The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-12-15
A LONG CREEK TOWNSHIP MURDER.
Mrs. Levi zornes GIbbed to Death Last Wednesday Night
by Clarence Teale, who with his Brother Hugh Ieale,
and Tom and Ed Youns are In Jail, Charged with
Murder in the First Degree by coroner's jury.

put on the name OF DecaIuF County
and another murder added to the
long list of crimes committed.
Mrs. Levi Zornes, wife of farm
er living in Long Creek township,
mile and half northwest of De-
Kalb, was brutally murdered last
Wednesday night, and Clarence and
Hugh Teale and Tom and Ed Young
are confined in the Leon Jail, charged
with murder in the first degree.
News of the terrible crime did not
reach Leon until Thursday morning,
and within a short time sheriff An
drew, county attorney G. w. Baker,
county attorney-elect E. H. Sharp
and The Reporter man were on their
way to the scene of the crime, max
ing the trip in fast time in c. M.
Keller's auto with Jim Ausman at
the wheel, and Mr. Keller in charge
of the car, and it took but few
minutes to cover the fifteen or SIX
teen miles, as the roads were in per-
feet condition. The crime was COM
mitted at the home of Levi Zornes,
who lives on what is known as the
old Steve Little farm, which is own
ed by Frank Greenland. Arriving
ing the terrible scene and in talking
with the several witnesses who were
present at the time Mrs. Zornes
was killed. We will tell the story
just as it was told to us, and it
represents the version of one side of
the row which cost Mrs. Zornes her
life, the parties who are accused of
the crime, not having made any
statement at all, acting on the ad-
vice of their attorneys.
On Wednesday evening there were
at the Zornes home Mr. and Mrs.
Zornes, their three sons, Henry, aged
1S years, William, aged IA and
Elva, aged IL years, which consti-
tuted the family with the exception
of a sixteen year old daughter who
was staying at the home of a cousin
several miles away, helping them
shuck corn. Two nephews of Mrs
Zornes, Tom and Henry Phillips were
also there, having been staying there
for several days. Levi Zornes told
us the story of the trouble as fol-
lows Roy Young came to my house
on Wednesday evening just about
dusk, and remained for supper A.
ter supper we were all sitting around
in the sitting room, talking and
one came outside the house and call
ed me. When they did so Roy
Young got up and grinned. My son
Henry went to the door and Hugh
Teale asked him why he did not in
vite him in. Henry told him to
come in and he did so, and when. he
came in asked him to take a chair,
but he would not sit down. Then
Clarence Teale came to the kitchen
door and was cursing and wanted to
know If his brother was there. Some
one told him to 60 around to the
east door, and he did so, and came
in the house, followed by Tom
Young, and then Ed Young came in.
Clarence Teale went over to where
Hugh was standing and grabbed
him by the arm, and said he had
notion to whip him for running
away from him, and Hugh told him
he had better not try it. Then
Clarence Teale wanted to bet SO
cents about something in regard
that he could drink more beer than
anyone, but l don't remember just
what it was. Then Clarence Teale
said to my wife that she had been
telling that Jane Young was down
there cooking for them, and applied
vile epithet to her. l opened the
door and said, Nov boys, take the
door," Just then Tom Young struck
me over the head with an iron
bicycle pump, and broke it over my
head, knocking me down. Then
i'm, in, nj
Young struck him and knocked him
down, and then knocked me down
again with the same instrument. He
struck Henry the second time,
knocking him through the door into
the kitchen and Ed Young ran from
the other side of the room and pick
up the shot gun which was standing
In the corner of the room and drew
it on Henry and swore he would
shoot him. Tom Young drove me
and Henry through the door with
a stick of stove wood, and when l
got eutside I went to pick up rock
or something to defend myself with
and Hugh Teale pointed revolver at
me and said"If you pick up that rock
I will shoot YOU" Henry and ! start
ed west down toward the woodpile
to get a stick of wood, but could not
get any. Tom Young got an armful
of stove wood and threw at us until
we got to the wire fence. Just then
/ saw Clarence Teale strike my wife
with a board or club, out north of
the house. / was probably twenty
five feet away from her. Then
Teale came after me and and Henry
and swore he would kill us both, and
Just as ! went to get over the fence
he struck me in the back with some
thing and knocked me through the
fence. Then Henry and l went
around the barn to the southwest
corner of the yard and came in and
went to the front of the house. ]
heard one of the men say "By God,
we will go back and finish her"
Henry and I went out where my wife
was. She was kind of sitting up and
said for us to help her to the house
and put her to bed. We took hold
of her and led her to the house and
put her to bed. I asked her it l
should send for doctor and she
- ~ NO. ond + cont INV hov tn vnt