Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-20

Guarding the prisoMers 0v0r nighl
The officess while st the klingn-
man house put the Bunkcrs thru viz
orous "third degree" In . final ef-
fort to get them to confess their guilt,
on the following morning the prison.
crs were taken to the timber some dis
lance west of Klingaman's and told
they would he hung by the neck unless
they were willing to talk. Bill Bunker
was hung up first In the meantime
his brother was making an effort TO
escape and n struggle ensued. When
finally he was overpowered by the Of
ficers and Klingaman. investigation
showed that win Bunker was dead,
The other thief was then strung MP TO
nearby tree. The officers fled after
their crime: Klingaman returned home,
Two or three mornings later one or
the bodies was found hanging to n tree
by one Of the Chyle boys, Freeman or
Lem, Mr.. Jaqra does not rememhc"
which. These brothers lived with Hor-
ace Har,shorn. One Of them was out
hunting coon tracks about o'clock IN
the morning after thaw. when he dis
covered one of the bodies. He told
Horace Hartshorn of his discovery.
Mr.. Hartshorn remembered having
seen the two officers and their prison
ers on the evening Of their arrival and
suggested that the other Bunker doubt
less had met with the same fate. a
few minutes search by I've three men
revealed the other body hanging 10 n
tree. Mr. Jaqua helped cut down the
two bodies and haul them to Bucking-
ham village. They were taken to the
school house Mr.. Jalua. who was
teacher Of the school that winter. had
70 DISMISS the pupils for the day tn"
news Of the hanging spread rapidly
and buckingham was crowded all day.
The coroner. who lived in Toledo hap
pened TO be in buckingham that day
and was notified, and an inquest held,
4 big crowd attended. The school
house was packed Klingaman was
brought before the coroners jury. He
appeared badly frightened and would
not talk. The jury. of which Mr..
Jaqua was a member, declared that
Klingaman assisted in the hanging.
Following the inquest Klingaman was
placed In custody and taken TO Iowa
City for trial. The bodies of the Bunk
ers were buried in the potter's field Of
old buckingham cemetery. John
Thomas. a cabinet maker in Buck
ingham. made the collins and Josh
Woods and Horace Hartshorn dug the
graves.
Mr.. Jaqua said the evidence Of the
coroner's jury showed that IL was not
the original intention of the officers 10
hang the two thieves. VIII Bunker |
was strung up first in order to scare |
the men into making confession. In
stead of making a confession Chas.
Bunker attempted to make his escape. !
In the struggle which followed VIII |
Bunker was allowed to hang too long |
and he was dead when his brother had
been overpowered. With one of the
robbers dead the officers and klinga-
man were not long in deciding to hang /
the other one. |
The officers who did the hanging !
were placed in custody in Des Moines, !
but Mr. Jaqua believes they were re-
leased later. Klingaman was also freed !
after two or three trials. but he never |
returned to Traer. Mr.. Jaqua believes !
he went west. He owned considerable |
land besides his saw mill here. but left |
all his property and his family. Tine |
sentiment over the state seemed to ia |
vor the hanging Of the Bunkers, Mr.. |
Jaqua said. The pioneers were relieved |
to hear that they were dead.
Mr.. Jaqua told of his first meeting !
with Ret GARRISON. editor of the State
Register. Mr.. Jaqua was in Des Moines |
to serve his first term as representa- |
tive from Tama county in the state |
legislature. Mr.. Clarkson said to Mr.. |
Jaqua: That was a fine thing you !
did in Tama county, that hanging Of
the Bunkers."
Mr.. Jaqua is Traer's oldest citizen |
and one of the two or three remaining |
pioneers who settled in Tama county in
the sos.