The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-01-19
.s.ea@.. WAS VINCENT GUILTY? " .-
Story of One OF the Amazing Mysteries Which Puzzled Early
SettIers-By 0. H. Mills.

men who. were hardly out of theii
teens, driving dun colored team tc
a light covered wagon, drove up tc
the home of Mrs. Mary Maanat
about three miles northeast of the
town of Brooklyn, Poweshiek county
and asked permission to camp for the
night in the barnyard. Consent being
readily given they drove in and after
having fed their team, started little
campfire and proceeded to cook theil
supper. Later in the evening John
the son of Mrs. Maanat, strolled ovel
to their camp and they soon became
well acquainted. They stated thai
they We're from Wisconsin and were
bound for Pixies peaH, but did not
disclose their names. They appeared
to be two jolly and agreeable young
men and during the evening one ot
them produced violin from the wa
gon, which he played quite well
that he was no novice as a jig dan
Ger. So pleasant and entertaining
was their society that it was long
after 10 o'clock when John bid then
god night and returned to his home
They were up early in the morning
and again cooked their meal and still
kept up their jokes and good humor
A little later on they left, taking the
road toward BROOKLYN.
About 10 o'clock of the same morn
ing The dun colored team appeared in
Brooklyn and halted at the feed sta
BILE. There was only one occupant
of the wagon He stated to the pro
prietor of the barn that he had left
A Ratchet back where he had camp
ed the night before and asked the
loan of a horse that he might ride
back and get it. Being accommo
dated, he left his team and rode
away. He was gone about an hour
when he returned, carelessly threw
mis- hatchet into the wagon and
climbed in himself, took up the reins
and drove westward on the road tc
Grinnell.
On the sixth day of the same
month Mrs. Arabella Tinker was out
in search of her COWS that had stray
ed away. She was winding her way
through The bushes that lined Bear
creek, that were then almost in full
foliage, when to her surprise and
horror she came upon the headless
body of man. To say that she was
filled with terror would be putting il
mild. and she Instantly fled and con
veyed the intelligence of her discOv
cry to the first one she met. A party
was soon gathered together which re
paired to the spot and soon verified
her story. After searching for some
time they found the severed head
partially covered with dead leaves
and under a decayed log. The party
gathered up the body and head and
took the lcmains at once to Brook,
Ign. Here DR.. Conway washed the
head and placed it in Il glass jar OF
alt ohol for preservation. The news
Of this occurrence spread with great
rapidity and during the afternoon OF
the same day many people thronged
into Brooklyn anxious to hear all the
details of the same. Among those
who came was John Maanat, who
upon inspecting the face in the jar
Immediately recognized it as that OF
one of the young men who camped
night. OF course, the driver of the
dun colored team was at once sus-
pected of murder and steps were lax
en- for his arrest. But there were no
telegraphs in those days in that part
of the country and the suspected
party had at least three clear days
the start of his pursuers. The trail
was picked up all right, but after
leaving Grinnell it was lost and after
a day or two the pursuit was aban-
dOned.
The remains of the murdered man
were by the good people of Brooklyn
given a Christian burial and the sew
cred head preserved in the glass jar
where it might in coming time be a
silent and CHASTITY witness should the
guilty party ever be brought before
the bar of justice.
Over three years had passed away
and the story of this crime drifted
out of the talk of The people of that
vicinity. In the summer of 1866 one
John Seashore engaged passage on
the stage at Newton for a trip into
the southern part of the STATE.
Strange it is that often trifes shape
the destinies of many people. When
he came to take his seat in The
coach he found that every seat had
been taken and he was compelled to
ride with the driver on the top. 1t
was a beautiful summers day, and
the driver being quite loquatious,
Mr.. Seashore found him an agreeable
travelling companion. Somehow their
talk drifted into criminal channels,
and the driver (whose name was
Wells) related the story of the crime
at Brooklyn three years before. Mr..
Seashore became deeply interested
20 such an extent that when he ar
rived at Monroe he abandoned his
further trip south, took the next
stage to Newton and from there to
Brooklyn. He Immediately inspect.
ed the spectral face in the glass jar
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