Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-28
JOHN HARRIS FACES MURDER
cHAReE-vlcTIM WAS LEVI
WOODS.
WE'LL KNOWN FARMER
MEETS TRAGIC DEATH
Harris, colored Man, Was Formerly
Employed on Woods Farm-Quarrel
Over Account Claimed by Harris
Results in Death of Woods.

Over Account Claimed by Harris
Results in Death of Woods.
From, Wednesdays Daily.
Levi Woods, farmer residing about
six miles southeast of Ottumwa, was
this morning about 10 o'clock, struck
on the head with a stick Of wood in
the hands of John Harris,a we'll known
colored man of Ottumwa and instantly
killed. Harris after striking the
blow, and without waiting to learn
it's fatal results, hurried into Cttumwa
and surrendered himself to Constable
George Blount.
Harris Tells of Trouble.
The circumstances of the trouble as
told by Harris when seen this after
noon at the county Jail are as follows:
Early last fall Harris bought a horse
of Woods for $50 and was to pay for 1t
by chopping ninety. cords OF WOOD.
The chopping began about last CHRIST
mas and was finished just few days
ago. While chopping the wood Harris
boarded part of the time at the resi-
dences of Mr.. Wood and part OF the
time in Ottuinwa at the residence or
Mrs. Adaline Lewis, colored, 523 East
Mill street Harris was in debt to
Mrs. Lewis about $3.50 and on last
Saturday in Justice Ballard's court
there was heard suit for garnish-
ment against Mr.. Woods for the
amount of this claim. Woods at this
hearing swore that he did not owe
Harris anything but in the end Justice
Ballard gave a judgment in favor OF
Mrs. Lewis and writ of attachment
was filed against the horse for which
Harris had traded but which was still
in the possession of Woods.
Files Suit for Wages.
Yesterday in Justice Billiards. court
Harris filed suit for small balance
which ne still claimed that was owed
to him by Woods over and above the
value of the horse for which he had
traded. This suit had not yet come to
trial.
The Fatal Quarrel.
This morning Harris went to the
country intending to go to point be-
yond Mr.. Woods place where he was
to do some chopping. At the Woods
place he met Woods and the two men
talked for some time. Harris wanted
to know why Woods had sworn as he
had on Saturday. Woods declared
that he did not want Mrs. Lewis to Sc
cure the garnishment for which she
was asking. Harris told Woods that
Constable George Blount was coming
after the horse today. Woods sWore
that Blount could not have the horse
until the board of the horse since the
time that Harris had first traded for
him was paid, and that if Blount came
and took him Orrin Woods, Mr.Woods'
son. would go after him and get him
back.
The question of the standing of the
account between the two men came up
and their anger increased until, as
Harris states, Woods seized stick OF
wood and struck at him. The blow,
which was partly warded off by throw
ing up an arm landed on the side of
Harris head cutting through the soft
felt hat, but doing little other damage.
Harris then grabbed stick of wood
about two feet long, used during the
winter as a standard on the side of a
wood rack. AS he raised it to strike,
the prisoner claims. Woods dashed
toward him and attempted to dodge be-
meath the blow The stick struck the
back of the head and Woods fell to the
ground without word.
Surrenders to Officer.
Without stopping to see the result
of the blow, Harris turned and hasten
ed back towards town, passing another
colored man who was working for
Woods a short distance away. Harris
told him that he had struck Woods
with a stick and asked him to go see
how badly Woods had been hurt.
Harris kept on toward town and just
in the edge of Ottumwa he met con-
stable Blount on the way to the coun-
try, to levy on the horse. Harris told
Blount what he had done, adding that
he did not know how badly he had
hurt Woods. Blount turned back and
brought Harris to the county Jail.
Meanwhile the news that Harris
had killed Woods had been telephoned
to Sheriff Harry Cremer and and he
and his deputy, J. D. Stevens, started to
arms and start in search of Harris.
AT the JAIL uooi luey Weie iAet. NY
Blount with Harris, who told his
story and was at once locked up.
At about LAS o'clock this afternoon
Harris was called from his cell and
in the Jail Office and in the presence
of Sheriff Cremer, Deputy Stevens and
a reporter for the Courier, told the de.
tails of the story as outlined here.
When he had completed he was in
formed by Sheriff Cremer that Woods
was dead.
Sorry for His Act.
81 did not intend to kill him." said
Harris quietly and with a hopeless
look on his face. Eve were both
mad. He grabbed stick and struck
at me. You can see here where he
hit me-" Harris pulled off the soft