The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-07-15
MURDERED BANKER
SHIELDS DAUGHTER
SayIer Remained Passive for His
Girls Sake.
PAPERS MAY REVEAL SECRET
Or. Miller, Slayer Of Illinois Flnancler,
Saved from Lynching by
Cool Heads--One Man
p " Gets Rope.


Watseka, H., July 14.-That ]. e.
Sayler, the Crescent City banker
who was slain by DR.. w. R. Miller,
remained passive for the sake of his
17-year-old daughter Goldie, while
talk of the alleged intimacy Of his
wife and DR.. Miller was rife--not
only in his home town but in other
parts of the county. is asserted by
the decendent's closest friends.
On this theory alone are they able
to account for the country bankers
accomplishing silence during the last
two years during which it is said that
DR.. Miller has, with growing frequen-
cy, been Mrs. Sayler's guest at her
home, and her companion on long
drives, rambles through the woods
and on hunting expeditions. 60
ldoiized His Daughter. s.
Mr.. Sayler idolized his daughter
Goldie, whose luxuriant tresses sug-
gested the name by which she is
known. Two years ago he sent her
to the neighboring town of Onarga
to attend a seminary, in order, 1t Is
now said, that she might not witness
the domestic tangle which was COM
ing into general notice.
According to w. r. Nightingale,
cashier of the bank of which Mr. Say
Ter was vice-president, the devoted
father determined to suffer in silence
rather than take any action which
10 t.
He seemed to fear some tragic
solution of the situation" said Mr..
Nightingale. Whenever he left the
city during the last year or so, 1t was
his habit to seek privacy, after which
he would reappear with a bulky en-.
velope containing papers. Should
anything happen to him, he always
told me, was to open the packet and
to follow to the letter the instructions
contained therein. -.
Packet to Be Opened To-Day.
"After each trip but the last he de-
stroyed the papers upon his return.
He was away little while ago, but
when he came back, he failed to fol-
| low this practice. That packet / be-
lieve Is locked in his private box
in the banks vault Whether 1t will
| shed any light on the tragedy which
ended his life cannot say. The cor.
oner has the key, and will open the
box later, possibly after the funeral
this afternoon"
That DR.. Miller stood in real dan
ger of being lynched is asserted by
Mr.. Nightingale and many others.
More than hundred men thronged
the streets of the usually quiet VII
lage of Crescent City, grimly trying to
organize themselves for an attack on
| the Jail here. One man with a rope
was forcibly taken to his home by
the cooler heads whose counsel pre-
vailed Among the latter was Willis
Sayler, brother of the slain man.
| DR.. Millers defense is that he shot
only when attacked by the banker
with a Ratchet. Evidence casting a
| shadow on this statement was given
at the inquest
Three important Witnesses.
States Attorney John c. Pollisand
| has three witnesses to testify to the
| apparent excellence of Mr.. Sayler's
humor few moments before the
shooting. They are Grace Davis,
Stella De Hart and Godfrey Ruhle.
| The trio was walking along the street
and stopped to chat for q moment
with Mr.. Sayler.
I'VE were joking about apples"
said Miss Davis, land Mr.. Sayler
laughed and asked whether we
weren't out rather late. said the
curfew hadn't rung yet, and he said
yes that was so. We left him there
In the dusk, seemingly pleasantly oc-
cupied in his thoughts. My home is
but half block from the Sayler's.
but | had scarcely reached there
when l heard four shots. 1t was not
more than three minutes before that
| had been talking to him"
In the county Jail now are DR.. Mill.
er, the murderer, the Sayler woman,
her father John Grunden, and brother.
Ira Grunden. II is not claimed that
Ira Grunden had anything to do with
the murder. but he is blamed for not
arousing the people when he was
awakened by the report of the gun
that killed his brother-in-law.
According to Mr.. Ruhle, the first
shot was followed by an interval and
then there were three other shots In
rapid succession. Whether it was
the first shot killed the banker prob
ably never will be known. Three bull
let's were found in the body and one
In the wall. nsn H.t $40 to a2uUni