Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1910-07-29
. PRESIDENT RAWN OF
M0N0N is KILEE


Various theories exist as to the m;
ner in which Ira G. Rawn, president
tie MCnon railroad, was killed ia
summer home at Winnetka. Membt
of the family present at the time
he was murdered by burglar. Otat
who held to the burglar theory, belle.
Mr. RawE may have started down
stairs to meet man, supposed to be i'll
the house, but that instead of being
shot by the burglar, he tripped in his
night robe and accidentally pulled the
trigger of his own revolver as he was
falling. A third story, which is pre-
sented by members of the family and
by subordinate officials of the MoDon,
was the Mr.. Rawn took his own life,
being prompted by worry and sleeples-
ness over scandals which have devel-
oped in the last few weeks in the af-
fai,3 of the Western Indiana road of
which Rawn is director, and of the
Illinois Central of which he was vice
president in charge of operation until
last fall just shortly before startling
charges of graft became known in the
official directorate of the Illinois Cen
~tral road.
Coroner Hoffman injected new ele-
ment of myster into the case when he
declared he had received signed let
ter informing him of circums tances
which tend to indicate that Mr.. Rawn
was murdered by a colored man out
of revenge for real or fancied griev-
ance.
This sudden development further
combats the theory that the late pres
ident of the Monon railway died by
his own hand.
Mrs. Rawn says she was awakened
shortly after 1 o'clock in the morning
by a noise as of someone at a door
downstairs. She told Mr.. Rawn OF the
noise and he took his revolver, against
her protest, and started quietly down
the front stairway in his night dress.
Mrs. Rawn followed to the head OF the
stairways. Two shots were fired, she
said. and her husband fell moaning
down the stairway.
Mr.. Rawn lived only few minutes
and was unable to explain how ne had
been shot. An examination of the re-
volver he carried disclosed that It con-
tanned one empty cartridge. No bullet
was found to substantiate the firing Of
a second shot Members of the family
suggested that the burglar also was
shot but not in a vital place In sup
port of this idea they pointed to spots
on a cement walk leading from the
house, close examination of which dis
closed that they were in all probability
paint The burglar clew is being pur-
sued on the theory that, no practiced
night prowler is the guilty man.
Coroner Hoffman, after examining
the night robe and wounds of the dead
man. said the shot was fired from a
weapon not over TIVE or three feet
away Powder burns indicated this.
This distance does not accord with the
version given by family members
Still another clew is that Mr. Rawn
was the victim of an enemy who wish
ed to get him out of the way for bust
ness reasons In this connection the
Illinois Central scandal is mentioned.
Mr. Rawn was operating vice president
of that road at the time the fradu,ent
car repair contracts. came to light. A
short time afterward he left the road
ard became president of the Monon.
Mr. Rawn was to have appeared next
Tuesday as a witness in the Illinois
Central cases which has twice been
postponed 81 his suggestion. Mr.. Rawn
also is, supposed to have known more
than was comfortable for some who
are involved in the affairs of the West
ern Indiana. On the ground that some
one feared the revelations Mr.. Rawn
might ma'-c regarding these matters.
the business enemy theory is based