Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-23
Indictment by Federal Grand
Jury at Council Bluffs Re
veals Persecution
POISONING CASE is RECALLED
Years of Peculiar Persecution of the
Naberhousc Family With Alleged
View of Separating Husband and
Wife-Attempt to Poison the Whole
Family.
pecial to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Carroll Sept 23.-'rhe Indictment a.
Council Bluffs of Henry Ertz. of Roselle
township. this county. for sending OBJ
scene literature thru the mails, brings
to light one o. the strangest and most
interesting stories of persecution ever
known in western Iowa. 1t also revives
interest in the poisoning Of the Naber
house family for which Ertz was ar
rested but prosecution dropped because
Of q lack of evidence.
A number of witnesses from this vi
entity were before the grand jury,
among them being Joe Naberhouse and
Hungerford. Letters alleged Il have
been written by the accused We're pre-
scented and the evidence disclosed that
they had been coming for a period of
about two years. ceasng last June, a
few days before Henry Ertz was mar
ried. The trial Will be held a the next
term of the federal court
There is a long and intensely dramat-
ic story connected with the case. 1t
will be remembered that about two
years ago, in November, 1901, Henry
Ertz was arrested for the alleged pois-
oning of Joe Naberhouse. He was
bound over to the grand jury, which
failed to act, and the case was dropped
by the local authorities. During these
two years, however, and previous to
the arrest for poisoning. the federal
authorities have been searching for the
writer of large number OF mysterious
letters, most of them being written to
Mrs. Naberhouse, and nearly all being
vulgar and obscene. They have by i'm
plication. charged Mrs. Naberhouse
with unfaithfulness to her husband.
and this is one reason why she shrank
from having any publicity given the
case. Other residents of the vicinity
of northern Kniest township, have re-
ceived similar letters, including Will
lam Joebgen, F. Ricke, Ben Schultz,
George Stangi, and others, but all
sought to SANDER or injure the reputa-
ton of Joe Naberhouse and his family,
except an occasional one that was de-
signed to create favorable impression OF
Henry Ertz. These came after the ex-
pose of the poisoning case, one OF them
being sent to Father Anler. This let
ter contained 800 which was to be
given 10 Henry Ertz, to compensate
him for the anguish and suffering caus-
ed him by his arrest for poisoning, the
presumption being that it was written
by the guilty party. who did not .s-.tit
another prosecuted for his crimes.
These letters were mailed at many diff
ferent places, In Wisconsin, at railway
postoffices, on rural mail routes, and at
various towns. But the inspectors nm
ally unwound the tangled skein and To-
Gated their man on a farm in Roselle
township, where he has been living for
some time having married young
woman from Wisconsin. June S. last
Several years ago the wife OF Henry
Ertz. who then lived In Kniest town
ship, became very sick and finally died.
To assist In caring for the sick woman
her sister, who is now Mrs Naberhouse,
came to the Ertz home. She was then
to be married to Naberheuse.
but It is alleged that Ertz became IN
faf,,ated with her and wanted her to
marry him after his wife died. Then
followed the persecution OF Naberhouse
and for a wear or more life with them
was one continual round of petty an
noyances and dreadful outrages. Cattle
we're poisoned, horses tails cut on, ana
their tongues torn out. vehicles were