Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-09-10
Jury, Out Fifteen Hours, Finds
Prisoner Guilty of First
Degree Murder
SLEEP TALK TOLD THE TALE
Murderer Marries Victims Widow and
While Asleep Tells Her of Heinous
crimo-Rocker Thrice Married and
Never Divorced-story Of the Crime
General News.
anecial 70 Times-Republican.

Sibley. Sept 1o.--Life imprison-
ment for Charles Rocker was the ver-
dict of the jury in the celebrated Lyon
county murder case, reached yester-
day morning, after fifteen hours delib-
Grafton. Guilty as charged, of first de-
gree murder, the jury recommended
= life sentence and such will be the
Judgment of the court.
Rockers crime was committed in
Lyon county in 1900, when he drugged
August Schroeder with poisoned whis-
ky ard, after Schroeder became UNI
conscious, choked him to death. After
marrying his victims widow Rocker
talked in his sleep and told the wom-
an Of his crime, Rocker was first tried
in Rock Rapids, convicted May 1, 1904
and sentenced to life imprisonment
but e. new trial was granted by the
supreme court In this. the second
. hearing of the case, the jury on the
first ballot stood six for acquital and
six for conviction. For fifty or more
ballots thereafter they were nine for
conviction and three for acquittal, and
finally an agreement was reached.
Story Of the Crime.
Rockers motive in killing Schroeder
was that he might wed his victims
widow and thus gain possession OF
Schroeder's farm. Schroeder was a
well-to-do farmer and when his body
was found hanging to rafter in his
barn a profound sensation was caused.
Indications, however, did not point to
suicide, as claimed by Rocker.
+ It was not long after the body of
Schroeder was found in the barn be-
fore action was taken against Rocker.
In the meantime he and Mrs. Schroeder
had married and had moved to South
Dakota.
After Rockers arrest for the crime
his wife confessed She said that
some time after they had moved to
South Dakota she was awakened in
her sleep by her husbands voice. 1t
was the voice of man with murder
Gus passion.
Sitting up in bed Rocker Kissed:
Hold on, August, have you now!"
The next morning the wife demand
ed to know what her husband meant
by such talk. She was suspicious,
for he had at other times shown in
his sleep the workings of a guilty con-
science. Again and again he put her
off until one day he told her the
whole story of the killing, charging
her never to impart the knowledge to
any living mortal, upon pain of death.
Rocker told how he had drugged the
man by poisoned whisky on their way
home from Rock Rapids. On their
return Schroeder went to bed, but
couldn't sleep. He arose time after
time. Rocker himself was restless.
and finally arose and followed Schroe-
der fell upon him on the door step
ard choked him to DEATH He then
dragged the body to the barn, tied it to
rafter and told the story of the mans
suicide.
The state showed at the first trial
that Rocker had three wives and had
never been divorced from any of them.
Mrs Schroeder did not know the fact.
Under the state law a wife cannot
testify against a husband unless he
has done an injury to herself. But the
fact that Rocker had other wives liv-
ing destroyed the legality of the last
marriage and the state held that the
testimony of the woman could be ac-
t,epted. This was done and Rocker
was convicted and sentenced to the
penitentiary for life.