The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-10-17
TRAGEDY AT MERCER.
Herbert Peace Receives Blow From
Ball Bat in Hands of Clarence
THOMAS, With Fatal Results.

Last Saturday evening ABOUT +h .
O'Clock, an ARRAY occurred IN me
peaceful little city OF Mercer; WHICH hlt
resulted in the death Of Herbert flna,e r
Is years old, who lived about .
miles northwest of Princeton;
Clarence Thomas, the Is year ola
proprietor of a restaurant is now IN
the county jail charged Win ne
tragedy are rather hard to obtain,
but from what is known, it is safe
to say that the old monster John
Barleycorn' was the primary cause:
The boys had hitherto been good
friends, and but for pau Whlshey
would still be good friends.
had been to Lineville Saturday even
ing, and had returned to Mercer, on
his way home, in a somewhat int0Xl-
Gated condition. He went into GAR
ence Thomas restaurant and ORDER
Z ed his supper, and after eating call
led for package Of Camel cigar
cites. Clarence handed tnem TO
him and said they were 20 cents cents per per
package. Peace said they we, we're zen Yen
was twenty cents, said a ten cent
nackage would do. Thomas picked
IN the package of Camels and put
it in his pocket and gave Peace ten
cent package. This seemingly OIL
tended Peace, and while Thomas was
r1,fting a sandwich for another Gus
toner. Peace is said to have reached
over the counter and took the Gamer
cigarettes out of Thomas pocket;
THOMAS took exception to TINS. ana
some words followed. Peace al lrst
saying he did nav h for t la' ' pacf f
hit Mtn aft ter ar laid five dollar bill
down which Thomas could NOT
change Then Peace reproached
Thomas for getting mad, saying ne
had intended to pay MN an 'he
Thomas told him he didn't want
him to come into his restaurant ana
do that way any more, and turned 10
wait on another customer. rms APP
narently offended Peace, and he IS
said to have walked t,, arounT9h om ons
then dnu picked up a baseball bat and
threatened to hit Peace il he dldn
get out of his store. At this Peace
said You little red headed son -
if you strike al me With tha1, 20"
will never hit anybody else Th on
the blow falling. upon the lelt lo ri
head. crushing the skull. Peace 1ell
to the floor unconscious. he was
soon picked up by friends ana
brought to the Powell I!or h nd was eX AZ
ahmed ami bv Drs. Powell, Smith and
Long who found that he was tatal-
" Injured He was lmmedlateiy
taken to the home of his 1atheF.
Langford Peace, in Line,Tille, Wnere
he passed away about three ti9om
Sunday morning without regalnlns
Thomas was arrested and brought
tn the county jail where he is await
ing preliminary exam I S.
This will be held before Judge Ste e.1
man next Thursday; Octop 2t,ao IN 'r q
He has 3 sd dafeed h him He is son
Of Mr.. and Mrs J. R. Thomas. who
live in the Scott Hill school district.
northwest of town. and had never
been in trouble before. He po was
recently married: Herne ,s.rI fe o1d
was married, and had many friends
in this vicinity in which he has al
ways lived. His father is minis
ter of the Apostolic church g
The funeral was held Monday al
ternoon at the Middle Point cnurc en-
rnrrnwiI1g friends and neighbors,
and the interment was made IN the
Middle Point cemetery, o,,
The families of both are Wen
known and among them are many
of the best citizens; ana tne lIaSeuy
has awakened universal sympathy
for them in their trouble
1t seems to us that tne afcu cIln
inal in this case, was the bootlegseff
nr villain who filled the brain OF
the victim with the poison whlskeyt,
The death penalty is none TOO %bo ern eIv
their nefarious calling, and who in
sist in selling the hellish. stuff. al
though the people of this county
have exhausted every legal means .ns
to drive them from it If they they s y faW
dangle at the a;s END o OF rGfe seems ems
that ali other efforts have failed to
stop the bootleggers' business
Princeton Telegraph.