Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-04
A Double Iowa Tragedy Near
Dayton In Webster
County.
STORY OF THE KILLING
Man Who Did the Shooting Says He
Was Compelled to Defend Himself
Dead Mans Wife Dazed BY the haor-
rble Affair.


and his 19-year-od son Clarence lie
gun. The man who says he did the IA
tai shooting, Oliver Bricker, is one of
a family living neighbors to the Guilds.
The shooting occurred yesterday alter
noon.
Stories Differ.
Stories of how the shooting occur
red vary Bricker's story is that he
met Guild and son, Guild pulled re-
volyer and commenced firing, and
Bricker was hit three times, on the lip,
on the forehead and in the arm. All
the wounds are slight. The last shot,
Bricker claims, was fired by the boy.
Bricker, having knocked the revolver
from Guilds hands when he got
through firing, says that his brother
George met him with shotgun. He
fired one barrel at the boy, who held
a revolver. The boy fell and as the
father sprang to pick up the pistol
Bricker shot and killed him.
SONS Statement.
A different story is told by Charlie
Guild, the 16-year-old son of the dead
man, who claims he was an eye wit.
ness of the shooting. The boy says
Oliver Bricker opened fire first with
a revolver, and that George Bricker
did the fatal shooting with shotgun.
Botu Brickers were accested.
Oliver Bricker was placed under
$4,000 bonds, George Bricker under
$4,000.
The jury impaneled by Coroner You.
ker went to the ground and took evil
dence, but has not yet returned a ver-
dict.
Admits Crime.
Oliver Bricker openly admits the
shooting and talks about it freely. cit
was bad" he said, 'but when a mans
got to he has to-
Wife Sees Bodies.
Both bodies lay in line only few
hundred yards from Guilds home.
Mrs. Guild heard the shooting and
rushed to the spot, only to come upon
the dead bodies of her son and hus-
band She carefully took off her
apron and wrapped it about her dead
husbands head She was later taken
home in dazed condition. She still
lies III a serious condition from nerv.
Gus shock. G
Dead Man WelI-to-po.
Guild was a well-to-do farmer, sixty
years of age. He leaves a wife and
eight children, the Oldest IL, and the
youngest baby in it's mothers arms.
Both bodies showed wounds in the
chest. These charges were heavy
loads of No. 6 shot and were fired from
a 12-gauge double-barreled gnu. The
revolver used by Guild was 3S-calibre
Smith & Wesson. Four of the fire
chambers are empty.
Quarrel Over Fence.
1t is believed that the shooting was
caused by quarrel this morning when
George Bricker and Guild had words
over a broken fence which let Brick.
er's cattle into Guilds corn and Brick.
er claimed Guild struck him with a
hammer.
Bad Blood Between Them.
Bad blood has existed between the
| families for months, brought on orig
inally by disagreement over land
Guild previously claimed that Brickel
had cut fences. Last fall Guild was
| shot at from ambush while driving
along heavily wooded road, and his
heavy fur coat and wagon box riddled
with bullets. Guild accused Oliver
Bricker of the shooting and caused
his arrest, but the grand jury failed
to return an indictment at the last ses
sion. Both families live few miles
from Dayton, twenty miles southeast
of Fort Dodge, and are we'll known.
Excitement High.
Excitement is high throughout the
adjoining country, and though nc
threats of lynching have been made
feeling is strong against the Brickers
Guild has expressed to several the be
lief that would meet violent death
but said that no one should take hin
from his land except in a pine box.
Marion Hand, aged 81, of Marshall
town, was thrown from boat by com
panions and being unable to swim wa