The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1906-12-28
NEAR LYNCHINC
FOR HORRIBLE MURDER IN BENT
COUNTY.
DRANK HIS VICTIMS BLOOD
Tramp From Cripple Creek Murders
Farmer Because He Was Refused
Lodeing-CalIs Himself an Anar-
chist and GIories in the Crime.


Lodsing-CalIs Himself an Anar-
chist and GIories in the Crime.
Denver-A News special from Las
Animas Wednesday night says:
Confessing that he murdered Henry
Ianvermeyer, a rich farmer, at Horse
Creek, and Boosting that he drank off
the victims blood, Lars Iceberg, a
tramp. on his way to California from
Cripple Creek, an hour after his arrest
this afternoon defied a crowd of citi-
| zens to lynch him, as they threatened.
The prisoner declares himself an
| anarchist and expresses great satisfac-
ton over his deed. because the muir
dered man was land owner"
Though cool-headed citizens pre-
vented the summary execution of the
| man this afternoon, a mob numbering
400 tonight at 10 o'clock nrade raid
on the jail and broke in two sides OF
the walls and were at work wrecking
| the steel cage in which Iceberg Is con
fined when Sheriff Brown and four
deputies leveled guns and threatened
to shoot If the mob did not leave al
| once. The command was obeyed, but
II is feared another attempt Will be
made before morning.
Iceberg was put of a train at Rob
driven by ]. II. Hill into Horse Creek
valley. He was afterward run out of a
grading camp and called at the home
OF George Purvis. There he demanded
| food and a bed. received the former
but was offered blankets and a vacant
room in an outside building, instead oil
the latter. He became indignant AND
| determined to burn Purvis' hay stacks.
Instead he burned those OF Lanver'
meyer.
Lanvermeyer gave chase on horse
back and caught the man short dis
lance away. He took Iceberg into
custody and was leading him To town
when they came upon closed renee
gate. Lanyermeyer dismounted 10
open the gate and was turning TOWARD
Iceberg to tie him to the horse when
the latter grabbed hammer which
Lanvermeyer carried, struck the
farmer over the head. knocking him I'M
conscious and, after robbing his vic
tim of 1927 and gold watch and
pocket knife, slashed Lanvermeyer
throat with the knife, drinking of the
blood.
Mounting the dead mans horse Lee
berg rode aimlessly about trying to
find his way to town In the mean,ime
the murdered mans body was dis
covered and the countryside was
aroused and a search begun. 1t was
Just after dayn this morning, hve
hours after the murder, that John
Mariman met the man and onered to
show him the way to town. Upon ar
rival Iceberg was placed under arrest
The prisoner talks wildly and acts
| as II demented. He said to Sherin
| Brown:
THAT man killed had money. PEG
| pie ought not to refuse to give poor
| man food and a good bed TO sleep IN
| They wanted to give me blankets and
vacant room in an clubhouse. Ihen
burned the haystacks to get even
| That man was a land owner. He tried
| to tie me on that horse. That made
me mad. | am an anarchist. cut
| his throat and drank some of the
| blood. | tried to scalp him, but his
| hide was so tough | couldn't get 1t on
| feel better since / did the job. l am
| twenty-one years old"
Sheriff Brown tried to take the
| prisoner to La Junta on the l oclocF
| train this afternoon but crowd OF LOT
| gathered about him and the prisoner
| and became so threatening that they
returned to the jail.
Iceberg says that he has a father
| and mother in Sweden and that he
came to this country in 1895. He
reached Cripple Creek several months
ago and worked there for a mar
named Gallagher. He had quarre
| with man and was sentenced tc
ninety days in jail for assault. He de
F., termined to leave Colorado and
| wanted to get to California, but being
without funds was tramping it.