Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-09
MRS. p. z. REckARo, OF DUN.
comsE, WAS DAUGHTER OF
MURDERED WOMAN.
CRIME or TWENTY YEARS AGO
BEING AGAIN REVIEWED
Mrs. Rsekard, Then . Girl at Homo,
Pursued Murderous Robbsr After 10
Had Shot Her Mother. Mrs. Jamison
-Nsishber Tried and Acquitted Of
the Crime.

Fort Dodge, Feb. "a death &C.
CURED recently at the neighboring
town Of Duncombe that requires more
than passing references. 1t is that OF
Mrs. p. +. Reckard, whose death fol-
lowed surgical! operation at Roches-
ter. Min. Her passing recalls one Of
the most sensational murder cases in
the history Of Webster county. 1t was
her mother. Mrs. Jamison, who was
shot and killed at the farm house where
she lived, four miles south Of Dun
combe, about twenty years ago, by an
unknown bandit who was attempting
to rob the house.
Mrs. Jamison's daughter. who later
married P. f. Reckard. was a young
woman at the time, and was present
when her mother was killed. She dis
played remarkable bravery, Selling a
revolver and pursuing the fleeing as
sassin at whom she fired several shots.
The Murder Of Mrs. Jamison.
Mrs. Jamison was the school treas
urer of Washington township and it
was the custom for the treasurer to
exhibit the actual cash belonging to
the school fund when the township
trustees met to check up official bust
ness. In preparation for this event Mr..
Jamison brought the proper amount OF
money to his home and the presump-
ton was that people Of the neighbof-
hood were aware Of what he had done.
On the afternoon OF the murder Mr..
Jamison was in distant corn field and
Mrs. Jamison and her young daughter
were in the house when a man wear
Ing a mask over his face and clad in a
rubber overcoat entered the house and
demanded what money was there.
It was not believed that the MUIR
der which followed was planned in
advance. but Mrs. Janison was a
pioneer Of the prairies and she showed
no sign Of fear. She started to open
a drawer where a revolver was kept
but be fore she could use 1t the robber
shot her. She fell on the floor and died
there.
The bandit jumped on Of the screen
window and ran. The young girl
snatched up the revolver her mother
had reached for and discharged 1t after
him, but he escaped unframed and dis
appeared in Brushy creek.
The Trial Of Porter.
A neishbor. John ]. Porter, was ar
rested, tried and acquitted. The evil
dence. which was wholly circumstan-
tial, was very interesting and people
crowded the court room from the whole
countryside. A. e. Clarke, who recent
~ died In Minneapolis. was Porter's
attorney and Maurice D. O'Connell was
the chief prosecutor for the state. Re-
marks that had been made by Porter
previous to the shooting concerning an
easy place to get some money! were
quoted at the trial. The footprints
where the murderer had jumped out Of
the window were measured and the
measurements held to be the same as
Porter's by the state. The feature most
dwelt upon by the prosecution was the
way in which the pistol shot had been
fired. It was claimed the bullet track
was diagonally upward as 1t passed
thru the woman's body, indicating the
revolver had been held at low point
when fired. Porter had lived in the
west and had told people Of his ability
to shoot q pistol accurately while hold
ing it in that unusual position
Attic the occurrences accompanying
the murder and trial are now history
the recollections are indelib1y stamped
in the memory Of the residents Of that
region and the recent death Of Mrs.
Jamison's daughter has served to make
them the topic Of frequent converse
ton.