping fame. spent sew
eral weeks in Burlington during laet
August, boarding with a family on
South Hill, who have since recognized
some of the published pictures of the
much wanted man. 1t is claimed that
Grove was the man who planned and
with the aid of an express messenger
executed the robbery of $4,000 ex-
| press package en- route from Chicago
to the National State bank in Rurl-
ington; that he learned of the regu-
larlty OF the transmission of these
packages of money and the date of
arrival in Burlington of this particu-
lar package from an express messen-
ger. He suddenly disappeared from
his boarding house just about the
time of the robbery. Superintendent
Swift, of the Adams Express com
Pany, was in Burlington few days
ago, and it is claimed he was there in
connection with this story.
In the steel cage of the Cedar
Rapids city Jail George C. Poets,
cashier for M. E. Miner, and a man
of hitherto unquestioned character,
is awaiting preliminary examine
ton on the charge of the murder
OF William Higginson, aged 81; while
| in a cell in the women's department
| Charles johnson, who seems to be
directly responsible for the trouble
which eliminated in the tragedy, is
being held as witness in the case.
William Higginson, the victim of one
of the most unexplainable crimes
ever committed in Cedar Rapids,
was the son of w. Fl. Higginson, and
was an employe of the I. M. Sinclair
company, limited, where his father
is also employed. The young man
was stabbed in a drunken row with
Poets and johnson and two young
men named John Nemec and Joseph
Black. The fatal blow severed the
carotid artery, death resulting al
most instantly. The wound was I'M
doubtedly inflicted with an ordinary
pocket knife, and Peetz' knife, COM
mon, two-bladed, black-handled af-
fair, with the small blade broken at
about half way of it's length, cannot
be found. The prisoner, while stoutly
denying his guilt, admits that the
knife which he usually carries is gone
but he claims to be at an utter loss
to account for it. johnson, who with
Nemec and Black declares that
Peetz struck the fatal blow, did not
have his pocket knife on his person
when he was arrested; it was lying
on a sink and had recently been
washed, although it showed signs of
blood. johnson, however, declares
that he had used the knife in the
| afternoon to cut off chickens head,
and his family corroborated this
statement. It is also known where
johnson bought a chicken during
the day.
| The board of supervisors Of Boone
county found the saloon petition to
! be insufficient and consequently de-
stroyed all hopes of the saloon men
for saloons in the county outside of
the city of Boone.
One of the oldest settlers OF Spring
township, Cherokee county, familiar
ly known as ''Uncle" John Stevenson,
has been steadily growing fine new
set of teeth. He gives every promise
of having complete mouthful of new
teeth by the last of next summer. Ee
is 70 years of age, and is an inyeterate
tobacco chewer. 'sUncle John" is
quite jubilant over the fact that he