PIERCE, Charles 1865-1932

PIERCE, LEBOW

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 9/22/2011 at 11:53:39

Item 1:

Man Murdered At
Cascade Formerly
of Marble Rock

Marble Rock, Iowa — William Pierce of this place has gone to Cascade because of the murder of his brother Charles, at the latter's farm near that town by a supposed maniac, of whom no trace has been found.

The Pierce family, had been in town and on returning Mrs. Pierce was struck by a pistol butt in the hand of a man hidden in the house. Her son ran for his father and Pierce was shot three times as he entered the house, dying soon after.

Nothing was taken from the house or from Pierce's person, tho he carried a large sum in bank notes and no trace of the man has since been found. There was evidence in the barn that someone had hidden there probably for days.

Charles Pierce was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Pierce. He visited here, recently.

[Waterloo Courier, Sunday, October 16, 1932]

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Item 2:

CASCADE MAN MURDERED

The murder of Charles Pierce, 66, a prominent resident of Jones County, who resided six miles southeast of Cascade, occurred last Thursday night. He was shot to death in his home by a bandit, who escaped. Pierce was struck over the head with the butt end of a pistol, and then the gangster shot him below the heart and once in the neck.

Details of this horrible crime appeared in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald last Friday and are as follows:

Mrs. Pierce was felled by a blow which inflicted a large gash on her head. The bandit afterwards tied her hands and feet.

Before making his escape, the murderer is said to have changed his clothes, donning a suit belonging to Charles Pierce, jr., son of the slain man. He also stole two shotguns, a revolver and a quantity of ammunition. Whether he had a car somewhere on the lonely road, near the scene of the crime, is not known.

"Bloodhounds were sent for from Waterloo to pick up the trail.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pierce and their son, Charles, jr., were in Cascade shopping. They returned to the farm home, which is situated off a lonely road six miles southeast of Cascade about 5:45 o'clock.

"After driving into the barn lot, Mrs. Pierce alighted from the automobile as well as her son, Charles. They carried their groceries to the house. On unlocking the door of the kitchen they were surprised by a stranger. How he got in is not known as the home had been locked. The bandit pulled out a revolver and struck Mrs. Pierce over the head, knocking her unconscious. After this he tied her hands and feet.

"Young Pierce after seeing the stranger in the house and his mother felled by the bandit's gun ran into the barnyard to call his father and also the hired man, Peter Bertling, the latter who was a short distance from the barn picking corn.

Pierce rushed from the barn into the house and as he stepped into the kitchen the murderer struck him over the head with the butt end of the pistol and as Pierce was slumping to the floor the bandit shot him, two bullets entering Pierce's body just below the heart and one entering the neck.

"Pierce's body fell over a chair. It was stated that death was instantaneous.

"After he had shot down Pierce, the stranger went into another room where he removed his old clothes and changed into a suit said to belong to Charles jr. He then went through the house where he picked up two shotguns, a revolver and a quantity of ammunition and fled.

"Young Pierce and the hired man returned to the home and cut the rope which bound Mrs. Pierce's hands and feet. Although bleeding profusely from a large gash on the head, Mrs. Pierce made her way to the home of Peter Anan, a quarter of a mile away. Young Pierce and Bertling, the hired man, ran to another neighboring farmer for assistance.

"According to a story by Bertling, he had come to the house earlier in the afternoon, but had not gone in, knowing that the home had been locked by the Pierces before they had gone to Cascade. How and when the stranger got into the house is not known, unless he crawled through a window.

"Whether or not the bandit picked up the slain man and placed the body on the chair is not known, but that was how Pierce was found when neighbors rushed to the scene. That the fellow remained in the house for an indefinite period is evidenced by bloody footprints throughout the house. And there were bloody footprints leading from the kitchen door through which the bandit fled.

"Bloody footprints led authorities upstairs, indicating that the man had gone through all the rooms, yet molested nothing. Mrs. Pierce had her purse laying on the dresser and nothing was taken out.

"Mrs. Pierce stated to authorities that she could easily identify the man who killed her husband.

OBITUARY

The funeral of Charles E. Pierce, which was held from the Consolidated Church in Cascade last Sunday afternoon, was one of the largest ever held in that town. The services were conducted at 2 o'clock by the Reverend Charles Rabenburg. Interment was made in the Protestant Cemetery at Cascade.

Mr. Pierce was born April 4, 1865, at Marble Rock. He was married to Miss Mary Lebow at Bird City, Kansas, in 1887. The family home was made at that place for five years, when Mr. and Mrs. Pierce removed to Cascade. It was here that Mr. Pierce conducted a blacksmith shop for many years. He later purchased the farm south of Cascade, and in addition to his farm work did blacksmith work for his neighbors.

The Pierce home was saddened twenty-five years ago when a son, Chaney Pierce met a tragic death at the age of twelve years. He was watching a horse which was grazing in a pasture, and tied the horse to his wrist. The animal became frightened at a passing automobile and dragged the boy with fatal results.

In addition to his wife and son Charles, Mr. Pierce is survived by a daughter Iva (Mrs. Arnold Currie) of Nova Scotia, Canada, and by the following brothers and sisters: S. H. Pierce of Gordonsville, Minnesota; James Pierce of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Will Pierce of Marble Rock; Mrs. Stella Shue of Hamburg; Mrs. Edward Walker of Weyerhauser, Wisconsin.

[Monticello Express, October 20, 1932]

[SB]