Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-17
Public Sentiment In Favor of
Bankie Flygstad Who Kill
ed Drunken Father
DETAILS OF HORRIBLE CRIME
FIysstad's 1e-Year- Old Son Upon Al
legged Great Provocation, Beat His
Father to Death With Cast Iron
Towel Rod-Neishbors Tell Of Vic.
tins Threat to Kill Family.
Special to Times-Republlcan.


Webster City, Feb. 17.-The Febru
airy term of the district court convened
in this city yesterday, with Judge j. r
| Whitaker of Boone on the bench. Thi
grand jury, which will convene tomor.
row, will, in all probability, choose Hon
NJ. II. Brinton of Ellsworth as it's fore.
man and proceed at once to take evil
dence in the Flygstad murder case
| This will be by all odds the most i'm
portant case OF the term. Bankie Flyg-
stad, the 16-year-old boy murderer, who
killed his father. is still at liberty, ow-
is overwhelmingly in his favor.
The case is exceedingly peculiar in
the history Of criminology. Bankie
Flygstad is the only eye witness to the
awful tragedy, yet with stoicism and
honesty that is wonderful the lad con-
ceals nothing and relates, without a
show OF remorse, the terrible details of
the patricide. The coroners jury rem
dered a verdict which does not exoner-
ate the boy, but at the same time it
condones his offense. 1t states that
the elder Flygstad came to his death
by reason of blows dealt him on the
head by his son Bankie, under great
provocation." An inkling as to the evil
dence which will be brought before the
grand jury may be gained from state
ment given to the press by Justice j. r.
King, who held the inquest. Says this
gentleman:
mo. the jury did not exactly exon
crate Bankie Flygstad from the charge
of killing his father The men on the
panel We're: ]. Igou, Ed Swift and Geo.
w. Foval, all from Jewell. We went to
the Flygstad home upon being inform
ed of the killing of the elder Flygstad.
Bankie, himself, accompanied by Bert
Cole, brought the news to Jewell. AS
soon as l could get a jury together T
went with them Immediately to the
Flygstad farm home. When we put the
boy on the stand he admitted readily
to having killed his father. He stated
that his father came home drunk and
that his mother sent him In the house
to watch the old man while she would
do the chores. The boy went into the
house and sat down in the kitchen His
father at this time was ir an adjoining
bedroom. He was swee e roundly at
Mrs. Flygstad. Soon - came into the
and, angry at finding his son
there, he attempted TO make the boy sit
in a chair, while he, in his drunken
rage, stormed about the house in search
OF his wife. Bankie arose from the
chair where his father had put him
three times and was forced roughly
back each time by the old man, aged 10
years. At this Bankie threw the eld-
er Flygstad to the floor, kicked him
twice in the face and then secured the
cast iron towel rod, with which he bea.
his father to death. The old mans face
was terribly disfigured. One eyes was
gouged out. a big cash across the head
laid open the skull, while the upper jaw
just below the nose was severed half
way back. The sight was sickening."
The rod used by the boy" went on
Mr.. King, was 19& inches long and
weighs eighteen ounces. The son broke |
this rod four times over his fathers |
Bankie took his mother, brothers and |
sisters to Fred Rowe's. a neighbor AMI |
told of his crime. He took Rowe and
nan named Halverson back to the scene
IF the tragedy and showed them the
body. AT this time he even coolly
walked up to the dead Jody of his
,ather and Strengthened out one of his
egs. Upon the advice Of these gentle
men and A. A Furman, another neigh
,or, the boy came to Jewell and inform
ID us Of the crime"
The verdict was a compromise Par.
If the jury were in favor of acquitting
he boy, while others were in favor OF
folding him guilty"
The funeral over the remains of Dam
ell Flygstad was held from the family
lome north of Jewell. 1t was attended
~ but few. No women outside the old
mans daughters were there, not even
irs. Flygstad. The funeral was held
rom the home, for the reason that the
deceased had threatened to come back
o earth and scratch the family's eyes
ut" should his body ever be carried in
o church when he should die. The
amily, who are superstitious and ig-
GRANT. believed this.
A neighbor residing upon farm adj
Dining the Flgstad place, and who
eiped the undertaken lay out the old i
IAN, volunteered additional informa- t
ion to your correspondent concerning /
ne habits OF the family. Daniel Flyg- S
tad has been bringing on his tragic |c
nd, said this gentleman, for fifteen S
ears. Only few days ago, to my \
nowledge, he pointed loaded revolver
t his wife and threatened to shoot her. c
fter flourishing the weapon about t
and frightening the fam u
y almost out of their senses, he turned h
lie gun upon himself, thrust it into his +
louth and threatened to commit sui n
de. OF course he was drunk at the J
me, but he was drunk very frequently,
nd at these times was always up to II
in the nature Of extreme in is
to his family. 1t was his hab- Il
, when drunk, to lock all the doors so b
lat the family could not escape him. n