Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-12

barn and setting the building on fire
The verdict follows:
| we. the coroner's jury, do hereby
find that Walter Shimps, infant child
! of Henry Shimps. came to his death by
! being fatally burned in ire set by
unknown parties in the barn on the
! Peter Jones farm.
Signed
John WALCH,
VOL BARNEY
r W. ESSINGTON.'
Jonah Shinps. aged S. and Daniel.
aged = were with the baby playing
in the yard when they claim two
tramps came along locked the three
of them in the barn and left them
there. a little later fire broke out in
the frame building. The TWO older
boys escape by climbing from win
dow. They We're unable 10 save the
BABY.
Runs For His Father.
Jonah. the elder of the boys. ran
,hree-quarte of mile 10 where his
father was Ghucking corn for r, W.
Essington. The younger child re-
NAMED near the burning building.
Walter Conn, son of j. B. Conn,
neighbor, Vas husking corn in field
near By. He hurried across the way
10 the burning building Daniel Shimps
told him the baby was in the doomed
structure. Neighbors began 20 arrive
and efforts we're made to locate the
child
Doors All Locked.
Substantiating the children's story,
was the fact all The doors We're found
securely locked on the outside. Open
ing these the rescuers tried 20 locate
the baby but were unable TO make any
headway. BY the time a hasty search
had been made the flames had become
so fierce the heat drove them back.
Then the haymow floor fell in pitch
ing fifteen tons OF burning hay down
upon the lower floor. II was then use
less to make further efforts Of rescue.
| The barn burned to the ground So
severe was the heat that the platform
of the seventy foot windmill was
charred. then burned. The corn crib
was an old barber shop building moved
from Burchinal. Five hundred bushels
of corn were consumed. The corn and
hay had been purchased by Aaron
Grimm at an auction sale held last
week
Thought He Saw Men.
John Walch, a neighD9r, saw two
men hurrying toward the Great West
ern tracks just after The fire broke
out They looked like tramps. Another
man claimed he saw two rough looking
men board train at Burc ninal at
p m. Officers are following out clues
which take in these facts,
The loss on the produce and build
ings will amount TO $4,000. Shimps
had sold all his effects, planning to
lease soon for Kansas. He lost his
wife about a year ago. Besides the
two children mentioned, there are sur
viving, Harry Shimps. aged y: Henry
Shimps, aged II: Alec, aged 9, and
! little girl years old. These children
were with their father in the field at
the time of the fire.
Stick to Their Story.
The children cling tenaciously to
their first story. They told the same
them. Messrs. Conn. Essington and
Walch who were the first to arrive on
thes Gene, can give no further par,icu-
| lars.
Dr. W. E. Long. coroner. held an in
quest. The witnesses were Mrs. J. 3.
Conn, Henry Shimps and Jonah
/ Shimps. No further facts were cleaned
from the probe.
| Strange Features.
! Officers say there are some unsolved
features in the case which may de-
velop later They state that the whole
matter has some points of mystery and
strangeness which only careful investi-
cation will clear up.
Court House Iap$or kiIIad
| Clinton Nov. 12-Chris Boysen, court