Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-05-10
ROY sHARRER, YOUTHFUL GRIM.
INAL, MUST SERVE THREE
YEARS FOR DARING DEED.
ATTEMPTED BIG HOLD-UP
Intending to Steal $4,000 He Shot Joba
Jones, Superintendent of Mining
Company But Failed to Carry Out
Remainder Of His Plans.

Centerville, May -(Special.)-
Three years at hard labor in the peni-
tentiary at Fort Madison is the SEN
tence that must be served by 16-year-
old Roy Sharrer for an act of lawless-
ness which rivals in daring the crimes
of the famous automatic trio of boy
bandits whose story thrilled the whole
country and who met death on the gal
lows a few weeks ago. Sharrer plead
ed guilty Saturday in district court
here before Judge M. A. Roberts of
Ottumwa. The sentence is somewhat
more mild than might be expected in
view of the crime but was made short
because of the extreme youth of the
defendant.
Assaulted Mine Superintendent.
The crime for which young Sharrer
was arrested and indicted was assault
with intent to commit murder, and his
victim was Joba Jones, superintendent
of the mines owned by the Anchor
Coal Co. and we'll known resident of
Appanoose county. On February 81
Mr.. Jones was shot in the back by
young Sharrer while the superintend-
ent was driving from Centerville to
Shawville with grip containing over
$4,000 with which to pay the miners at
the Shawville mines. The lads object,
as he confessed, was robbery, and he
had thought to wound Jones and make
away with the booty. But the horse.
frightened by the, shot. ran away and
carried the wounded man and the mon
ey to Shawville, where Mr.. Jones told
the excited miners who had shot him.
The boy was soon arrested and forced
to make confession.
Victim of Cheap Literature.
Young Sharrer was the victim of vel
low backed novels and it was while
his mind was inf1amed with the stories
of dare devil recklessness that he con
1sceived the plan Of sobhing the mine
/ superintendent The result was almos,
the death of Mr.. Jones, but thanks te
careful nursing and a good constitu
ton. he managed to pull through aft
er a long siege and was able to attent
| the trial of the young bandit who at
tempted his life.
Enters Plea Of Guilty
/ The boy, though brave enough wher
/ arrested, was considerably cowed b,
1 his Imprisonment and when given al
opportunity to enter a plea of guilty
he gladly accepted. Judge Robert.
gave him some much needed advic,
and sentenced him to three years i'm
prisonment
A Remarkable Crime.
The case has been a remarkable one
as the mere boy has shown the Gun
ming and the .deliberateness of al
adept in crime. He sought to gain thu
assistance in his bold deed of hi!
cousin, Paul Astroth, but the latte
was cleared Saturday and released
When sentenced Sharrer showed NJ
concern and stood and received the ad
monition of Judge Roberts without {
tremor. The maximum sentence woult
have been five years.
Mother Not Interested.
His mother, now living in De
Moines, did not come to attend court
or hear him sentenced He has no
been Mt home for sometime and CAV,
as reason that when his mother hat
married the second time and SCENE,
inclined to leave that husband for an
other, he told her if she insisted OF
so much marrying he would leav,
4 home, and he did