Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-01
A FARMER DISAPPEARS
John Lyons Mysteriously Disap.
pears From His Farm
Near Liscomb.
Relatives Fear Foul Play..Finan-
cial Affairs in Bad
Shape.
Had Disposed OF Much Property
on Which There We're
Mortgages.

| The disappearance of John Lyons, g
young farmer, has created sensation
/ in the country west of Liscomb and in
the vicinity Of st. Anthony, where
his parents reside. Lyons has been
gone for week and no trace of him has
been found. His parents and friends
/ fear that he has been the victim of foul
( play or has been frozen to death, but
the business transactions of Lyons
would indicate that he planned his de-
parture and left to escape financial diff
ficulties.
Lyons is q young man about 25 years
OF age and unmarried. He is the son
of Pat Lyons, q respectable farmer re-
siding north of ST Anthony. The young
man has been farming for several years
and during the year 1900 occupied the
Liberty township farm of Mr.. j. NJ.
Holt, OF this city, OH which there is due
| for rent the sum of $500. Last year
and up to the time of his disappearance
Lyons occupied a farm owned by Mrs.
C. H. Conover. three and one-half miles
west of Liscomb. when he moved from
the Holt farm he gave the owner a
mortgage on all his stock and grain to
cover the $500 Indebtedness, and the
rental OF the ConoNer farm, amounting
to $500. is yet unpaid.
The Holt indebtedness was due in
September and December, and in Oc-
tober $75 of this amount was paid.
An extension of time was given on the
balance until Jan. Is. Lyons failed to
report at that time and Mr.. Holt sent
an agent to the C,onover farm to in
vestigate. The agent found that some
Of the stock on which he held a mort
gage had been disposed of. Hearing
nothing further from Lyons In commune
ton with Mrs. Conover's agent steps
were taken to foreclose and on Satur-
day OF last week Mr.. Holt and Deputy
Sheriff Hutson went to Liscomb to at
tach the property. They found Lyons
had left and that much of the property,
including hogs, cattle, corn and oats
had been disposed of and that there
was little to attach except fifteen acres
OF unpicked corn.
From F. 0. WEIGH. young man who
had been working for Lyons, 1t was
lSdIucu ludl Oh IHuIeudy dltcIiloOH Ii-
had taken Lyons to Liscomb, where he
was to take a train for this city. Ly-
ons said he intended to go to st. An
thony to attend the funeral of friend,
and he boarded freight train at Lis
comb. This is the last seen or heard of
the young man. a.
Welch returned to the farm with the
team and buggy. The following morn
ing he found three bottles of liquor,
supposed to be whisky. in the bottom OF
the buggy, which he declares was not
there the night bef-- when Lyons
left. This led to the theory that Lyons
had returned during the night In an in
toxicated condition. and his friends
feared he had wandered away and been
frozen. A search of the barns, sheds
and the entire farm was instituted. and
this search has been repeated twice
during the present week, but no trace
of the body has been found and nothing
that will give further clue. Some of
Lyons friends advance the theory that
the young man has killed himself be-
cause of disappointment in love af-
fair. On the other hand his father fears
he has been foully dealt with. 1t is not
known how much money Lyons had at
the time of his disappearance