Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-20
JOHN WEoaTER, Ex-coNvicT,
SHOT " COUNCIL DLuFFs
MERCHANT.
ATTACKED WITH CLEANER.
IS KILLED ON THE SPOT
Webster With Companion Caught in
Act Of Rebbins stors-comPanion
surrsnders 70 Proprietor and Officer
Dead Man Once Served Prison
Term For Murder-Lsavss Family.

Council Bluffs, Oct. 20.-Walter Mar
tin late at night found two men ran
sacking his grocery store at i"eh-
tieth street and Broadway. He caileo
Officer w. F. Short and the two en-
tered the store from the rear. one OF
the burglars. Harry Hall, SURRENDERED
but the other. John Webster, at
tackled the officer and Martin win
meat cleaver. Short fired with ms re-
volver, and Martin sent a load OF DUCK
shot into the burglars BODY, kiAihs
him instantly Hall is laborer hVins
here, and is a well known character.
Webster also belonged to a Couhcil
Bluffs family.
Both Shots Hit Him.
The man was struck by a charge
from q. Winchester pump gun used by
Martin. the shot striking him at the
iuncture Of the neck and shoulders on
the right side, and tearing a wound
about two inches in diameter, passing
across his body and servering MS
breastbone and the large arteries OF the
neck, a portion of the charge passing
out at the left side near the po1ht
where the neck meets the body.
Dutch" Hall, well known ponce
character, the second burglar. threw up
his hands at the officers command. anu
was arrested.
Martin, the owner of the store IN
which the shooting occurred, was pass
ing at about midnight. when ne nouceo
the two men in the store Hurrieoiy
calling Officer Short. who was near
the scene, the two went to the store.
~
Short entered the rear door accom-
panied by James Sickler. an employe
of Martins, who had been aroused,
while Martin entered thru the front
door. He had In the meantime bor-
rowed a shotgun from Charles Mathe-
son, captain of No. 2 hose department.
at the opposite corner OF Twentieth
street. The men were ransacking the
store, and when commanded by Short
to throw up their hands Hall at once
compiled, but Webster seized Q huge
meat cleaver which was At hand. and
made a murderous attack upon Short.
The combat took place in darkness, the
only light being from the moon and
street lamps, and it is difficulty to de-
termine exactly how the shooting oc-
CURED Martin tells the following
story:
Hall was standing with his hands
up and Webster was right In front of
him fighting. I raised the gun to use
it in case It was necessary, and just
then I heard a shot fired couldn't
see Short and thought that he had been
shot then fired myself. It WAS hard
to tell Webster and Short. they were 30
close together"
Webster fell thru the rear door. and
died instantly.
Webster Murderer.
Webster, whose murderous attack on
the officer resulted in his death. was
sentenced to twelve years in prison in
1892 for the murder of Tex Baker. a
negro, In front Of the old Metropolitan
house during drunken row. He club
bed his negro victim to death. He was
paroled eight years ago and since then
has been several times mixed up in va
rious scrapes. Recently he has been
employed as a driver at Barnhart &
Kleins wholesale hQuor house.
He is survived by q wife and seven
children, residing on Avenue NJ be-
tween Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets. ALL of thee hildren are young.