The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-06-23

At an inquisition held at the home of Fl. H. Young
in Decatur county, Iowa, on the 18th day of june,
1904 before Fred A. Bowman, of said Decatur
county, Iowa, upon the body of Harry Allen there
lying Dead by the jurors whose names are hereto sub
scrbed
The said Jurors upon their oath do say 1--WE do find
that said deceased came to his death by gun shot
wound by some person persons unknown.
Aud we further do find that he did to his
death feoniously, and that crime has been commit
ted on the deceased ---is the name of the person
whom the jury believe has committed 1t
In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereunto
set their hands this 18th day of June, 1904.
THOMAS MuNyoN,
r. F. CRAFT,
G. w: RUSH.
After the inquest post mortem was
held by Coroner Bowman and DR.. j. w.
Robinson of Grand River. 1t was found
that the bullet had struck him little
to the left of the center of the forehead,
passing through the frontal bone, then
passing backwards and upwards, strik-
ing the back part of the skull which
was fractured and the bullet had fallen
down into the brain cavity, infiicting
necessarily fatal wound. The revolver
had been fired at very close range, as
the boys face was filled with powder.
The bullet had made three holes through
his hat, the rim being doubled over so
that it was perforated twice and then
passed through the crown of his hat.
Being located in an isolated part of
the county, definite information of the
crime was hard to get in Leon and there
were all kinds of rumors of how the
murder was committed afloat, including
a report that strange man had been
seen in the vicinity of the field, who
had disappeared and no trace OF him
could be found. There was also an
account published in the Des Moines
papers, which said that the boy was on
the public road when he met strange
man who shot him and then jumped into
the brush, and it was reported the deed
was the work of maniac who was roam
ing over the country. At Murray a
tramp was arrested who was thought to
be the fellow who did the deed, but it
was soon found that he was in no way
connected with it.
THE REPORTER man, in company with
Sheriff Wallace, County Attorney Olsen
and Marion Woodland, drove to the scene
of the tragedy on Friday morning
to investigate the shooting. The farm
is about fourteen or fifteen miles north
west of Leon, the house of Harrison
Young being located in the brush a half
mile back from the-road running north
from DeKalb. Mr.. Young owns forty
acres of pretty rough land, and the sur
roundings we're not very inviting.
There was gathered at the house num-
ber of the neighbors who had come to
attend the funeral, it having been de-
cided to bury the boy from the Young
home, the interment being in the Wood
ard cemetery near by, at the county's
expense as the parents of the murdered
boy were in destitute circumstances.
Inquiry among those present developed
the fact that there was a very strong
feeling that the deed had been commit
ted by Ed Young, the son of Harrison
Young, and after talking with numerous
parties acquainted with all the circum-
stances it was decided to place him
under arrest. Sheriff Wallace took
charge of him and when arrested he
simply said, Cali right" and denied that
he had anything to do with the shooting.
The field where the shooting occurred
was then visited, the party taking one
of the shoes which young Young was
wearing off his feet and it was found
that the shoe which was a heavy one
with peculiar square heel which was
run over on one side, fitted exactly into
the tracks in the field leading to and
from the spot where the boy was found
The trail was followed over the hill
down to Palmers house and then up the
creek, the shoe fitting the track in
every instance. At the point on the
creek bank where the fellow had sat
down evidently collecting his thoughts
The REPORTER man found single
empty cartridge shell of 38 calibre, and
when it was tried with the bullet taken
from the boys head was found to fit
perfectly. 1t had been previously
learned that when Ed Young left the
Allen home on Monday he had taken
with him Mr.. Aliens 3S calibre revolver
and after the shooting he mounted q
horse and rode down to the Allen home
and told the boys parents he had beer
shot. While at the house he laid the
revolver down on top Of the safe with
out saving word to them about return
ing it. Ed Young had also been seel
down along the railroad track the morn
ing of the shooting by the section men
and he had the revolver with him at thu
time and fired it several times, so ther'
was pretty close chain of evidenc,
woven around him.
The accused was brought to Leon il
the sheriff's carriage Friday evening
and on the way insisted he had nothin,
to do with the shooting, but afte
spending night in jail he decided i
was best to make confession which h
did Saturday morning at County Attor
ney Olsen's office in the presence O
Sheriff Wallace and THE REPORTER man
4 He said that he took Aliens fevo1ve
with him when he left the Allen hous
on Monday, as he had done before, MI
Allen having given him permission Z
carry it whenever he wanted. to. HI
went to Van Vert and stayed unit
along towards evening and then rod
with Frank Greenland out to Georg
Young's farm, about mile southwest {
: the scene of the shooting where he re
NAMED until Thursday morning when b
went over to Dave Clark's and stoppe
i there for a drink Of water. He the
went up the road north toward hi
fathers home, and when he got to th
i corner of the field saw the Allen bo
leaving the field. He left the road an
, crawled through the wire fence an