Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-12
RELATIVES GIVE EVIDENCE
stepbrother and Others of the Family
Give Damaging Testimony Against
the Accused-Now Believed That
Robbery Was the Motive of the MUIR
derer-Iowa News.
Special TO Times-Republican.


Sheriff letter of that county, was
bound over to the grand jury after
hearing and Is now confined In Jail
here. 1t is claimed that damaging
evidence has been secured against him.
Shephards Stepmother says that he
told her that If she would secure chlor-
oform for him he would see she would
get enough to keep her the rest of the
winter that he often threatened to kill
9 o'clock Thursday night, was very
restless when he returned and has
been so ever since.
Damaging Evidence.
Christian Womelsdorf was found
murdered in his home January 6 at
about o'clock by his wife who had
been out of the house for nearly an
hour feeding the stock and doing
chores. Womelsdorf was an aged
farmer reputed to have considerable
money hidden in his house. He had
few enemies and at first the murder
was regarded as deep mystery.
Later it became known that he and
his wife had had frequent disputes and
there We're rumors to the effect that
the woman had committed the murder
or had aided the real criminal.
Sheppard Suspected.
Officers of the law began work at
once, however, and it was soon found
that Dan Sheppard, resident of
iuh u
several Jail terms for larceny was I'M
der suspicion. The coroner's jury
heard some evidence against Sheppard
but not enough to warrant verdict,
charging him with the crime, and con-
sequently the verdict laid the murder
to persons unknown to the jury"
Sheppard had been arrested, but was
released. The officers, however,
watched him closely and questioned
his relatives. Yesterday Sheriff
Wright of Jefferson received word
from Sheriff Teeter of Washington that
he had arrested Sheppard in the lat
ter place and that he considered the
evidence secured by himself and Mar
shall McCarty of Brighton sufficient to
warrant holding him.
Sheppard Brought to Jail.
Sheriff Wright left Immediately for
Washington with a warrant secured on
signed by Fred Wolff of
this county. He returned last night
with Sheppard in custody and the pris-
oner is now confined in the jefferson
county Jail.
Stepmother Tells Story.
Sheriff Wright was accompanied to
Washington and Brighton by County
AttorneysCrail and together they inter-
viewed members of the Sheppard fam
lily. The result was the securing of
evidence which, If produced in court,
will make strong case against Shep-
hard The stepmother declares that
before the murder Dan told her that
if she would secure some chloroforr
for him he would bring her enough
to keep her from want all the
remainder of the winter. She says
she refused and repeatedly warned
him that he would get into trouble.
On several occasions, she says, he de-
clared he would kill and rob people,
telling her that others lived the same
way and that he could do as we'll.
The woman further stated that Dan
was away from home on the evening
of the murder until between 8 and 9
o'clock and that after he returned and
indeed ever since that time he has
been nervous and restless often walk
ing the floor. The woman says that
the first time she saw Dan he was in
Jail at Sigourney serving a term for
larceny.
Know Where Money Was.
A step-brother of Sheppard, we'll
known and highly respected citizen of
Brighton, was interviewed by the JEFF
ferson county authorities yesterday
and gave information that may help
send Sheppard to the penitentiary. He
said that Dan asked him to act as
guard, while he (Dan) went into the
Womelsdorf home, killed the old man
and secured the money. The latter it
was understood, was hidden in can
under the cellar stairs at the Womels-
dorf home. The step-brother Of the
prisoner refused to accompany Shep-
hard on his trip, he said, and Dan de-
clared he would go alone.
Told Two Stories.
A step-sister of Sheppard, when
asked by the officers, said that on jan
lary 5, when Dan returned home she
asked him "how he had made out?"
He told her, she asserts, that he would
have been successful had not the ADJ
Ter brothers been at the Womelsdorf
nome to saw wood. The old man, he
said, had asked the Adlers to stay
over night. The woman says Dan tod
1er that he hid himself where he could
see Mr.. and Mrs. Womelsdorf and the
.wo guests and that he could have
killed all four and secured the money
had he had a gun.
Evidently, If the story of the wo-
mans is true, Sheppard forgot that he
lad told it. for after the murder it is
said that he told members of the fam
Iy another story and declared that he
lad obtained only part of the money
after killing the old man. The re-
he said, he could get later
IN.
Members of the family, Sheriff
Wright says. assert that Dan threat
,ned several times to kill Womelsdorf,
elling them once that he would eaten
he old man in the barn, throw him
Town, and turn a horse loose and make
t appear that Womelsdorf had been
to death by the animal Then
he plan was, they say, to gag "the
I'D woman" and steal all the money
Dead Mans Clothes Found.
What the officer considers plausible