Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-23
SPOKANE HERMIT
A DAVENPORT Man
BURIAL OF DETLEF RAIN ENDS
sTRANGEscAREER OF FOR
MER IoWAN.

Davenport, March 22.-WoIu n"e
been received here Of the death OF z
former resident, Detlef Rain. and the
Spokane Spokesman-RevieW contains
the following account of his life anu
his death:
The burial of Detlef Rain, commonly
known as Goose Hunter Ham, mas
closed one Of the most peculiar ca
reers in the history of the Palouse. one
relative was at the funeral. George
=. Lafranz, formerly of Spokane now
Of Nyssa. Ore, Lefranz is a nephew Oh
the hermit The mother OF Lefranz
Mrs. C. Margaret Lefranz, is living III
Iowa. 80,
The first marked eccentricity OF the
hermit's career was developed when
his sister married Lefrang. Rain was
then a boy, and was milking II COWS.
4 ,The marriage of his sister deprived
I him Of helper in this duty. and,
aneered by her leaving, he has since
stabooed women. His relatives he has
driven away. Thirteen years ago Geo.
Lefranz came to the old mans shack
and tried to persuade him to go where
he could have care From his post by
the window, where he sat the greater
part of his time guarding the ap-
proaches to his residence, the old man
saw the stranger approaching. RAIN
drove Lefranz of at the point of gun,
and refused to talk to him till LefranZ
again approached with neighbor
whom the hermit trusted. Nothing
could then persuade the old man to
accompany his relative, and since then
no attempt has been made to remove
him from the shack until during his
last sickness his neighbors carried him
against his will to the hospital In Col
fax. where he died shortly after his ar
rival.
Passion for Yellow Metal.
Throughout his life Rain had pas
sion for gold. When, he sold his ranch
near ..-.venport, IA, he could obtain
nothing but greenbacks. He bought
produce, shipped 1t to England, and re-
turned with the gold he loved. Cross
,ang the plains to California SO years
ago, he brought his wealth with him,
and 81 years ago came to the Palouse,
and has lived since in the shack on the
Central Ferry road, south of the town
of Dusty. Here he raised fruit and cat
tie, All transactions we're made in gold.
From the first he made it plain that
visitors were not welcome, and MS
neighbors have always respected MS
wishes.
Fourteen years ago three young men
came to his cabin and called him out
on a pretext of desiring to trade
horses. They seized the old man, then
So years of age, bound and tortured
him in an attempt to extract the secret
of the hiding place of his gold. They
took what he had stored in the house,
but nothing could wiring from him the
secret Of the hiding place of the rest.
Leaving him bound. they rode away.
Rain held butcher knife in his teeth.
with which he cut his bonds, and made
his way to a neighbours to give the
alarm. One of the men was captured
and confessed.
Watches From His Window.
Since that time the old man has
spent the greater part of his time sit
ting at the window of his cabin watch
ing for possible assailants. He kept
four loaded guns at hand, and but q
short time ago one of his neighbors~
saw him shoot down hawk to show
that his aim was good. Of late years he
has left his cabin only to pay his taxes
at Colfax.. Some time ago he injured
his foot and gangrene set in. The rough
surgery with which he had attended 70
his injuries In the past proved inef-
fectual and he failed rapidly Charles
Benner and Claude Nicholson attend
ed him. Each day he paid his helper
silver Sell00, changing gold piece