Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-08-08
BRUTAL MURDER
At DES MONIES
isaac Finkelstein Struck Down
on His Way Home By an
Unknown Assassin.
SKULL CRUSHED BY A BLOW
Murder Believed to Have Been In Re-
venge for His Anti Gambling Crusade
Looks Like Repetition OF the Haddock
Tragedy.

Les MONIES, aug. o.-lSaaC flnkel-
stein was murdered on East Walnut
| street between Sixth and Seventh
streets last night at 10 o'clock.
He had been spending the evening,
according to his custom, with Max
Coplin at the shoe shop across the
street from the last Des Moines fire
station and had started to his home at
BIT Seventh street. In front of the
saloon at Fifth and Walnut streets
he hesitated. stood for a few minutes,
and then went on east. He was on the
north side of the walk. At the allsy
west Of Sixth street he was slugged,
single-tree from wagon or carriage
being the weapon used.
Four men were walking up the
street not more lnan a block behind
him. They ran to his body and gave
the alarm. 1t was then almost ten
o'clock.
All of the police force officers and
detectives were called in to work on
the case. The single-tree afforded the
sole clue. No one so far as can be
discovered saw the crime committed.
Finkelstein certainly did not live
long after he was slugged. When he
was found he was breathing heavily.
He was unconscious. The police and
Dr. c. N. O. Leir, of East Sixth and
Locust street were notified. DR.. Lier
found Finkelstein lying on the side
walk with his skull over his left ear
crushed. The blow had been struck
just at the temple. The doctor be-
lieves that had it gone slightly high
er 1t would not have proven fatal.
The physician dressed the wound
but before The officers arrived the in
jured man died. He said nothing in
his cOmatose condition. He groaned
heavily.
Fnkelstein was himself from the old
country. He had lived here for about
twenty years. He had accumulated q
considerable fortune, the basis Tor
which was the money he saved while
working at store for paltry wages,
such small wages, indeed, that he was
forced to sleep on the paper beneath
the counter instead of in bed.
Early in the present city administra-
ton Mr.. Finkelstein started a crusade
on gambling in Des Moines. This he
admitted was not so much on moral
grounds as it was to secure a revenue
for the city, and which the city was
not getting out of the houses, eight
of which were running wide open.
He caused three raids to be made.
Two of them were by the city police
and yielded nominal sums. The third
was by the sheriff and resulted in
5000 revenue to the city, the arrest OF
ffty-one men, the destruction of $4,000
worth of gambling apparatus and the
permanent closing up of all of the
houses to avoid similar raids.
Mr.. Ffnkelstein was possessed Of 4
strong and combative character. He
never hesitated about standing for his
rights. This involved him in endless
controversy. 1t is doubtful if another
man in Des Moines was as conte1-
tious. He was in controversy most
of the time, and sometimes in num-
Der. He was constant caller at the
city hall either to secure the arrest
or to prosecute some one or as de-
PENDANT.
However, he was never charged with
anything more serious than violating
city ordinance or something of that
sort. He was an intense republican.
and fought for the party. He was a
power among the voters of the Fifth
and Sixth wards. He never failed to
exert his influence for candidates, and
was himself an occasional candidate
for office. Election fracases were COM
mon in the Second of the Fifth ward.
and usually Mr.. Finkelstein was
there.
Des Molnes, Aug. S.-Mayor Bren-
ton yesterday filed information against
Harris Levich, Jew, and James Wal
ker, negro, charging them with the
murder of Isaac .nkelstein. The
theory of the police is that Levich.
who had had trouble WIN Finkelstein,
hired Walker to kill him. Although
the police have been sweating the
prisoners for two days they have Sc
cured no admissions. and both strenu-
ously deny their guilt.