Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-05-31
ALL OVER THE STATE.
Nestor of Journalism Dead.

q well-known historian and for Do
years an editor in this state, died OF
general debility, aged 81.
Born in Fayette county. KY. in 1873.
Col. Switzler located at Fayette, Ne,
with his fathers family in lS26. He
located in Columbia in 1S4l, was admitted
to the bar and practiced law i've years.
In August. 1913, he married Miss Mary
Jane Royal, of Columbia. who died IN
1879. A devout Presbyterian he boosted
that he had never tasted intoxicants,
and an assertion which was never con.
troverted was that he was the Oldest
editor in the United States, Col SWitzief
became editor of the Columbia Patriot
in 1S4l, and conducted the Statesman
from 1913 until 1916, when he was. APP
pointed chief of the bureau of statistics hafS
until a few months after the Inaugural
ton of President Harrison. His reputa-
t tIoi as a statistician vas naaon "a tb ha
Chillicothe Constitution, and year later
of the Boonville Democrat. In 1902 he
returned ged to ebo the az stn mesahsn D %nioe the he
last three years he had not engaged in
newspaper work beyond occasionally as
5 manl Col IN th swPPt nGldea Wes al q m nns Sea'e Of
the two constitutional conventions of 1865
and 1875. He was the author Of, a com.
the "History of Boone County, besides
numerous shorter works on Missouri his.
tory. His latest work was q History b OF
g%reatest a untgdrslty of HIS Mn'f later # YEARS waT to
See in print. He died just before the
probable contamination Of his desire:
Col. switzler's title Of colonel b0t Was arose pSe
morously bestowed during a. political
campaign. He is survived by. three chi.
dren-Mrs; J; s Branham' of Columbia;
Switzler, of Columbia.
indictments at Springfield.
SprinSfeld-The special grand jury
which has been in session more than
three weeks, investigating the triple
lynching of negroes on Saturday, April
A, has submitted a final report, en-
bracing a sensational review of the in
cidents connected with the burning OF
the three colorad men, and accompanied
by Il true bills against % persons.
Four are said to be charged with MUIR
der in the first degree, eight with muir
der in the second degree, six with bur-
glary by breaking into the county Jail
at the head of the mob, and four with
having given perjured testimony before
the grand jury. The collective indict-
ments are against persons said to be
charged with perjury. 1t had been ex-
pected that the grand jury would re-
turn at least 100 indictments, but when
the special inquisitorial body was con-
vened it became apparent that it would
be a difficult matter for it to obtain
evidence. While between 1000 and 5000
men and boys formed the mob that
lynched and burned Fred Coker, Hor-
| nao D,poo, or1 WIFI ALLAN tbo 6ropd
jury encountered trouble from the start
in obtaining direct evidence against the
leaders. Many witnesses, it is said,
feared to tell all they knew, and threats
were made against others, who sealed
their lips WHEN they appeared before
the body.
Mrs. Meyers and Hoffman to Hang
jefferson City-The supreme court
sentenced three persons to he hanged
June 20. They are a white woman,
Aggie Meyers; a white man, Frank
Hoffman, and a negro, Edward Bate
man. The white woman and the white
man are condemned for the murder Of
the woman's husband. The negro is
condemned for attacking a white girl.
If executed, he will be the second negro
legally hanged in this state for a sim
liar crime, although a number have
been lynched for the same offense. The
Hoffman case is that in which a billiard
u was used as a death weapon. Holt
man struck Mrs. Myers husband with
1t. Myers, as Hoffman told his story,
struggled out of bed, grappled with him,
and a desperate struggle followed, dur
ing which Mrs. Meyers produced a razor
and repeatedly slashed her husband,
until, from loss of blood, he sank down
and was beaten 10 de3th. 1t had been
the intention of Hoffman and the wom-
an to marry.
Mrs. George Vest Dead.
st. Louis-Mrs. Elizabeth Vest, Wild
ow of the late Senator Vest, died of
pneumonia at the home of her daughter,
Mrs, George P. B. Jackson, 1919 Thorn
by place. The senator's widow was a
native of Boyle county, KY, where she
was born November 20, 1882. She mar
ried Senator Vest, June 6, 1854, at Dan