Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-30
TRIAL OF wlGMAN
Case Growing Out of The Fatal
shootina Which Occurred Near
Graettinoer Last Winter Will Come
Up in Court at Spencer.

Spencer. Dec. 30.-The case OF the
state of Iowa VS.. Conrad Wigman Will
be tried at the next term OF court held
in this CITY. The case grows out Of the
fatal shooting which occurred near
Graettinger last spring. A list Of thirty
special jurymen has been drawn for
this case and from these the jury Will
be drawn for trial of the case.
On March 81 last, Mr.. j. A. Spies,
living near Graettinger, received
letter through the mails which read
,as follows:
1--WE demand that you, on the list day
Of April. 1904, place In the weight box
of the stacker, standing on the prairie,
section 10. Walnut, $1,000 in 5, 10 and
90 dollar bills. Place in box at seven
o'clock D. m. or we will burn your prop
erty in various parts Of the county, be-
sides you will start on a journey and
never get there, neither will you return
if YOU don't do as we ask. And If you
make this known in any way we Will do
likewise. Yours respt."
On receiving this letter Mr.. Spies in
formed the county sheriff and few in
innate friends. A Chicago detective
was wired for and arrived the next
day. April 1.
According to instructions in the let
ter Mr.. Spies placed package suppos-
ed to contain the money in the weight
box of the hav stacker The package,
however. contained nothing but blank
paper. The detective concealed him
self in a nearby hay stack and re-
manned there on guard until between
and o'clock in the morning when he
was relieved by Conrad Wigman, a
young man living near Graettinger.
Young Wigman had been on guard
about half an hour when a man dress
ed as hunter and carrying a gun
wandered across the prairie to the
haystacker, where he opened the
weight box. took out the package and
started away. Wigman called to the
man to halt and drop his gun. He re-
peated the demand several times, and
instead Of dropping the gun the man
swung around and seemed to shift his
gun in the direction Of the haystack.
Wigman fired, wounding the stranger
in the arm and left side. Upon APP
preaching Wigman found the man to
be III. N. Deeter, nearby farmer. The
wounds were not deemed serious, and
accompanied by Wigman, Deeter walk
ed to Graettinger where he was plac-
ed in charge Of physician. Later de-
velopments showed the wounds to be
more serious than was at first thought
and soon after Deeter died from the
effects.
Deeter claimed that he owned the
stacker and that he approached 1t look
ing for wrench and upon seeing the
package picked 1t up. He said further
more that he did not understand the
demands to halt and that he turned to-
ward the haystack from whence the
voice came.
Since the affair the detective visited
Deeter's home and claims to have
found tablet with the name "Spies"
impressed in the tablet as tho the note
had been written on a sheet above
Wigma11 was arrested and placed un-
der 1000 bonds. A preliminary hear
ing was given April 8, 1904, at Emmets-
burg. The case was transferred from
Palo Alto county to Clay county for
the August term, 1904. It has been
held over and will be tried in the Clay
county court held in Spencer, the term
commencing January %, 1905.