TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ENACTED NEAR DEKALB

ZORNES, TEALE, YOUNG, PHILLIPS

Posted By: Nancee Seifert (email)
Date: 11/20/2009 at 20:23:39

Decatur County Journal
Leon, Iowa
Thursday, December 15, 1910

A terrible tragedy in which Mrs. LEVI ZORNES met a violent death, adding one
more to the list of Decatur County murders, occurred at the LEVI ZORNES home
within a short distance of DeKalb about 9 o'clock Wednesday night of last
week. Clarence Teale, it is alleged, is responsible for the death of Mrs.
ZORNES. Clarence and Hugh Teale, Tom Young and Ed Young are under arrest
and are confined in the Decatur County jail in this city.

The tragedy was enacted at the home of the victim about one mile west and
north of DeKalb and a quarter of a mile south of the West School house soon
after a quarrel had been started. It seems that Roy Young, brother of Tom
and Ed Young, had been a guest at the ZORNES home for the evening meal,
having come to the house from a threshing machine, about a quarter of a mile
away, where he had been at work. After they had finished supper, Mr. And
Mrs. ZORNES, their sons, Henry, aged about eighteen years, Willie and Elzie,
aged about twelve and fifteen years respectively, Tom and Henry Phillips,
nephews of LEVI ZORNES, and Roy Young were seated about the room engaged in
conversation when Hugh Teale , so it is said, called from the outside. Roy
Young went out of the house and came back in a minute and said that those
outside wanted LEVI ZORNES (commonly called LEE) and his son, Henry, to come
out. They did not go and then a voice from the darkness called saying "it
looks like you'd invite a fellow in." In a moment Hugh Teale came into the
house, Clarence Teal, Tom and Ed Young followed him inside a moment or so
later. From what the Phillips boys say the men had been in the room but a
few minutes when Clarence Teale accused Mrs. ZORNES of making remarks
concerning himself and brother and a woman of the neighborhood. Mrs. ZORNES
it is claimed, said it was a lie. Tom Young at this point picked up an air
pump used in inflating bicycle tires, and struck LEE and HENRY ZORNES with
it knocking both down twice. The metal base of the pump was broken off by
one of the blows. Young then threw the pump at Mrs. ZORNES, who had stepped
into the door way leading from the bed room, where she stood facing him, the
pump striking her in the face. LEVI and HENRY ZORNES made an effort to get
a shot gun standing behind a door leading from the living room to the
kitchen, but Ed Young got it first. LEVI and HENRY ZORNES got out of the
house and were chased to the northwest corner of the barn where LEVI was
struck by one of the men and knocked through the fence. Ed Young after
coming from the house with the shot gun threw it into a cave at the
southwest corner of the house. In the meantime Mrs. ZORNES with the two
younger boys had hurried from the house. Tom Phillips makes the statement
that Clarence Teale followed Mrs. ZORNES, who had escaped from the house by
a door at the east end of the living room, a distance of about sixty feet
from the house, where he struck her with a club, afterwards found to be a
piece of seasoned wood used presumably upon a cultivator or other farming
tool. Mrs. ZORNES fell, Mr. Phillips says, and Clarence Teale left her and
went down near the barn where his brother and the Young boys were. They
made further threats, the witnesses say, but finally wandered farther away
from the house. Mr. ZORNES and his son hurried to the assistance of Mrs.
ZORNES. Tom Phillips, who was in the northeast corner of the yard when Mrs.
ZORNES was struck down, and the two younger boys who had joined him,
followed them to the house and assisted in getting Mrs. ZORNES on the bed.
Tom Phillips then ran to the Isaac West home, nearly a mile away, and
telephoned to Van Wert for Dr. Tallman. Dr. Tallman started at once for the
scene of the tragedy reaching there about 10:30 o'clock. Mrs. ZORNES was
near death when the physician arrived and passed away in a short time.
While Dr. Tallman was still at the ZORNES home the two Young boys, Tom and
Ed, came back to the house and were ordered away by the physician. HENRY
ZORNES and Henry Phillips had gone to the Jeff Blades home not far distant
where they gave the alarm and soon afterwards a number of people arrived at
the ZORNES place. Warrants were sworn out before Justice Henry Brammer for
the arrest of Clarence Teale and Tom Young. John Brown, constable for
Richland Township, arrested Clarence Teale at the home of Harrison Young,
father of Tom and Ed Young, about 5 o'clock Thursday morning.

To Be Continued . . Part 2; The authorities...
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
November 18, 2009
iggy29@grm.net