Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-07-20
BOY HELD
TO GRAND JURY UNDER
5000 BOND.
is ARRAIGNED ON
CHARGE OF ROBBERY
Charge Of Assault With intsnt to Com
nit Murder Prepared, But Not Filed,
Awaiting Outcome Of Mrs. Vests
Weund-Boy Admits Details Of the
crms-Robbery Was Motive.

Reluctantly admitting bit by bit the
details, Ira Moore, the 15-year-old boy
bandit who attempted to rob and did
stab Mrs. G. W. West Thursday eve
ming. made virtually a complete con-
fession 10 Acting County Attorney
Robert E Johnson late Friday after
noon For more than an hour the law
yer, Marshal Clark, Sheriff Nicholson,
and the boys brother Oscar A. Moore,
! questioned and grilled the boy.
Later the lad reluctantly pleaded
guilty to the charge Of robbery, filed
in the mayors court by G. W. West.
The lad was held 10 the grand jury
and his bond was fixed at $1,000. He
was placed in jail to await the jury
investigation. which Will be aboue
Sept !.
Other Charge Held Back.
Another charge. of assault with in
tent TO commit murder, has been pre-
pared but was not filed, as it was de-
sired to wait until il became certain
what the outcome Of Mrs. VESTS
wound would develop. In case she
should recover. as it is expected that
she will the charge Of robbery is fully
as serious a charge as the assault
charge would De. the maximum penal
" being twenty years Imprisonment
Took Revolver From Home.
Young Moore. in answering the long
series OF questions hat were asked
him. put together confession Of prac-
tically all the details of what he had
.; no ~ ba Iafr he soldiers
home. early in the afternoon. until he
returned there after committing the
assault
The laid said the empty revolver,
with which he threatened Mrs. West.
did not belong to him. bat that he
found it in a drawer in the room he
occupied with others at the home hos
pital. He said he took it and started
for the river. but with no particular
place in view as his destination. After
he reached the river he went to the
West grocery store. place he had fire.
quently visited before.
Did Not intend to Hurt Her.
It Is probable that the sight Of. the
money as Mrs. West counted 1t as she
got ready to close the store. put the
| thought of robbery into the boys mind
He admitted that 1t was because he
wanted the money that he attacked
Mrs. West, but didn't intend to hur,
her" he said.
| Asked why then that ne stabbed Mrs
West after she had handed him the
| money, he replied:
Because she would not let me 60"
Mrs West had seized the boys right
hand the hand in which he held the
revolver. with both of her own. 1t was
while she held Moores hand that he
stabbed her in the throat with his left
| hand in which he clasped the knife, the
lad said
Returned at Once to Homo.
| After he left the store the boy said
| he went northwest, thru the lowlands
south of the river, and entered the
| home grounds from the northeast, thru
the woods. He went TO the hospital
| building, washed the knife with which
he had done the stabbing, washed his
face and hands, and went to bed, Soor
afterwards Officer Charles Delahoyde
arrived. The knife used was an ordi-
nary pocket knife. with the blade
sharpened to a keen edge.
Boy is Mentally Deficient.
There is little question that the boy
is mentally deficient and that his MIND
is less active than the average boy O
his age His brother. Oscar A. Moore
SOB South Sixth street. who Is support
ing his own family and his invalid par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. Isaac J. Moore, wht
live with him, admitted yesterday tina
in some respects the boy Ira did no
seem 70 be normal mentally. The boy!
past record Shows that he has bad ten
denotes. which have been aided n
doubt by the cigaret habit, which wa
broken during his stay at the stat
reform school, and the reading OF bloot
and thunder literature.
Since the boy returned from the re
form school last January Oscar Moor
said that the boy had seemed to re
form The older brother had got tn
boy job at the NJ & ST L., but tn
work was too hard for him. and abou
month ago Oscar Moore found en-
ployment for the youth washing dishe
at the hospital, where he was paid SO
month.
Moores father is a cripple and Is un
able to work, and Mrs. Moore is an in
valid Oscar Moore has been the main
stay Of his parents for years. He feel
the disgrace Of his brothers deed keen
~, and he fears that 1t will have
disastrous effect on his mother
health
Mrs. West Improving.
Mrs West, the victim Of youn
Moore's vicious and brutal assault, wa
) resting more comfortably today tina
on Friday. She has but very littl
temperature, however, and Frida
night suffered some from the wounG
She rs gradually getting over the ef
, fects OF the shock, but is still yer
nervous. Her condition is such tina
there is no further alarm as to tn
outcome. providing It proves that n
infection was carried into the woun
by the knife blade
ROUNDUP srAare sHow