Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-18
BEATEN AND ROBBED
John Wagner Nearly Killed by
Thugs Saturday Night.
FOUND NEAR HOME SUNDAY MORNING
Was Rendered Unconscious by Beat
ing He Received and Lay Outdoors
for Six Hours After Robbery-About
$50 Taken.
lFrom Mondays DAILY

lFrom Mondays Daily.J
John Wagner, an aged and highly
respected citizen of Ottumwa, was set
upon by thugs late Saturday night.
n after being beaten into insensi.
bility and robbed, was left lying upon
the ground through a stormy. cold
night until 6 o'clock Sunday morning.
when r. Y. Cowherd, a neighbor of
Mr.. Wagner's, discovered his appar-
emily inanimate form. Money and
checks to the amount of about $50
We're taken, and the thugs who did
the work, evidently not content with
mere robbery, almost added murder
to their crimes. Although there is
but little clue to who the men are,
the police are working hard upon the
case and everything possible will be
done to locate the guilty parties and
bring them to justice. A reward of
$500 has been offered for their arrest
and conviction.
The Victim Discovered.
Lying PROSTATE and insensible on
the grass plot at the side of the walk
IN front OF the residence of T. J. Cur
ry, the first house east of his W
residence, Mr.. Wagner was left for
six hours and more by his persecut-
ors, and about 6 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, R. Y. Cowherd, who lives neal
the Wagner residence, discovered the
almost inanimate form of the injured
man and gave the alarm. Mr.. Wag-
mel was carried into his house and
put into bed, and DR.. l.. j. Baker
was summoned. Meanwhile the po-
lice were called and Chief Gray and
Officer Beeman hurried to the scene
OF h act to begin an investigation.
An Awful Struggle.
Traces of an awful struggle were
found, and appearances denote that
Mr.. Wagner was struck and knocked
down but was not rendered insensible
by the first attack. The ground looks
as if he had fought the thugs until
they had literally beaten him into un.
consciousness. His cap, cane, gloves,
and pocketbook, and a letter were
found just opposite where the side
walk and the private walk from the
Curry house join. Here also was a
pool of blood. Blood was found in
the gutter from this point to. the place,
some thirty feet east, where the man
was picked up. This indicates that
he fought hard and was carried during
the struggle all this distance. Here,
however, he probably lapsed into I'M
consciousness, for when he was found
a large pool of blood gave evidence
that he had been there several hours.
Made Thorough Search.
1t seems that the robbers made a
thorough search to find money about
Mr.. Wagner. His pocket book was
found where the struggle first began,
and had been emptied. On the ter.
race opposite where the mar was
discovered were his shoes, which had
evidently been removed from his feet
after he was rendered unconscious,
and searched for money. A large bill
book which Mr.. Wagner carried, and
which probably contained the checks
and paper money is missing entirely
and was probably taken from the
mans pocket by the thieves. The sill
yer he evidently carried in the little
clasp pocket book which was found on
the ground. The fact that the letter
was lying on the ground indicates that
all his pockets were searched for valu-
ables before he was left, but strange
to say, his watch, which was a valua-
BILE gold one, was not taken, probably
because the thieves feared that it
might lead to their detection.
The Property Taken.
No description of the exact amount
nor the nature of the money taken can
be secured, but it is known that Mr..
Wagner was robbed of four checks ag.
gregating s44 in value, They were as
follows:
Check for s35 made by Fair-Wil-
liams & Co. in favor of James Zicka.
Geek for So made by Jerry Seymour
in favor of Henry Olson.
Two checks for 81 each made by
McShane, fillmore & Co. Not known to
whom payable.
The money taken amounts to about
$40.
Was Almost Home.
Mr.. Wagner is proprietor of a sa-
loon located at the corner of Main
and Birch streets and has been in the
habit of carrying home at night the
proceeds of the days business. Sat
urday night he started home shortly
after IL o'clock and, as usual, he was
accompanied almost all the way home
by Ernst Koch, who resides at the G.
F. T. Schwabkey residence, just two
doors distant from Mr.. Wagner's house
Mr.. Wagner left Mr.. Koch at the lat.
ter's gate and had almost reached his
own home when the robbery occurred
MI. Koch did not hear the noise Of
the scuf1e as he wa inside the house
before it took place.
Whoever committed the crime evi-
IDENTIFY was acquainted with Mr.. Was'
ner's habits and knew that he was
alone only a short distance on the way
home. The man or men-the police
believe two carried out the robbery
evidently waited neal the victims
home and rushed out upon him after
his escort had left him. He was Grip
pied and hardly able to defend him
self at all, but evidently put up q
good fight, for he was beaten horribly
Whether he was dubbed so hard with
the intention simply of making hin
unconscious or to kill him is moi
known, but If the intention was t.
kill him the probability Is that the
robbers were known to him and wish
ed to end his existence in order tc
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