Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-02
Linn County Tragedy Has
Stirred Up the People
as Never Before
MOTIVE FOR TIE CRIME HIDDEN
Speculation as to Why Usher Killed
His Hired Man, Where He Killed
Him and the Circumstances Leading
Up to the Trasedy-Many Think Plot
Existed.

Cedar Rapids, June 2.-Nothing that
has ever happened in the southeast
part of Linn county, even in the days
when horse thieves were hunted down.
and hanged for horse stealing, has
caused the amount of talk and specula-
ton as to the motive for the deed as
that which has been prompted by the
murder Of William Clarity by Dairy
man Joseph Usher There are many
strange circumstances in connection
unraveled within the next few months,
but in view of the fact that Clarity
was known to be a quiet unobtrusive
man, and that Usher had discharged
him on several occasions in the past
seven or eight years, and yet, after a
lapse of a short time, would come to
town and hunt him up, and re-hire
him. goes to show, say the officials, that
Clarity was never regarded as dam
gerous man to have about by Usher
himself.
There are many people who now
believe that Clarity was not murder
ed in his bed, say these same officials,
but that he was killed in the kitchen CT
that fatal night and his body was at
terward carried up stairs by Usher and
placed upon the bed. Since the confess
sion of Usher it is clear that Usher
made up a story which he intended
to stand by Immediately after the muir
der and that he had posted his wife
as to what they should claim-that
Clarity died of hemorrhage of the
lungs. The little 9-year-old boy, Wal
ter, says that Clarity went out to the
barn to feed the horses after supper
and he went with him and helped him
throw the corn into the feed boxes and
after Clarity fed the horses and did
the other chores he pumped water for
the stock, and during that time the
boy says: PA and Bill talked, and at
ter awhile we all came into the house.
Bill and pa sat down at the table and
began reading, and I washed my feet
and went to bed. Bill was sitting at
the table reading when l went up
stairs"
On the day following the murder
Mrs. Usher declared that there had
been no trouble between her husband
and Clarity, and if what the little boy
says is true, the trouble must have be-
gun after the children of Usher had
gone to bed and Bill was sitting in
the room with Usher and his wife. Did
Clarity know something about the DO
mestic life Of Usher, and threaten to
reveal it unless Usher paid him money?
This seems to be the belief of some of
the people residing in that part of the
county.
1t is evident, say the officials, from
the manner in which Usher acted i'm
mediately after he committed the muir
der, that he was desperately anxious to
cover up his crime, but in his eagerness
to do so he lost his head. Immediately
after he delivered milk to his last pa
iron for the day last Wednesday, he
walked over to the wagon of a neigh
Dor on First street and climbed up on
the wheel, and began talking about
the death of poor Clarity. This neigh :
Dor had known Clarity and he asked
Usher If the dead man had anything IN
wages coming to him. Usher replied
tina. he had not. The neighbor stated
that he had been talking with some OF
the other neighbors and they had con-
cluded in case Clarity had no money
to raise enough to give him a decent
burial. This idea struck Usher as the
proper thing, and he volunteered 10
give SIS. Il want to see Bill given
decent burial" remarked Usher, and
I would like to arrange to attend MS
funeral" But just then Marshal hozi-
ovsky walked across the street ana loio
Usher that he was wanted at ,ne po-
lice station.
In official circles it is believed that
tho murder Of Clarity was carefully
planned conspiracy, and that MRS.
FISHER knows more about the AFFAIR
than She has cared to reveal