Martelle, Cyprian 1858-1914

MARTEL, MARTELL, MARTELLE, WIEDNER, VALLEY

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 2/22/2014 at 16:40:36

Waterloo Evening Courier, Thursday, 21 January 1915.

Dubuque, January 21. – After being out an hour and 15 minutes, the jury in the trial of Ernest Wiedner in the district court at Waukon, Allamakee County, returned a verdict of not guilty late yesterday afternoon. Wiedner was charged with the death of Cyprian Martel, a trapper and fisherman living near Harper's Ferry, Iowa, where Wiedner, a former resident of Dubuque, resides.

The body of Cyprian Martel, aged 56 years, a Frenchman, residing on an island in the Mississippi River, near Harper's Ferry, Iowa, was found drifting in his boat in a slough near his island home on the morning of April 10, 1914, with two gun shot wounds in his body.

He had left home on the morning of April 9, and as he had not returned home that night his wife became alarmed and notified neighbors. A searching party was organized with the result that the body was found floating in a boat in a slough some distance below the Martel home.

Upon examination, the body was found terribly lacerated by two shotgun wounds, one in the breast measuring about 8 inches in diameter and the other below the left ear measuring about 2 inches in diameter.

Martel claimed title to land along the Mississippi River and had made his home on part of an island. He had considerable trouble with trappers, hunters and fishermen who, he claimed, had been using his land for their operations against his wishes.

He had forbidden fisherman, hunters and trappers from utilizing his property and had thereby gained the enmity of certain of them who thought their rights in the matter were being curtailed. Rumors were current that several men had threatened his life.

Ernest Wiedner, former Dubuquer, of Harper's Ferry, a fisherman carrying on an extensive fishing business for years, was one of the men alleged to have made threats.

It happened that on the day that Martel was killed Wiedner was the only man alleged to have threatened Martel's life who was in Harper's Ferry or in that vicinity.

Suspicion rested upon him, and for that reason Sheriff Larson went to Harper's Ferry April 18, and placed Wiedner under arrest, charged with the murder.

The trial of the case commenced in the courthouse in Waukon on Tuesday morning, January 2. Little trouble was experienced in selecting a jury.

The taking of testimony for the state started January 6.

The taking of evidence was completed last Thursday, and the case went jury yesterday.

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NOTE: Cyprian Martel/Martell/Martelle is shown as buried in Wexford cemetery, Allamakee County.

Submitter is not related.

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Added by Richard O'Brien, Feb 24, 2014:

Conflicting dates -
Allamakee Death Records give date of death as 1914 Mar 09.
Obit in the Waukon Standard gives date of death as 1914 Apr 09, which is the same as the news article posted by Reid.

His gravestone is engraved
Martelle, Cyprian
1858-1914.

His wife Angela is buried beside him. After Cyprian's death, Angela Elizabeth (Valley) Martelle remarried to Peter LaTranche (d. 1940 bur. Paint Rock). Peter LaTranche is buried beside his first wife Josephine (Martelle) (d.1915)