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meeting overhead from either side, and lay in wait behind a large stump until his victim had passed, when he sprang upon him from behind and accomplished his work. We may add that Hughes, Sr., father of the young man above alluded to, had also killed a man, in Lansing we believe, some years earlie; but he died of cholera before he was brought to trial.

At the December term of the District Court O'Neill was indicted for murder in the first degree. In June following his trial took place; he was found guilty of murder in the second degree, and on the 23d of that month was sentenced to the penitentiary at Fort Madison for life. He was still living at last accounts, but was completely broken down and failing, having become quite aged and decrepid.

Another horrible murder occurred on Yellow River in September, 1867, but the murderer escaped the gallows, which would in all probability have been his end had he come to trial. The circumstances were these: John Minert and Wm. H. Stafford were neighbors; the former, a well-to-do and respected citizen, owning a mill dam which he was raising and improving. Stafford, a good enough neighbor when sober, was brutal and savage when in liquor, and had threatened Minert should he raise the dam, as it would overflow some of his land. He came upon Minert with an ax, and without a word from either cut his head open, killing him almost instantly. He then fled the country. Sheriff Townsend immediately offered a reward of $1,000 for his apprehension, and Gov. Merrill afterwards $500. The Board of Supervisors refused to endorse Townsend's reward and it was withdrawn. At a subsequent session the offer of $1,000 was made by the Board. A man named Wesley Smith, living near Postville, had been posting himself as to Stafford's whereabouts, and as soon as an amount was offered sufficient to pay him for the risk set to work to bring him to justice. Letters were being received quite freely by Stafford's family, who were still on Yellow River, from Minnesota. It was discovered that these letters were remailed by friends of the family in Minnesota, and by intercepting them his whereabouts was ascertained to be in Arkansas. Smith, with an assistant, went to Arkansas and arrested him, and brought him as far as Memphis, where the prisoner discovered his guard dozing and escaped from the boat. His hands were shackled at the time, but no trace of him was found.

In March, 1862, a press for printing counterfeit money was found in Whaley's mill pond, on Village Creek. It was deposited in the court house at Waukon, where it remained until February, 1868, when it was sold for old iron.

Jas. K. Rinehart and Geo. Rose were arrested for passing counterfeit money in the spring of 1868 and lodged in jail at Waukon, On the morning of May 28th Rinehart was found to have escaped by digging through a number of thick plank and the brick wall

his companion having been bailed out a day or two previous. He was recaptured in August and returned to his quarters. The case against Rose was finally dismissed for want of evidence. If we are not mistaken Rinehart again escaped, but got into the Wisconsin penitentiary where he is said to have died.

In November, 1870, Anderson Amos was convicted, at Dubuque, of passing counterfeit money, and sentenced to fifteen years. At the same time Douglas was sentenced for eight years, and others had narrow escapes from implication.

In January, 1869, Frank May shot his nephew, Charles May, dead, at their place on the Iowa near New Galena, they having had some dispute as to the division of the crops. The murderer declared it was done in self-defense, but nevertheless took himself out of the country, it was supposed. About the first of October following some unknown person attempted to take the life of James May, brother of the one killed the previous winter, firing at him a charge of buckshot, which, however, did not take effect in a vital part. The assassin was supposed to be the missing uncle who we believe was never apprehended.

On the night of July 30, 1869, a man who gave his name as Fredrick Shaffer, broke into the Kelley House at Postville, but being discovered fired at Mr. Kelley, who returned the fire, breaking Shaffer's thigh, near the body. He was lodged in the county jail; but in November he escaped by digging down and under the foundation wall-"gophered" out-and upon a horse he stole, or which was stolen for him, he rode to near Monona and took the train for Chicago. There he was arrested in December for a burglary committed at Beloit, Wisconsin, the summer before, and recognized as an old offender by name of Frank Leonard with many aliases. His career, as narrated in a Chicago paper, included a robbery in Michigan, burglary in Juneau, Wisconsin, a bank robbery at Nashville, Tennessee, and burglary and shooting at Dubuque. In each of these cases he had been arrested, sometimes escaping from custody, and again being released upon revealing the whereabouts of his "swag," or serving his term. He had also engaged in bounty jumping during the war. In his Beloit affair he was arrested but escaped by shooting and wounding two officers. The last heard from he was sent to the Wisconsin penitentiary for five years in March, 1871, for crime in that State.

January 20, 1872, John Martinson fatally stabbed Christian Hanson at a dance in Lansing. Martinson fed the country, but in July of the following year, 1873, he was arrested in Chicago, brought to Lansing for examination, and lodged in the Waukon jail. At the next December term of the District Court he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary, but received a pardon about September, 1876.

In December, 1872, F. H. Bartlett plead guilty to the larceny of a horse, and received two years in the penitentiary.

In October, 1873, Chas. Van Hooser, in a misunderstanding at Postville, knocked J. N. Topliff down with a club. In June, 1874, he was convicted of assault with intent to commit great bodily injury, and fined $200 and costs.

June, 1874, James Gillman plead guilty to larceny and received six months in the penitentiary.

In 1874, were developed the facts of the defalcation of J. G. Orr, of Lansing, who left the country and his whereabouts are not known to this day. It seems that in his official capacity of post master of that place, he had defrauded the Government to the tune of $3,000-or not far from that sum-and as collector of Lansing City and township had appropriated as much more belonging to the county, and Lansing incorporation, making a grand total sum of $6,000. The affair created quite a stir at the time, of course, and his bondsmen have good reason to ever bear it in mind, as they were called upon to settle Orr's delinquencies, though we believe the settlement was made as easy for them as possible, the full amount of the deficiencies not being exacted.

On the night of May 17, 1875, at a Turn-fest ball in Postville, a quarrel occurred, during which Matt. Beuscher was shot in the side and not expected to live. D. B. Tapper, a young man, whose parents were in good circumstances and lived near Monona, was arrested, with one Joseph Ingalls, and bail fixed at $15,000 and $500 respectively, pending the result of the shooting. Beuscher recovered; Ingalls we believe was discharged from custody; Tapper was brought to trial in December, 1875, convicted of assault with intent to commit great bodily injury and paid a fine of $200.

In April, 1876, T. C. Smith's store at Dorchester was burglarized, for which one Charles Thompson was arrested at Calmar in Winneshiek County. In June following he was convicted of burglary and sentenced to one year at hard labor in the penitentiary.

Dec. 21, 1876, Andway Torfin, who lived on the Iowa River in Hanover township, while returning home from Decorah with others, got into an altercation near Locust Lane with a party of Winneshiek Norwegians, one of whom gave Torfin a blow upon the head with a sled stake, from the effects of which he died three days later. Three of the party were arrested, only one of whom was held, Helge Nelson by name, and in June following he was convicted of manslaughter.

April 20, 1877, at Lansing, Andrew Soderlin, a Swede, and Mathew Carey, Irish, had a quarrel, during which the latter struck the former, who retaliated with a stake from a wagon, striking such a blow over Carey's head that he died after but a few hours. Soderlin was arrested, and at the June term indicted for manslaughter, but was acquitted on the grounds that the blow was in self-defense.

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