Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-24
A RECORD Of MURDER.
Atrocious Story County Crime
Recalled by Recent Killing
of John E. Porter
MURDER OF OLD MAN PORTER
Body Was Burned, Then Dug UP and
Disposed Of In Various Ways, the
Guilty Family at Last Seeking to In
dictate That There Had Been Sui
cids-11,eir Trial.


eide--1heir Trial.
Special to Times Republican,
Nevada, Dec. 24.-The recent killing
Df John E. Porter, former Story
county boy and ex-convict, recalls the
most brutal and atrocious crime ever
recorded in the criminal records Of
Story county, that Of the FLOODED
and premeditated murder Of Samuel
Porter, an aged citizen living near the
now almost extinct town of iowa Cen
ter In the southern part of the county,
by his wife and minor son, for the
simple purpose Of getting the old man
out of the way that they might handle
Ill Of the property.
The Porters were considered in the
neighborhood as a hard set. On the
might of October 20, 1882, while the old
man was asleep in his bed one Of the
family shot him In the head with a
shot gun, killing him instantly. The
body was then taken out Of the house
and 1t is supposed from appearances
WAS buried In shallow grave on the
premises. Afterwards becoming "a
kraid OF discovery, the body was taken
from this place, and after being hid
under an old granery for a day or SO,
was hitched behind an old cultivator
and hauled to a distant part of the
farm. There 1t was placed in a slit.
ing position and an old musket, which
investigation afterwards showed had
not been fired for years, was placed III
q willow tree a few yards away, point
ing towards the corpse, with a string
running from the trigger Of the old
oun to the hands Of the body, with the
Intention of indicating suicide.
There It stayed for a day or so, un-
I'll the family again became fearful OF
rejection and one OF the sons ran to
the house OF Mr.. McCord, q neighbor
and father OF the present clerk OF the
courts OF this county and told OF the
findinR Of the body and the supposition
that he had suicided as he had fire.
inuently threatened the family that ne
contemplated doing so. Within snort
time g crowd of people was on the
GROUNDS 1one Of them looking upon the
suicide proposition with favor 1t was
not long until the track of the dragging
hodv was traced to the barn yard. the
nlace where the remains had BEEN
placed under the granery was found
and the empty grave discovered. Inc
smother. Elizabeth Porter, and the two
sons who were at home, George ana
1ohn Edward, were placed under arrest.
ON the 9th Of the following January
sKhey were indicted by the grand jury
81 thts county, and arraigned IN court
before Judge H. G. Henderson on the
following day. The elder son, George,
kook a change Of venue to Boone coun-
H.. The mother and son, John, were
fried here. and after trial which last
"a about ten days were found guilty OF
,sn,,rder in the second degree and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for period
Of twenty-one years. They took an ap-
neal to the supreme court and the case
was reversed on an error OF the court
Al instructing the jury as to where the
burden Of proof lay.
Ii The case was next tried in the dls-
krict court of Tama county before
Judge Giffen, and after the case was
almost finished and the defense saw
khere was no hope for the others, the
non John. who was lad Of about six
keen wears or younger, was prevailed
upon BY the others to plead guilty TO
the awful crime, thinking that his ten
der wears would save himself and the
balance from the penitentiary, and he
would be sent to the reform school,
This he did, relating the commission
of the crime with all Of its horrible de-
tails, asserting that he had killed the
father in defense OF the mother ThSl
mother and son were both found guilty
of the crime again, however, and the |
same sentence given them, twenty one I
long years in the states prison. They
served about fifteen years of the sem
tence. when they were pardoned, prin-
cipally on account Of the advanced age
OF the mother at that time, and the
crime was committed.
The elder son, George, was tried in
the courts OF Boone county, and ac-
Of the cases In the Story and Boone
county courts were under Attorneys ].
F. Martin and Judge Stevens OF Boone.
Ham Preston. now Judge Preston, Of
Cedar Rapids, assisted in the prose-
cution at the time Mr.. Martin took the
case to Tama county. The defense
WdS uhOSE LAAS S4l6I6e OIL ATTORNEY II.
NJ. Funson. now of Minneapolis and the
late James Frazier, one of the pioneer
lawyers Of the central part Of Iowa.
George Porter at once disappeared
from circulation In the county and
since his release from prison John has
been in Oklahoma, where he was killed
In q quarrel by a man named Shelby, a
Few days ago, the coroner's Jury bring
Ing in q verdict of justifiable homi-
Eide.
Children MysteriousIy Missing.
Des Moines. Dec. 24.-The latest de-
velopment in the mysterious disap-
of the Hull children. the be-
OF their mother Mrs. Ear
nest Johnson. and the utter silence of
The mother of Lillian Barnett, who has
stolen the two boys, is the fear ex-
pressed by Mrs. Johnson that her two
little children will be sacrificed by the
Jealous old maid before she will
suffer them to be returned to their
mother.
Mrs Johnson, thru her attorney,
William Mclaughlin, yesterday placed
IN file in the district court her petition