Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-06
Black Hawk County Officers
Inclined to Believe Rush
Met Accidental Death
COUNTY ATTORNEY MEARs' VIEW
After Several Days of Investigation He
is Still in Doubt Whether a Crime
Was committed-Favors the Acct
dent Theory-No New Clues Have as
Vet Been Found.
Special to Times-Republican

Special to Times Republican.
Waterloo, Nov. apparently n,
progress has been made in the searcr
for the supposed murderer of Johr
Rush. There is disposition on tht
part of some of the officers to believe
that Rush met his death by acciden,
and that no crime was committed. j
Harlan Rush arrived from Cleveland
o.. yesterday to attend the funeral. He
is firmly Of the opinion that his father
was murdered, but for what motive
and by whom he does not imagine.
The only solution which presents IT.
self to him is that a man who has been
persistently seeking work and money
from his father was probably ordered
from the Office of Mr.. Flush and de-
termined to seek revenge.
Another theory Is that the man who
has been so anxious to secure 500
whether in cash or in the opportunity
to work and earn it in order to perfect
an invention which he claims to have
made may be the guilty party. This is
the same man arrested by the city au-
thorities on the recommendation If
Detective Maurice Welsh Tuesday az
ternoon and released Wednesday morn
In. 1t Is said this man has been very
persistent in securing either money or
assistance from Mr. Rush to perfect a
machine which he says will make him
an independent fortune. He was un-
able to secure the cash or the tools ne
cessary to work out his invention AMI
1t was thought that he might have re.
turned to the ONCE to steal the tools
needed to complete the work and wal,
surprised at his work, making an at.
tack on Mr.. Rush in self defense.
1t was on this evidence that the city
authorities made the arrest Tuesday II
order that the movements OF the party
in question might be investigated.
County Attorney Mears is somewhal.
skeptical regarding the commission o.,
a crime. He seems to be OF the opinion
that Mr.. Rush came to his death
thru some accident. Whether ht.
fell or whether some instrument fell
and struck him on the head while II
the workshop, Is OF course a mystery
but he says 1t seems almost impos.
sible that any man in his right mint
would infiict the injuries sustained By
Mr.. Rush.
The position of the body" said Mr.
Mears, would indicate that Mr. Rust
was not struck on the back of the head
by a blunt instrument in the hands oil
another party. If such blow hat
been delivered Mr.. Rush would have,
fallen on his face instead of on hi,,
back. A heavy blow with a piece D
gaspipe the size in question, woui.l
have produced more decided injuries
than those sustained. The skull wa
not fractured in the slightest degree.
II, as has been reported, Mr.. Rusl
grappled with the man In the shop, 1t
would have been almost impossible t,
have struck him in the back of ths
head and produced the wounds The
position of the body, the spectacles ly-
ing farther away in the same direction
the head lay. would indicate that Nj.
Rush had fallen over backwards.
II put in almost an entire day on
solution OF the problem to OFFER l arm
still in doubt as to whether crime has
been committed"
The city officials and Detective Maur-
Ice Welsh are still confident that Nj.
Rush met his death at the hands Of ia
assassin. They are still working on
the case and hope to secure some tang
bile clue that will throw some light on
he mystery.
The funeral services were held from
he home at 2:30 yesterday afte,-
aoon,