Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-03
OLD CRIME RECALLED.
Two Mon Dig Around Abandoned
House in Dead of Night.


! f-onroy that q short time ago two men
drove I'M to the Ole Olson place about
midnight and began digging in the
Ground in search of something. This is
TN, place where about six years ago.
the old miser was beaten TO death ior
his money, and at the time detectives
were put on the track and rewards
were offered to hunt down the muir
derers.
Ole Olson was one of the old settlers,
Who at an early day emigrated TO iowa.
locating a little to the west OF soulh
A,,ana Later he removed south few
,,i,as and owned the land on both sldes
az the Milwaukee track north or CON
NV The house In which he lived was
q little to the west OF the track anu
o,ood distance from the road, ana sur
,,unaed nv trees of his own plaheiiis'
11a nod few IL any callers, ana mere ne
,,,,aa al, alone from year to year. saw
ing his money and planting - ~ ,..,a
ground. so the story goes. haVine 49,.
,,;th in banks. He loaned MONEY
,i,nas hut most of II WAS piaceu
.nr,to cans and hidden IN holes AZ
the ground. .hraa masked
.,,o,t eight wears ago three mas NV
49,. IN about miGnight ana De-
,~an system of torture AFTER aeii'a'su
nc his money All methods We're lfie'
md finally they brought hay anu se'a"
-, tho house. tied him fast anu pesal'
!. h,rp his feet When nearly deatl
s,,a IN great pain he divulged the hiu-
r., n,,ee of his money, which was
+aSan away. and the unlimited VISITORS
aan.rted leaving the old miser tleo anu
gagged. He never fully recoseieu l.on.
that night of terror and never to1o NOV
much money he had to give up OF wa"
The PARTIES were. However, ne Staten
NAT sha would fix for them a second
t;noa IL anyone should venture on such
an arrand. He lived alone as before anu
nroyided himself with gun WITHIN
,.aacn NJ his bed with which to meet
any assailant. oo
On n clear night in September, 1872,
n nerson on his way horne from Conroy
saw a couple of men sitting on the
track near the old mans home He did
not know the men, and they sat facing
tho vest with their hats drawn down
over their faces The next day the old
man was found in his home with ms
head and face beaten and otherwise
injured, unconscious. ard from the ef-
fects Of which he passed away the same
day. The door had been kicked TO
nieces. window panes broken and the
house appeared as tho there had been
a struggle for life and death. Then the
people of the vicinity were up IN arms
and much time was spent in hunting
down the criminals Certain traces
were found. but it was finally given UP.
The case Is again opered up and ex-
citement is again aroused over the at
fair.
About II o'clock at night team
driven by two men III top buggy
stopped on the west side OF the track
near Conroy and got our and took down
the wire fence and drove into the pas
ture and up to the old Olson house,
which has never been occupied since
the time of the murder. The young
men who saw this walked UP the track
toward the house to see what the par
ties wanted and, getting within short
distance of the house. the men came to-
wards them The Young men depart
ed They then nailed up the fence. The
parties remained up there about two
hours and came out the same way nail
ing up the fence after they had gone
out. The next day four holes We're
found dug around a tree near the house
where the old man had lived. This was
all which was found that had been dis
turbed during the night by these mid
night niarsuders. The question nat
uraliy arises, who were these men bent
on such a mission? Were they OF the
first party who secured the large sum
Of money. or were they Of the second