Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-12
A. N. Billig, Former Hardin
County Citizen, Now of Clear
Lake, Tells Of Old Times
KNEW THE RAlNssAReERs
And Had Some Personal Experiences
With Them-While He Thinks They
Never Committed All Crimes Laid to
Their Doors, He Believes 1t Unwise
to Experiment as to Future Conduct.

A. N. Billig, of Clear Lake. a form err
Hardin county citizen. and many years
ago resident of Marshall county, is
of the opinion that the Rainsbargel'
brothers, Nate and Frank. who are
serving life sentences for the Johnson
murder, should remain in the peniten-
tiary. While Mr.. Biliig says that he
does not believe the Rainsbarger boys
committed all the crimes of which they
were accused he does think that they
did enough to place them under the
| ban as dangerous members of society,
and that experiments as to their future
conduct are unnecessary.
| Mr. Billig came to Marshalltown in
November, 1866, and lived here during
that winter. In the spring, or on April
/, he moved to Ackley, and lived there
and in it's vicinity for fifteen years.
He later lived Mt Sheffield and Thorn
ton, but during the exciting days of
of Hardin county.
Had Some Personal Experiences.
While Mr.. Billg. who has recently
been here for a visit. is not especially
bitter in his feeling .cward the Rains
Darger brothers, he can not help but
remember back to years ago. when he
had several personal experiences with
the brothers whose acts of alleged law
lessness made them a terror to the
people of Hardin county. Mr. Billig
says that he knows to an absolute GER
tainty that the Rainsbarger boys cut
to small bits a $50 harness belonging to
him, and that there was no reason in
the wide world why they should have
selected him as one of their victims,
unless it was a natural love for law
lessnoss.
Attempt to Steal a Horse.
Mr.. Bliig also says that the RAINS
bargers attempted to steal a fine horse
that he owned, and for which he had
been offered 100 acres of land that lay
only a few miles north of MARSHALL
town. Many a night said Mr.. Bill
lig, Il have laid. awake on watch. with
~ u I'll iCsiASu WIFI DuChSIlOl beneath
me, guarding my property against the
marauders, and a man isn't likely to
forget in hurry l. like almost every
other farmer in Hardin county, was
afraid of being killed, or that my house
would be burned over my head
Came Near Shooting Brothers.
once l came near shooting both
Nate and Frank" continued Mr.. Bill
Zig, land would have done so had it
not been that l wasn't certain that
the men were not Indians. This hap
pened in the early SOS, about one
mile north of Abbott l had had enough
of the outrages, and lay in waiting.
The two brothers We're after my horse.
and as l always Travelled with a gun
in the wagon, l was ready for them.
1t was almost dusk, as | remember.
and could not see plainly enough to
tell whether the two figures were
those of the Rainsbargers or a couple
of Indians, with whom I was friendly
I shot in the air, purposely. but close
enough down so that the shot would
rattle uncomfortably over their heads.
The two men made way as fast as
they could travel. Years afterwards,
pen, they sent word to me thru a sher-
if of our county, saying that it was a
good thing for them, that time, that l
took them for Indians"
Mr.. Billig tells of another experience
he had with the brothers, when they
attempted a raid on his barn. Again
he was afraid to shoot, for fear of in
juring his own horses and it was only
when the sounds of men ON horseback,
came to the ears of the two men, that
they skipped out. Neighbors had been
warned of the raid by members of Mr..
Billig's family, and We're soon to re-
spond to the call for help.
Mr.. Billig does not believe the Rains
bargers to have been guilty of the at
tempted murder of DR.. Underwood, as
many people believed at the time He
thinks that many crimes We're COM
mitted in those days by persons who,
knowing that they would be blamed to
the Rainsbargers, felt that they were
under cover
Mr.. Billig has been resident of
Clear Lake now for eight years, and
occasionally comes down to the scenes
of his former days. to visit here and
with Hardin county friends. Mrs.
Billig was formerly Miss Atroy Smith
of Dumont, a graduate of Iowa College,
and for two years after her graduation
taught Latin in the college.
Licensed to We'd.
Ralnl r, Brechtbill farmer aged o.