Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-27
HAD A BAD RECORD
Suit Brought for the Killing Of S. M.
Shipman at Jefferson Recalls His
Career at Onawa, and Elsewhere.

! Onawa, June 27-The news that Mrs
S. Nj. Shipman has brought suit against
a number of prominent citizens of JEFF
| ferson. whom she accuses of being
members of the posse who killed her
husband, two years ago. for $4,000
damages, has started a current of rem
! iniscences in this locality, where
Shipman was we'll known in the early
days The name Shipman has ia
miliar sound to the old timers OF
Woodbury. and Monona counties and
there are plenty of people still living
along the line of the old wagon road
from Council Bluffs to Sioux City who
have good cause to remember it.
Shipman was accounted one of the
most desperate characters who ever
lived on the Missouri slope. where
bad men In the pioneers days We're
apt to congregate.
For several years Shipman kept a
stage station for the Western Stage
Company, whose headquarters We're
then in Des Mones, about half mile
from the present town of Sloan. in
Woodbury. county. This station was
one OF the best known stations on the
route from Council Bluffs to Sioux
City and was we'll patronized because
stopping places We're scarce In those
DAYS. Mrs Shipman was good cook
and kept everything in good shape in
the hotel, but it was hard job to
stop there and. get away without
trouble with Shpman.
He was always looking for trouble
and ready to provoke d row on the
slightest opportunity. His forte In
those days used to be to fire UP on
whisky. either get his horse (and
he always kept a good one) OF else
take the stage and visit the neighbour
ing towns and stations. He always
carried a 40 revolver big Knife ana
a double barreled shotgun. and always
entertained grudge against some one
and never stepped out of his house.
even to get a pail of water without
his arms. He had rows with almost
everybody and stage drivers had 20
be changed often because they could
not get along with Shipman. Agents
for the company at other stations were
all his foes. according to his ideas, and
he seemed to have it in for everybody.
in general. As he was over six feet
tall, bony, and muscular, he.was a bad
man to tackle in an encounter.
The time is we'll remembered when
he came to Omaha with the avowed
purpose of killing j. E. Morrison, then
landlord OF the Onawa house and agent
for the Western Stage Company For
some weeks he had been sending word
by stage drivers that he was coming
down to kill Morrison, but not much
attention was paid to it. One day, how
ever. Shipman appeared, full armed
and visited the hotel office to do up the
landlord who happened to be out, ut
the time After cursing and swearing
around awhile, he commenced shooting
in the office, and managed with his
shotgun, to blow a hole in the ceiling
big enough for man to almost crawl
thru. This is only one of many ex-
PLOTS of similar character.
About the last act of Shipman before
removing from Woodbury. county was
the killing of Winnebago Indian IN
the timber north Of Sloan. He had
shot at the Indians on several occas-
ions. but only one is known to have
been killed. The Winnebagoes lived on
their reservation in Nebraska and used
to come over on the Iowa side to hunt.
After the death of this Indian the VIM
nebagoes made things so warm for
shipman that he got frightened and
to remove from the scenes
90 y ts, frnY1hlaS