The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-04-15
CHARGED WITH MURDER
Charles A. Steen, a Former Decatur
County Resident in Serious
Trouble at TT. Madia0n.

Charles A. Steen, former we'll known
young man of this county, is in Jail at
Ft. Madison, having been remanded
without bond to answer to the charge
of murder in the second degree.
Young Steen who is 26 years of age,
was born in Long Creek township, and
was raised in High Point township,
leaving Decatur county about six years
ago locating at Ft. Madison. He was
always very quiet young man and this
is the first time he was ever under ar
rest or in trouble of any kind.
Mr.. Steen for several years has been
employed as bartender in saloon at
1T. Madison, and on March 23rd it is
claimed that he struck eN-sheriff Geo.
W. Tucker, of Ft. Madison, over the
head with bottle from the effects
of which blow he died a few days
afterwards. The grand jury at Ft.
Madison last week returned an in
dictment against Steen charging him
with murder in the second degree and
his case is set for trial in the district
court at Ft. Madison this week.
The following particulars OF the
trouble are taken from the Ft. Madison
Democrat of last week:
Chas. A. Steen was bound over to the
grand jury in Justice D. f. Alleys
court charged with the murder of Geo.
w. Tucker, who died from injuries al
legged to have been caused by blow
on the head from bottle.
On March 23rd Geo. w. Tucker and
his son, John w. Tucker, stopped at the
saloon at G1S Second street on their way
home and became involved in discus
sion over the mayoralty election with
DIR. j. M. Dunn, and during the discus
sion DR.. Dunn used abusive language,
according to the evidence in the case,
when John Tucker stepped in between
his father and Dunn and got into fight
with the latter. They got down upon
the floor in their scuftle and apparently
George Tucker stopped down to separ-
ate them when Chas. A. Steen, the bar
tender, came from behind the bar and
struck Mr.. Tucker on the head with a
bottle. The latter fell, and in the fall
fractured and also dislocated his ankle,
from the effects of which he died.
Steen was arrested and his prelimin-
ary hearing was commenced Wednesday
and closed Thursday with the result as
above stated and he was remanded to
Jail without bond.
Attorneys E. G. Weber and O. c.
IIerminghausen represented the state
and r. N. Johnson and Geo. B. Stewart
the defendant.
The first witness called was DR.. Dunn,
who could not remember what had hap
pened in the saloon in any particular.
George Baumert testified that he was
in the saloon at the time and that he
saw Steen come from behind the bar
and strike MIR. Tucker on the head with
b,k hot tNo lop pl- to
tell what it was, though he said that
Tucker fell to the floor when struck.
Or. W. G.. hasten, Mr.. fuckers physi-
clan. stated that he was called to at
tend Tucker and that in all probability
he died from blood clot on the brain.
He stated that while Tucker was at the
hospital it was thought that be had
delirium tremens, but at the autopsy it
was found that that was not the case.
c. j. Kennedy, chief of police, testi-
fed that he made the arrest and took
the names of the people in the saloon
at the time.
Chester Matson testified that he was
in the saloon when the fight commenced
but left before Tucker was injured.
j. II. Mylar, of 2517 Santa Fe avenue,
aged IS years, testified that he was in
the saloon at the time of the fight and
that Geo. W. Tacker walked back to-
ward where DR.. Dunn and John Tucker
were fighting and that Steen came from
behind the bar and struck Tucker on
the head; could not say positively what
Steen used, but it looked like wine
bottle. He said that neither Steen or
Tucker had said anything.
DR.. D. L. Newton testified that Mr..
Tucker died of meningitis; that he did
not have delirinm tremens.
John W. Tucker testified that he did
not see anyone strike his father; that
his father had drank only two glasses
of beer that day.