The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-12-15

time after he came The whole par
ty, Roy Young, Ed Young, Tom
Young, Hugh Teale and Clarence
Teale remained out southwest of the
barn, until about fifteen minutes be-
fore the doctor came. / could hear
them talking and swearing.
We interviewed the three sons of
Mr.. Zornes, and also Tom Phillips
and Henry Phillips, and they all told
practically the same story as related
by Mr.. Zornes, with the exception
that they told of what happened in
the room where Mrs. Zornes was,
and which Mr.. Zornes could not see
as he was knocked out in the kitchen.
From their stories it seems that Mrs.
Zornes was lying on bed in a room
just north of the sitting room where
the trouble started. She had taken
off her shoes and was lying across
the foot of the bed When Clarence
Teale accused her of spreading the
report that Jane Young was cook
ing for them, she denied it and said
that Dick Pray had Told it at their
house, and Clarence Teale had
cursed her and called her a very
vile name. After Tom Young had
broken the bicycle pump over the
heads of Levi and Henry Zornes he
threw it at Mrs. Zornes or struck
her in the face, the witnesses diff
fering in regard to whether he threw
it at her or struck her with it, but
anyway she was knocked down, fall
ing between the two beds, and Tom
Young then grabbed the stove
rt@x
at her, striking her across the ankles
as she was lying on the floor, and
when we viewed the body of Mrs.
Zornes the ankles and Limb were
bruised and colored badly from this
blow. About this time the men were
fighting out through the kitchen and
Mrs. Zornes called to the two small
boys to come on and started out
the east door and then ran little
northwest along a path leading to
an outhouse. Clarence Teale had
gone out the kitchen door and he ran
north and overlook Mrs. Zornes
about 80 feet from the door through
which she ran out: She heard him
coming and turned to face him when
he struck her with board or club,
overhanded, using both hands, and she
sank to the ground, the blow having
cut cash along the left side of her
head about 3A inches long, and
there were two great pools of blood
on the frozen ground. The two
small boys said they were but few
steps from their mother when
Clarence Teale struck her, and the
two Phillips men who had also ran
from the house say they saw him
strike the blow which knocked her
down out in the yard, and then they
ran out in the road in front of the
house. Six persons say they saw
Clarence Teale strike Mrs. Zornes
over the head with board or club,
her husband and three boys and the
two Phillips men.
Sheriff Andrew arrested Ed Young
short time after he arrived at the
scene of the crime, finding him work.
ing at threshing machine on near
by farm. He deputized a couple Of
men to bring Ed Young to Leon and
then struck out after Hugh Teale
and Tom Young, who had left and
could not be found. An information
had been filed early that morning
before Justice H. L. Brammer of
Richland township, and constable
at the home of H. H. Young, the
father of the Young boys, and took
him before Justice Brammer, where
he waived preliminary examination
and was bound over to the grand jury
without bonds, and constable Brown
brought him to Leon and he was
placed in Jail. The telephone had
been put to good use and about this
time it was learned that Hugh Teale
and Tom Young had been arrested
at Kellertsn and they were brought
to Leon and placed in Jail the same
evening. There has been no infor-
nation filed against Roy Young, as
there seems to be no evidence that
he took any part in the trouble ex-
cept to try and act as peacemaker
and keep the others from fighting.
While searching around the prem
ises at the scene of the murder,
there were several articles found
which will figure in the case when it
is tried. Near the wire fence a short
distance from where Mrs. Zornes was
struck down a heavy piece of wood
up, which it is claimed is the instru-
ment used by Clarence Teale when
he struck the woman. 1t had been
used as a kind of home made imple-
ment for replanting corn and in the
hands of man would make a
dangerous weapon. Down near the
barn where the men congregated for
some time after the fight there was
mans cap, pair of mittens and
a heavy loaded billy found.
= On Friday Justice A. M. Pryor of
Leon went out to hold an inquest,
acting as coroner in the absence of
coroner w. G. Jeffries who moved to
Chicago some months ago. A coron-
.er's jury consisting of p. F. Kopp,
R. G. Layton and B. F. Smith were
sworn and viewed the body of the
dead woman, and then a post NOR
tenn examination was made by Drs.
Layton and Eiker, of Leon, and Tall
man, of Van Vert. They found that
her death was caused by blood
clot, caused from fracture of the
skull. There were two fractures Of
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