Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-22
BLOW BACK OF EAR
FATAL TO JOHN LEPLEY
Burt Pell Assaults Clifford Man After Words
in a Saloon and Victim Dies len
Hours Later

at the hospital a short time before the
injured man breathed his last. Mrs.
Lepley and daughter were accompan-
led by the formers sister-in-laW, Mrs
John Burch of Clifford
Post Mortem Is Held.
In the absence from the city Of Cor
oner Nichols, Justice of the Peace l. S.
Willard empaneled coroner's jury, in
the persons of E. M Dodge, e. L. Jones
and owen Thompson, and the jury, in
company with the sheriff and justice
witnessed the post mortem examlna-
ton that was conducted by DR.. Devine
at the Simkins 4 Estel parlors, where
Lepley's body was removed and pre-
pared for burial. The examination
showed that from the severe blow on
the left parietal region a fracture OF
the skull five inches in length had been
sustained, extending from the back OF
the head to the frontal bone. two
inches above the ear. A second frac-
ture running from this line, extended
straight downward to the ear, and
from the ear triangular piece of bone,
seven eighths of an inch at the base,
and running upward to the apex three
quarters of an inch, was entirely zoos
ened from the skull. After removing
the large portion of the bone where
the fracture resulted, numerous blood
clots were found, and over the petrous
portion of the temporal bone, over the
ear, there was found large clot and
hemorrhage that produced a constant
oozing out of the ear. DR.. Devine gave
the cause of the death to be the result
of the blow, that caused concussion
of the brain and hemorrhage. The
not broken at all, but there was a large
area, four and one-half by five inches,
of confused surface, which plainly
showed the effects of the terrible blow.
The inquest began at o'clock Sunday
morning, and was not concluded until
1890.
Unable TO Find Weapon.
The officers, both the sheriffs' and
the police, have as yet been unable to
f1nd any instrument used by Pell in de-
livering the blow, altho they are work.
ing on the theory that no blow could
have been administered with such vio-
lence by mans bare fist. The ground
where Lepley fell, about ten feet
north of the baggageroom door, was
not hard enough, after the recent wet
weather, to have produced such a con-
cussion, as it is unpaved. Where the
mans head rested, when picked up,
was a small stone that protruded up
out of the ground just enough to be-
come visible, but the officers say that
it would have been impossible for
Lepley's fall, even had he hit his head
suuarely. to have been hard enough to
produce death.
PelI Denies Using Weapon.
Pell, when seen in jail this morning,
said he remembered nothing of the
fight, but declared that he had used
nothing when he hit Lepley. Pell was
not inclined to talk, and simply stated
that he had been drinking, and was
"all In when the fight occurred. He
said he never saw Lepley before. and
did not know who he was. Pell was
informed Sunday morning by "Bllnky'
Morgan, who visited the jail, that he
had killed Lepley. Pell was very
much surprised, and was quite over
come by the news. He told Morgan,
according to Morgan's statement, that
did not remember very much about hit
ting any one, but that he did have
vague recollection Of having been in d
fight
Pell bears anything but a good rep
utation, and is member Of a gang OF
young fellows that has given the police
trouble in the saloon district OF the
"leyee'' for several years. He is %
years old.
Inquest in Progress.
The coroner's inquest began at 10
this morning, and as. a great many
witnesses were summoned the inquest
will not be finished before O'Clock
this afternoon The evidence that de-
yeloped was as has been told in these
columns.
Mayor Ingledue, in whose court Pell
will be arraigned, decided not to bring
the prisoner before him until after the
coroner's inquest has been completed
1t is likely the prisoner will be brought
into court late this afternoon or after
supper.
Sketch of Dead Man.
John Henry Lepley, the man who
was killed by Pelps blow, was 45 years
old and was q native of Hardin coun-
ty, having been a member OF we'll
known and old family. He was a son
of the late William and Rhoda Lepley,
who came to Hardin county in an ear
ly day and settled on a farm three
miles west of Union, which is now oc-
cupied by George Lepley, a brother Of
the deceased.
Mr.. Lepley was married in Septem-
Der, 1885, to Miss Eliza Burch, Of Gift
ford, who survives him with five chill
dren,r Elizabeth, aged Fl, Burt, aged 10,
Lillian, aged Is, Nellie, aged 8, and
Michael aged 4. Two children Ray
and Lulu, died in 1892 and 1897, re-
spectively Aside from the brother
George, the deceased had one other
brother Douglass, who lives at BIZ
midji,. MINI.
Lepley was a carpenter by trade,
and at the time of his death was en-
ployed on the Hardin county bridge
gang. Lepley had spent Saturday at
Eldora trading, and returned home in
the afternoon only for a short time, an
nouncing to his daughter that he was
going to Marsha1ltown. Mrs. Lepley
Is a sister of MRS. Tobias Burke. of
this city, who is now at Superior. Wis.,
and an aunt of Mrs. Frank DuPuy.
Lepley and his family lived here at one
time, about fourteen years ago, re-
naming three years while employed as
a brakeman on the Iowa Central. About
seven years ago he was also engaged
as brakeman, but was not in the
service very long.
Miss Lepley, while admitting that
her father drank at times, said that