Alleged slayer of DeWitt man captured.

BEARD, LINGLE

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 3/13/2012 at 21:13:53

Maquoketa Excelsior, August 8, 1898

The man whom it is supposed is the slayer of Frank Beard, the young man recently shot and killed by tramps at DeWitt, was captured by the city marshal at Jewell Junction Friday morning. The marshal of course received the printed description of the men who were wanted for the terrible murder and had placed it back in his pocket a day or so ago, but he has a good memory. A reward of $1,000 is enough to make any man keep his eyes open. That morning the officer was on his beat between the east end of the town and the depot. The whistle of the train attracted his attention, and he wandered to the depot. It was his business to look at every new comer that reached Jewell Junction, and when he saw a man jump from a box car he sized him up. "It may be a mistake" he thought, "but that fellow looks mightily to me like the telegram describes." He took the little yellow paper out of his pocket again and looked at it. "By cracky," he said aloud, "thats the fellow." He approached him and told him to come with him. Jewell was hardley awake then, but a desperate encounter ensued between the men. Almost hand to hand they fought. Four times the sharp crack of the revolver in the hands of the murderer rang out, but each time he missed his aim, and five times Marshal Lingle answered the shots with his trusted weapon. The battle between the men raged so fiercely that the attention of the train men was centered upon them. The engineer placed his hand to the whistle cord and a steady whistle followed that brought out half the town. Everyone rushed to the scene. They saw the predicament the marshal was in and closed in on the murderer. He was captured and is now in the Jewell jail. His description that is familiar to every office in Iowa, is that of a man short and heavy set, dark complexion, wearing a dark brown suit with a light crash hat. He had on a pair of broad toed shoes.