MOYER, William Clark Alexander 1854 - 1902

MOYER

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/25/2021 at 20:23:28

"The Fairfield Ledger"
July 2, 1902

MOYER Was Foully Murdered.

Clark W. MOYER was found unconscious and in a dying condition on a public street in Council Bluffs Saturday about midnight. There was an ugly wound under his right eye, first mistaken for that of a pistol bullet, from which blood was flowing freely. He was taken to St. Bernard's hospital, where he died about 8:15 Sunday morning without recovering consciousness. A 'post mortem' examination revealed a fracture of the skull on the left side at the base of the brain, evidently inflicted by a blunt instrument. The wound under the eye was little more than an abrasion of the skin. The blow which had produced the fracture had also inflicted a deep scalp wound about three inches above the left ear.

MOYER had spent most of the evening in the Creston house saloon, and suspicion was at once directed to the bartender. He claimed that MOYER had left the place about 11:40, when it was to be closed for the night, and that he was accompanied by three men whom the bartender did not know by name, but whom he might identify. Ed. McClellan, who was one of the first persons on the scene, declared that four other men were looking at the body when he first saw it. He notified ex-Alderman Ed. C. Brown and County Surveyor Cook, who awaited the coming of the police and a patrol wagon. In the meantime the four strangers had disappeared.

Coroner Treynor held an inquest on the body Monday, and there was a startling sensation when Otto W. Roderick of South Omaha, Neb., confessed that he and two companions had killed MOYER by beating him to death. Roderick said that he and his friends met MOYER on the street. He made an insulting remark to them which Roderick resented, and that he then struck MOYER on the head with a club, felling him to the ground and inflicting the wound from which he died. Roderick was immediately placed under arrest, and the police are looking for his companions.

Mr. MOYER was born and reared in this city, and was about forty-eight years of age. Both his parents have been dead for many years, and, while one sister and perhaps five brothers survive him, the address of none of them was known here. Mr. MOYER had been a clerk in the railway mail service for about nineteen years. His run during much of that time was as head clerk on trains No. 4 and 7, between Council Bluffs and Burlington. For many years he was one of the most proficient men in the service, and at the time of his death had a salary of $1,400 per year. During much of this time he made his home in this city, but in 1897 he removed to Council Bluffs, headquarters for his work. When the telegram was received Sunday morning announcing his death and making inquiry for surviving relatives, members of Forest city Lodge, Knights of Pythias, with which he had affiliated for many years, decided to take charge of the body in the absence of action on the part of his relatives. They had Frank T. Wolf appointed administrator of the estate and ordered the body brought here for burial by the side of the dead man's parents. There were some detentions at Council Bluffs because of the investigation concerning the cause of death, but the remains arrived in this city last night and will be interred at 3 o'clock this afternoon by the lodge.

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.