Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-14
MNo. CLARA WEDGE, OF MASON
CITY, VICTIM OF BRUTAL
CRIME
HOUSE SET ON FIRE IN
EFFORT TO HIDE CRIME
Motive Believed to Have Been Robbery
Throat Cut and Skull Crushed
Man Who Claims to Have Been liv.
ina With Mrs. Wedge Held as Sus-
pect-1ells Conflicting Stories.

Wedge. q wealthy resident or NaS"1
City, was murdered in her home mere
Saturday night. which was later set on
fire. presumably by the murderer u
hide the crime. The woman was dis
covered by firemen who had been sum
noned by telephone TO the scene or I'e
fire. The woman 5 throat mad oeeh GU
and one side of her head crushed ILL.,
T,,,a blow was delivered by a heaVE m
strument and struck the woman 1as'
habind the left ear The scene OF ms
crime is in the heart OF the CITY LIN
address 206 Third street southwest =
onIy three blocks from the main nus
ness district.
The fire department was summoEcu
TO this address by a telephone can anu
when they arrived the house was d
mass of flames. On entering the hoUSS
the woman was discovered Iylng III d
pool Of blood, her body on the moor anu
the lower limbs partly burned. "e
clothing was torn and disorder IN ti's
room indicated a struggle had lahen
Mace between the woman ana the lnul
derer. The greater part or the cohlen'9
of the room Mad been destroyed oy Hre
nv the time the body was discovered
but evidence pointed to the TACT ina.
the murder had been carefully planheo
and was premeditated.
Washed Hands in Home.
"A basin filled with bloody water
and a, towel bearing blood stains We're
found in an adjoining room. 1hls
leads the officials TO believe the muir
derer after committing the crime, ana
4 hard struggle with the woman, who
weighs approximately 250 pounds, was
compelled to wash his hands TO oo-
,iterate blood stains on his body and
clothing.
The mystery surrounding the per
son who turned in the fire alarm mas
not been solved. The police ana oiheF
officials are making dlligent search
for this person, but up to an early hour
Sunday morning had been unable 10
ascertain who turned IN the alarm.
Robbery is attributed as the motive
for: the crime, and pending tnvesGga-
ton, the Mason City police have ar
rested q man. whose name was no.
given out However. It was 4eafneo
that this man had been seen N the
vicinity Of the crime few minutes
prcafous' to the discovery and his ar
reSksWas made at the Great western
raifNay station about O'clock satuF-
dayenirlrt. as he was preparing to leave
the CITY. He had purchased a ticket
for Fort Dodge.
Mrs Faith Kruger, a daughter OF
Mrs. Wedge, stated that no money was
kept In her mothers residence. HOW
ever the latter had land in Iowa and
Minnesota valued at $4,000. Mrs
Kruger could suggest no motive Tor
the murder.
Coroner Active.
DR.. C. F. Starr, acting coroner Is
in charge Of the case and has en-
paneled a. Jury to make a thorough m
yestigation Of this revolving crime
Police and county officers worked all
night on the case and 1t IS stated thal
they have obtained several clues Whlch
1t is thought Will ultimately result N
the murderer being brought to justice
Had Been Twice Divorced.
Mrs. Clara Wedge was about % years
Of age and had lived in Mason City Tor
over twenty years. She has been di-
yorced from TWO husbands, W. II.
Bowen, of Campbell, MINI, and j. n,
Wedge. who now lives IN Minneapolis.
To the first marriage was born
daughter Faith, now Mrs. r. a. krue-
ger. who now lives N Mason City, 5lS
Fifth street southwest.
The only other relative found IS
brother Of Mrs. Wedge, William Quincy,
who lives in South Dakota. 1t Is al
legged that Mrs. Wedge owned much
property in Minnesota and Iowa and
that robbery might have been the mo-
tive for the murder, altho the daugh-
ter testifies that as far as she knows
her mother did not keep large sums OF
money In the house.
Granddaughter Discovers Fire.
"A touch Of added pathos IS found =
the fact that the Swear old grand
daughter of the murdered woman went
to the house soon after school was out
and called her grandmother several
times. She noticed smoke coming out
OF the windows and ran home to tie!
1 her mother that 'grandmother's house
= ION Are" 1t was but few minutes
until a neighbor phoned Mrs. Kruger
with. the confirmation OF the report.
After a thorough investigation a
]: .4s s....scs.s: knife, said TO belong to Mrs
VVedre. was found burned in the bed
RON stove. It Is thought that the
aasailant used this weapon to cut the
omanS throat and afterward struck
nlvNo nIn