The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-02-28
ANOTHER TRAGEDY
Shooting Occurred Nearly on Anniver-
sary of Another Murder.

Shooting Occurred Nearly on Anniver-
sary of Another Murder.
At the time of the farmer shooting
1t was pointed out that the May Day
tragedy occurred within eight days of
the anniversary of another tragedy in
which Herman Boche had killed an
other Madison county man. George
Ives of Tilden was killed by Herman
Boche on April 90. 1889 Ives head
hand
Ives and his brother-in-law, l.. w.
Reckard, were digging scions along
the banks of the Elkhorn on the Bo-
che farm. Herman and William Boche
approached, William with a revolver,
Herman with an ak Words followed.
1t was said that William Boche ad-
vanced towards Reckard and was
struck by Ives with the butt end of
a target gun. Then Herman Boche
struck Ives on the head with his ak,
crushing the skull and telling the man
he struck to save his brother.
The two Boches gave themselves up
to Sheriff Flynn. They had their pre-
liminary hearing before Justice Beels
May 20, 1889. Herman Boche was
bound over to the district court under
$4,000 bond and William Boche I'M
der $4,000.
Herman Boche was acquitted the
following January. He was defended
by former United States Senator Allen
and his partner, the late Congressman
John S. Robinson
The Other Trial.
Several of the men who figured in
the trial of 1890 are connected with
the present case to be heard next
week. Judge Allen again heads the
defense. Burt Mapes who as prose-
cutting attorney was listed against
Boche in 1890 now appears as one of
his counsel. Judge Barnes who also
prosecuted is now chief justice of Ne
braska, J. S. Robinson dead.
District Judge Norris, then of Pom
ca, presided over the trial. Judge Nor
riS is now on the judicial bench in the
Philippines. John F. Flynn. now chief
of police in Norfolk, was sheriff at
the time of the killing of George Ives
The Boche trial of 1890 lasted seven
days.
The work of getting jurymen for the
trial began on Thursday, January 9,
1890.
BY Friday noon after hard strug-
gle the jury had been nearly secured
The prosecution had exhausted all of
its peremptory challenges and the
defense all but one, The jury Sc
cured, the testimony began. Drs.
Tashjean and Fuller testified as to
the nature of Ives injuries and the
cause of his death.
l.. NJ. Reckard the principal witness
for the state. covered the tragedy in
detail He told that he and Ives were
pulling young cotton wood seedlings
along the south bank of the Elkhorn,
that William Boche found him pulling
up the young seedlings on a sandbar
and, drawing revolver, ordered him
to get out. Reckard testified that he
said call right" when Herman Boche
came up, called him a vile name and
struck at him with an axe. Reckard
retreated about six feet into the water
while his two sons began to call to
Ives to come with the gun. William
Boche started to meet Ives, Herman
Boche following. Reckard said he
first saw Ives when he and William
Boche were close together in some
brush. William BOche held a revolver
at Ives breast. The latter whirled
around and raising his target rifle,
struck William Boche over the left
shoulder and arm, Herman Boche,
the witness testified, had come up be-
hind Ives and now struck the latter
over the back of the head with an ak,
telling him to the ground. The two
Boches then came towards Reckard,
William swapping the revolver at him
and Herman with the ak. Reckard
told that they had killed Ives and that
they had better go to Norfolk and give
themselves up. They left and Reck-
ard got help to take Ives to his house.
Ives at no time fully regained con-
seriousness and died at 6 o'clock in
the evening. The witness did not see
William Boche strike at Ives and did
not know whether or not he had called
Herman.
Saturday morning the cross exam
ination of Reckard was concluded and
his son, Arthur, placed on the stand
The boy corroborated his fathers tes-
timony,
Mrs. Ives, the widow, was called
but gave no important testimony.
Thomas Ferguson, proprietor Of the
Union House testified that William
Boche had told him that they had
fixed Ives so that he wouldn't steal
any more trees from them.