The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-06-22
ASSAULTS AGED WOMAN
RAMONA MAN BOUND WOMAN IN
EMPTY HOUSE-CAUGHT
AFTER LONG CHASE.

Late last night Earl Buffers, IS
years old, painter and paper hanger
of Ramona, married and having one
child, vas arrested at Lake Preston
for criminally %assaulting Mrs. Sam
uel Davis. "A years old. near Ra-
mona. The arrest was made after
an organized hunt by Deputy Sheriff
j. f. O'Connell. of Ramona, and the
prisoner was brought to Madison and
confined in the county Jail.
Buffers formerly farmed the John
Klann farm. north of Ramona. but
having bad luck with horses he was
ordered from the place this spring by
the owner, and moved to Ramona
about a month ago. Since that time
the house has been empty. Yester-
day forenoon he put on good clothes.
told his wife that he was coming to
Madison, and left the house. He Wis
tied Mrs. Davis, who lives with a son
in Ramona, and asked her to so with
him to the place he formerly occu-
pied, for the purpose of cleaning the
house. She objected that there
would be no hot water to use. He
assured her that there was a family
living in the house, and that there
would be all the water necessary.
The aged woman consented. and they
set out in a single rig.
AT the house he overpowered her.
tied her wrists with rope and com
mitted the crime. That was at about
IL o'clock. He left her tied and es-
capped, and at about l o'clock she
worked herself free and managed to
get to a neigbor's, a mile and a half
distant. She was taken to Ramona
and placed under medical care.
Sheriff T.. A. Keller was notified
at ? o'clock, and requested to come
at once to Ramona. On his arrival
he organized a posse of Is men, and
started them out in six automobiles
on the hunt. The Ramona telephone
exchange was constituted a central
office to keep the different parties in
touch with one another. and the wide
flung hunt extended into Minnesota
and to the river west. Trails were
followed to get the direction of the
escape, but became confused with
other buggy and wagon tracks and
were lost.
Mr.. Keller and his party left Lake
Preston at about Z o'clock TO go to
~Iroquois and Huron. Just after he
left Deputy O'Connell announced
that the man was taken into custody.
Three boys had noticed a man about
the stockyards. They tried to ap-
proach him, but could not. They ef-
fected a ruse, one hiding while the
other two went toward town. 1t was
effective. for the man soon appeared.
and hailing his companions, the boy
kept him in sight. while another mott
fled the officers. He had driven 10
Oldham. from where he hired an au-
tomobile to carry him to Lake Pres
ton. saying he was on his way to
DeSmet.
Fearing for the safety of his pris-
oner if confined in Ramona or Lake
Preston, O'Connell drove at once TO
Madison. 1t is said that popular
feeling runs high in Ramona. and the
people might take desperate meas
ures.
In the Jail this morning the Ian
guage used 10y the prisoner would in
dictate mental alteration. He is
bright enough i'm appearance, but
was very irrational i'm his talk. seem
ing not TO be able to say where he
left the horse he used. Sheriff KEEL
Ter thinks it possible that he is as
Stunning the part.
Buffers will be arraigned before
Justice Soper this afternoon on the
return of Sheriff Keller from RIA
mona, when a date for hearing Will
be set unless he valves that for
mality.