Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-09
Details of the Womelsdorf Muir
der Brought Out at Cor
oner's Inquiry
SOME PECULIAR CONDITIONS
Tho Womelsdcrf Couple Were Eccen-
trio and Had QuarreIed - Lived
In Same House But Each Did Own
Cooking and Owned Stock Separate.
ly-Shephere Suspected.
Special to Tin1es-Republlcan.

Special to Tin1es-Republlcan.
Fairfield, Jan. 9.-All of the county
authorities WAC have out to Walnut
township to investigate the murder of
Christian Wolnelsdorf, have returned.
Coroner A. S. Hague impaneled S. A.
Donavan, William Berg and George
H. Paul, as jury. The testimony OF
the wife, Nancy A. Womelsdorf, was to
the effect she had gone out to the
barn and feed lot to do the evening
chores, and had left her husband out
on the woodpale splitting wood, that
while she was there, Dan Shepherd
attracted to the barking of her dog
and she noticed a man, in the dusk
who was dressed in dark clothes and
wearing a cap, enter her house thru
the kitchen. This description, altho
vague, answers well the description of
Shepherd. Wien she had finished her
work, it was clark and as she entered
the kitchen she stumbled and fell over
the body of her husband.
The evidence against Shepherd was
leased, the jury returning a verdict
that the deceased had come to his
death by blows from some person or
persons unknown to them, and not by
the hand of Shepherd, as stated FRI
day morning.
THE general sentiment in the COM
munity where these people lived, is
that the wife did not administer the
Gu nf az q
been a hard worker all her life on the
farm, doing a mans work in plowmg
and the hardsjhips thru which she has
passed have enfeebled her SO that she
is now in a p;alsied condition and had
she attempted the deed her husband,
being younger and stronger could
evidently struck from behind. The
evening was growing dark ana ms
eyesight was not of the best. The
murderer evidently found the axe as
he passed the woodpfle, going to the
house. and left it where he found it
on returning after he had committed
the foul dead.
Shepherd admitted on the witness
stand that he was not on good terms
with womelsdorf, and that he had in
trouble with him and had knocked him
down.
The old couple were eccentric. The
husband never owned any land but ms
wife did, She attended to her part OF
the stock, and had nothing to do with
his, while he attended to his own. Each
collected their own money. and each
did their own cooking. AS to their do
no
ners and in this case he had finished
his chores and was splitting the wool
for the night while she was attending
to her work.
Shepherd has bad reputation as
thief, having been arrested number
OF times for chicken stealing, and the
walls Of our county jail are familiar
to him. He is also considered as not
having the brightest of minds, and the
fact of a debt which he claimed Wom-
elsdorf owed him, may have led MN
to commit the murder. Sheriff Wright
is following up some clues ana the
grand jury meets soon and VIII then
take the matter up.
It is claimed by some that the evil
dence indicates that Mr.. Shepherd was
somewhere in the vicinity of the MUIR
der that evening for Wnlle AT least.
This Mr.. Shepherd denies. testifying
that he was in Brighton. There is
another point in favor of Shepherd
that was brought out, and that is the
testimony of Mrs. Wolmsdorf, in which
she stated that when she warned the
man who is said to have approached
her home on The evening of the fateful
day. to beware of the dog, the man
reeplied to her in German. 1t Is said
that Shepherd does not speak German.
The lady, as is stated, insists that the
answer was in German. The ak, 1t -
stated, was placed in the corner OF
the room after the murder.