davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-03
NELSON'S QUEER CASE
Man Who Killed His Daughters
and Then Committed Suicide
Peculiar Character
WAS SUSPECTED OF MURDER
Believed the Fear That He Would Be
Accused Of Killing Richardson and
Hiding Away the Body Had Driven
Him to Insane Richardson Body
Not Found.
WAS SUSPECTED OF MURDER

Special to Times-Republican:
Harlan, April 3.-1'he news of the
suicide of Mike Nelson at his home
near Poplar in the west part of Audu-
bon county as announced Mn a dis
patch from Audubon, Saturday has
created somewhat of sensation here
but many people say they are not
surprised that he should take his life
but they cannot understand why he
should first murder his Innocent
daughters. For eight and a half years
N. M. Nelson, more Familiarity known
as mike" Nelson and a Danish farmer
of Audubon county as stated above
has been strongly suspected of the
murder of Francis Richardson,
wealthy land owner and money lender,
who suddenly disappeared during the
latter part of August 1896. ShadoWed
by sheu,iffs and and detectives and re-
ferred to by people in general as the
probable murderer of an innocent old
man and perhaps hounded 'py ms y" II
conscience if the sulmises are correct,
during all these years Nelson has I'm
ally given UP the fight and first muir
dered his two daughters aged IL ana IL
years respectively in. order to remove
them from the stigma of his former
crime and then taken his own life. 1t
is said that ARIA Richardson brother
of the murdered man who lives near
Audubon had brought medium drom
Des Moines and was trying to locate
the body of his brother. Last week
the announcement was made that the
sody had been found and the next
ay followed the Nelson double chime
OF murder and suicide. According to
pest information obtainable here the
body of Francis Richardson whom Nell
son was supposed to have murdered
for his money has not been discovered
as claimed.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-03
APPEAL in SHEPHERD CASE.
Dan Shepherd, Found Guilty Of Muir
der, Will Go to Higher Court.

Fairfield, April 3.-Dan Shepherd
new serving term in the 1T. Madi-
SON penitentiary for killing Chris
womelsdorf, is to have a trial in the
supreme court. e. r. Simo1s, Shep-
herds attorney Friday night made the
statement that an appeal would DC
made as soon rs possible, but prob
ably would not come up until the
September term of the supreme court
Shephera4was found guilty of man
slaughter, and was sentenced to eight
years at hard labor.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-03

Rev. F. G. Brown, for eight years
associate editor Of the Western Chris
tan Advocate at Cincinnati, has re-
signed He will be succeeded by Rev
Robb Earring of Indianapolis.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-03
KILLED IN HIS SLEEP.

Davenport Man Asleep In Barn Kicked
BY Horse.
Special to Republican.
Davenport, April 3.-Franls Behnke,
aged 60 yaers. while asleep I'M his barn
at Green Tree. was fatally kicked by
a horse. He was found dead this
morning.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
II

1t is a curious and instructive fact
that the japanese, who have proved
themselves to be among the most dar-
ing and skilful fighters of the age. are
also the cleverest gardeners in the
world and the most ardent lovers of
flowers and blossoms-so strangely
contasted are the qualities of this re-
markable nation.
From January to December" says
writer on Japan, the land of the
Mikado is one beautiful garden, with
an almost unbroken succession of flow
ers and blooms-plum blossoms in
February, cherry blooms in April,
azaleas through the summer, chrysan-
themums in October, and camelias in
December; while in every month of
the year is to be seen a rare wealth
of evergreens and dwarf trees in every
kind of fantastic shape. all grown and
tended with infinite skill and patience.
The fact is that every Japanese Is born
gardener with an instructive passion
for flowers, and from his earliest years
he is carefully taught the science of
Horticulture"
1t matters nothing whether his gar
den consists of few square yards or
stretches over many acres: there is
not square foot of it that is not
turned into beauty. Although the gar
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
A Homemade Elect.

Isn't it fun to sail boat, boys and
girls? Not real one, because, of
course, very few of US can do that.
but those that we make ourselves.
Some boys can build really fine lit
tie craft for themselves. but for those
who have not that knack we will tell
of a way to make whole fleet of sail
boats. 1t is so easy that even very
tiny tots can manage it.
Take the shells of walnuts, the big
best you can find. clean them out care
fully and cover the opening with card
board cut the exact size. Thrust a
match through the center of this card
board and fasten it to the bottom OF
the shell with sealing wax or beeswax.
Cut sail out of white paper and
fasten it to the match with thread.
If you like, you can paint the hull
of your boats (the shelD in colors
say, have one fleet all white, another
gray for fighting trim, and SO on.
These boats can be sailed in Soun-
tains, in bath tubs or even in real
ponds, because they are so cheap to
make that no one would be bankrupt
if every vessel were swamped. Fine
races can also be arranged between
contesting boats.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Astonished Indians,

Among the people who went to set
tie in Colorado thirty years ago was a
man with very red hair. says Golden
Days. He and his party were thrown
among the Indians. who thought at
first his hair was painted. just as they
painted their own bodies and faces.
An old chief came up to him one day
and looked at his hair very carefully.
'Ugh!" said the Indian.
And then. turning to the interpreter
who had the party in charge. asked
where the man got the kind of paint
that would color. and yet not be greasy
or look dauby. He was told that the
mans hair was not painted, but he
would not believe it. He once more
walked up to the man and scrutinized
the red locks. running his hand
through them and looking at his fin
gers.
The red-haired man became little
nervous. and half fancied that the
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

measured them. and then, in spite of
Bills protestations, gave him sound
thrashing.
Two days afterward we were again
in the yard, when my father appeared.
made me bring my shoes. measured
them with stick which he held, and
then gave me worse jrubbing than
he had bestowed upon Bill.
Some hours afterward, when 1 was
feeling a little better, met Bill, and
said to him:
How did you manage to wear my
shoes?"
Bill answered my question by ask
ing another:
How did you whar mine?"/
Put grass in them." said, feeling
proud of my ingenuity, in spite of the
way that my back smarted.
WELL" chuckled Bill. dat was
smart; but l done took a pair O. short
stills, and put you shoes on de ends oh
'em. Reckon, Mars Dick, you and Is
about eben now!"-Golden Days.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

chief was calculating how nice red
scalp would look hung to his telt.
The interpreter, however, laughihgly
told the man what the chief bad said.
Two Or three more of the Indians
then gathered around the party, tnd
they and the interpreter had pow
WOW. Finally the interpreter asked
the man if he would object to putting
water on his hair.
He saw the Indians would not be-
lieve but that it was painted, until
they saw that the water would hot
wash the color out. The man took
some water. rubbed il on his hair, and
then showed his hands to them. But
it took four or five days of wonder
ing examination to convince them that
; he had not found some peculiar paint,
and got himself up in a bright red
suit of hair.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Phantom Doves.

A man who had been at work in a
shoe factory in Maine set hen one
day. He was told that the eggs were
.'bantams," and he always was fond of
bantams. at don't take scarcely moth
ing to feed EN-" said he. "and I'm
much obliged to you" And the young
fellows in the same room in the shoe
factory, who gave him the eggs, smiled
among themselves. The eggs hatched,
and then the devoted bantam-raiser
hung over the "chicks" in rapture.
They were the most awful specimens
of bantams, though, he ever saw. They
were the lankest and most insignifi-
cant and nakedest and fuzziest birds
he ever met in all his existence.
Seems to me-" proffered he, the next
day, as he stood at his work, that
unems mighty queer bantams. l kind
of think they're some new breed
something sort of original, you know.
Such things does happen" The Logs
in the shop agreed, without much urg-
ing, to come up and see them. They
came in ones and twos and threes and
squads, and filled his hen house and
flocked his premises, and after they
had all got there they gave the hen
fancier the bottom of the plot. They
had given him setting of doves eggs.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Parlor Football,

Girls. did you ever have a secret
wish to play football? If you did, you
can begin right off without any fear
of broken arms and legs and other dis
comforts that boys do not seem to
mind.
Your athletic field can be a dining
room table, and you need have no
bother with going in training under
severe coaches. Moreover, you'll have
lots of exciting sport, SO much that the
boys will be glad to join you In
game after their short season of real
football is over.
This new game of parlor football is
played by driving light ball inside
a netted space toward the goals, or
touchdown, at each end. The driv'
ing is done by swapping wire under
the ball with a pointed stick.
AS the other player is trying to do
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
c.ented Russian Mobs,

Il don't wish to be frivolous over a
serious question" said a returned trav-
eler from Russia, nor do | take sides
in the present disturbances. but l will
bet any amount that one of those Rus
sian mobs we read about SO much
these days is a mighty highly scented
body of people. You see. the Russians
of the lower classes are inordinately
fond of cabbage soup. They consume
vast quantities of 1t and are not par
ticular about the age of the cabbage.
Also the peasants and the working
people are afraid of fresh air and cook
their soup in tenements to which the
outside air is seldom admitted. You
can imagine the result. Dwellings and
clothing rcek of stale cabbage. and IL
you have ever had cabbage cooked in
your house you know the lingering
odor which remains in spite of open
windows and doors and the burning OF
pastiles. II is no exaggeration to say
that all Russia below the nobility and
gentry reeks of the stale odor OF cab
bage. So | can imagine that an ex-
cited. perspiring mob of the proletariat
would be strong In more senses than
one"
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
A Lesson in Honesty.

When l was a boy in Virginia, my
father had one of the finest water
melon patches in the region round
about. One of the colored boys on
our plantation was named Bill. He
and were great playmates and we
were both very fond of watermelons.
One day, when the crop was almost
ripe, my father called us to him and
said:
"If any of the melons are stolen. I
am going to measure the tracks in the
field, and then measure feet, and the
owner of the feet that correspond
with the tracks will get good whip
ping" e
This frightened me, but was bound
to get some melons. Bills feet were
much larger than mine; so l got his
shoes, stuffed them with grass, walked
in them to the patch, got melon, ate
it and replaced the shoes.
Next afternoon my father came to
where Bill and were, with stick in
his hand, and ordered 1ill to fetch his
shoes. They were brought. my si-ther
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
BIG SUCCESS AS FRAME MAKER.
Designs by Boston Artist Are Always
in Demand.

The frame for the picture is always
sore question with the average ar
tist. as any one of them will confess
and any framemaker testify to. Most
painters have definite ideas on how
their canvases should be framed, but
when it comes to ordering and paying
for them, that is another matter. AS
great an artist as AlmaTadema always
designed his own frames. and not
few of our painters design and make
their own.
There is one Boston artist who be-
gan by making his own frames after
his own designs, and his effects were
SO artistic that several of his col
leagues in that city begged him to
make frames for them, He consented
to do this in few cases, until the
fame of his work spread abroad, and
as a result he received so many ordsrs
that he set up a framemaking shop OF
his own that has been decided finan-
cial SUCCESS. Two of his frames are
exquisite, examples of what can be
done W. carving painted in this
mans personal way. which Is the key
note of i Is work in general.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Jacks All Along the Line.

At a church fair held in Jersey City
last week the entertainment commit
tee devised a prize contest to deter
mine which family of girls in the con-
gregation had the largest representa-
tioa of marriages Originally only,
duplicates not being counted) where
the husband bore the same Christian
name. The winners in this unique
competition were five sisters, VINO
welded Johns, all of whom, with their
wives, were present when the award
was made.
1t developed that the only brother
of the quintet of Mrs. Johns is also
John, and that his son is likewise
Johnny" 1t further trapspired that
the father of the ~successful candi-
dates was named John, and the pa
ternal grandfathers for many genera
tions were christened similarly.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Flags at Half Mast.

What is the origin of displaying
flags at half mast?
When this question is put the an
swer always is unhesitatingly given:
1T is borrowed from The navy. The
pennant at half mast is always sign
OF mourning"
"Yes; but was it at first a ship S
signal of distress, as some say?'
In the seventeenth century it was 60
employed by the Spaniards. and in the
following century it was so recognized
by English and French sailors. We
also know that flags were commonly
used at funerals in England; hence the
common application of the combina-
tion of the two usages on occasions of
bereavement.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
Sketches and Anecdotes Gathered In by Our
Special Correspondent

transmitting canvases into coin at the
rate of $4,000 a year. Newspaper art
lists average from $50 to $50 week,
though some of them find $100 or more
in their envelopes every seven days.
One cartoonist enjoys an income of
$4,000 year and two or three others
pocket from $4,000 to 100000 year.
Architects vary as much as artists and
physicians in the matter of incomes.
New York has several architects
whose annual incomes are fortunes in
themselves. reaching occasionally such
heavenly figures as $125,000, $150,000
and 100000. But they are as rare as
snowfiakes in July. Considering the
average draughtsman and expert de-
signer in the large Offices, together
with the revenues derived by country
architects, the general average is
about $500 year. While the mining
and civil engineers go the architect
about $500 year better, they are of
ten idle from the nature of their
work.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
when mother is Away.


The old house seems so creepy,
And the rooms so dull and dead
1 think hear spooks walking
In my bedroom overhead.
And 1 hear the strangest whispers
Coming down the chimney Hue,
And a voice-I guess a witch's-
Keeps a-saying: You. boo -hhoo"'
And when the flames quit blazing
And get low upon the crate,
And the shadows come a-creepinS,
And the hour is getting late.
Then l hear the front stairs creakirs'
Just If some one was there
And I'd like to run and look, but
My gracious! don't dare!
And sometimes in the cellar
/ can hear the awfullest things
1t makes me get all creepy.
And / have such wonderings!
And sometimes when the wind blows,
Then the caves make such a noise
It's like the ghosts pa tells about
That scares the little boys.
And when 1 get real awful scared
1 close my eyes up tight,
And cuddle up in this big chair.
And turn on all the light
And say, you ought to see them stoot'
Those ghosts and gobble-uns,
The witches and the things like that,
rs soon as mother comes!
Milwaukee Sentinel.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

New York woman of position. The
late Franz Rummel met and married
here Miss Morse, a daughter of the in
ventor of the telegraph. Richard Hoff-
man, who came here from England to
tour with Jenny Lind, married a
daughter of the Lamson family, and
only last winter Ernest Schilling was
married to Miss Draper. No other
musicians have broken into families OF
wealth and position SO readily as the
pianists.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

tc be ~ inches long and inches deep,
ii will require a strip of Swiss 14A
inches long and 31s inches deep;
while cuff. inches long by inches
Deep. requires a strip 81 inches by
Eh.
Lay an inch hem around three sides,
making a narrow turn-in: miter the
corners and hem neatly by hand. TheL
Iut the raw edge into narrow
straight band.
You have no idea how pretty these
Swiss collar sets are. though the are
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

edges of, the glass. Cover this outer
piece with flowered wallpaper of ere.
tonne, pasting over the edge and turn.
ing in on the under side.
Then glue the frame over the glass,
rutting it under heavy books until the
paste is dry.
These mirrors can he made small, so
as to slip in pocket. or big enough
TO hang on a wall, as you desire. For
hangers. paste ribbon to the insicp of
the back piece before the fran s
! tened to it.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Hair and Hats.

There is respectable and perfect
ly normal physician living here named
DIR. ]. Conger Bryan, who says that
the human race is destined to badness
unless the practice of wearing stiff
felt hats is abandoned. He himself
wears straw hat all the year around.
and he sports a luxuriant mat of thatch
to prove that the straw hat is hair
grower. DR.. Bryan believes his remedy
for badness should be worn the year
around. When the mercury crawls
down around the zero mark DR.. Bryan
promises to make Fifth avenue and
Broadway sit up and take notice OF
him this winter. Even now he at
tracts attention from the derby-hatted
populace as he strolls along the
streets.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Joining the Horned Unicorn.

That old prejudice against women
who adopt the stage for livelihood
seems to be rapidly disappearing de-
spite the fact that whenever a million
aire marries an exchorus girl there Is
heap big talk about 1t in the papers.
The niece of ex-President Mckinley
and the niece of President Roosevelt
are on the stage. The daughters OF
three governors are engaged to play IN
New York this season, and there are
any number of society girls with rich
papas who have not accepted, but
begged for places on the stage. There
are two girls in Joe Weber's company
who stand to win a million when their
papas die and who each receive pea
green check for hundred every week
while they are performing for forty
week in the famous old music hall at
Broadway and Twenty-ninth street.
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Country Is a Garden
Flowers and Blooms in Japan
in Almost Unbroken Succession
Especial correspordence.)

cor ling to the native legend the chrys-
an, lemum was the offspring of the
ALI lnce of the earth with star untold
ages ago This floral child was in
tur 1 wooed and welded by the sun,
anc from this exalted union sprang the
frs. Emperor of Japan.
Oh .ysanthemums Everywhere.
.he trail of this imperial flower Is
over all the land of the Mikado 1t is
on .he Emperor's seal. and every OH
cia! document bears Its impress. 1t
blazes from flags and banners, marks
every government building, figures on
the caps and even buttons of the sol
diers, is skilfully embroidered on the
native robes of mobiles and ladies'. and
the very confectionery reproduces
every graceful petal of it. No wonder
that this flower should be an object
almost of worship to the loyal Japa-
nese. or that it's festival should be the
greatest of all the floral functions OF
the year.
thus the months pass in this most
poatic of lands in a constant success
sic of flowers and festivals, each in
tu n an object of the most loving care
ar almost of alteration; and that this
ma .ional characteristic may suffer no
risk of dying out the children N the
schools of Japan are as carefully
taught how to group the colors in
boquet, or to arrange sprays and twigs
in a vase. as our own boys and girls
are taught the mysteries of the three
RS
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

lot of grafters here working under
the protection of the law who do not
give half that value for their product.
Take the de luxe editions, for exara-
pie. The publishers of these books
never put in over 10 per cent on the
dollar, and yet lot of suckers arc
still buying them at a 80 per cent ad-
vance on the cost price. If had i~y
life - live over again" (Bill is S0) Il
would go into the de luxe editions
and quit this vulgar counterfeiting
business"
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06
Many Flower Festivals.

| Every flower in turn has its festival,
when the Japanese make holidays and
flock in thousands to the public gar
den. to revel among the blooms they
love. 1t is under the blossoms of the
cherry in the exquisite gardens of
Ueno park that hundreds OF young low
ers meet for the first seeing" and be-
gin their wooing under the most idyllic
conditions.
But the most notable and pictur
esque of these spring gatherings is
the garden party given by the Mlka-
do when the cherry trees are in their
fullest blossom and the royal gardens
are a moving Kaleidoscope of color
and life. To this most picturesque of
functions all the great mobiles and la
dies of Japan, the ambassadors, the
great personages of court and state.
the distinguished visitors, are invi-
ted. At a signal the hundreds of bril-
liant guests form an avenue through
which the Emperor and Empress walk
from their royal pavilion TO the strains
of the national anthem. At the head
of the imperial procession walk the Of
ficers of the guard in their rich trap
pings: the Emperor walks next with
the gentlemen of his household. fol-
lowed by the Empress and her ladies'
in-waiting. The great mobiles come
next. and behind them the representa-
tir.s of foreign courts and other dis
tinsuished guests fall in.
Reception by Royalty.
ba stt1 Ion
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

perfume, the many ny-colored procession
winds its way to where the cherry
trees put forth their bravest blossoms.
and hers, in front of pagoda
wreathed and smothered in cherry bios.
SONS, their majesties take up their po-
position and receive. with gracious
bows and greetings. their many
guests When this ceremony is over
the guests scatter and refresh them
selves at hundreds of little tables.
spread beneath the trees. while the
court geishas-hundreds in number
go through tho graceful evolutions of
the cherry dance for their delight.
Such in the briefest outline is the
great court festival in honor Of the
cherry; and some months later. in the
autumn. the chrysanthemum is held
in still higher esteem, for it is not only
the national flower par excellence, but
1t IS the mower from which the royal
lir itself is said to have sprung. Ac-
The Lamar register., 1905-12-06

make: that is. if they can use a paste
Eot. The materials required for this
gift are a broken piece of looking-
glass, some heavy cardboard and old
howered wallpaper. Cut heart
shaped piece of cardboard. in accord
ance with the size of the glass. as in
Esure /. Paste the locking glass to it
with a strong glue. Then take another
piece of cardboard exactly the size OF
the other; make in the center as large
/" heart-shaped opening as is possible.
and at the same time conceal the