An Awful Tragedy

DONAHO, HALE

Posted By: Volunteer - Rich Lowe
Date: 5/12/2015 at 17:22:36

AN AWFUL TRAGEDY.
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Ed. Hale Kills Miss Zora Donaho and Then Shoots Himself.

About 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon Saturday May 31, at Cantril, Edward Hale, aged 20 at his last birthday, shot and killed Miss Zora Dell Donaho, aged 16 years and 17 days, and then turning the revolver shot himself in the forehead, falling near his victim. For a time it was thought he would die, but the ball did not penetrate his brain, glancing from the skull and came out at the upper part of his forehead.

Decoration Day services were being held at Cantril and the horrible tragedy created intense excitement among the many people present. The murdered girl was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Donaho, residing a mile or more southwest of Mt. Sterling. The murderer came to this county a little over a year ago and worked for two or three different farmers. He worked for Mr. Donaho, the father of Zora, some last summer and came back and had worked abaout 15 days for Mr. Donaho just previous to last Saturday, the time for which he was employed being up the day he murdered Zora. As we learn it, he was infatuated with Zora, who refused his company, and he became intensely jealous of other company she had.

Saturday last Zora, along with other young company, went to Cantril, on the train from Mt. Sterling, while her father and a younger sister drove up, and there they had enjoyed the exercises of the day, and it was while Zora, with a couple of girl companions, was watching a game of base ball, that Hale came up and shot her. We shall not give the details of the shooting in our own words, but leave it to the statements of the sworn witnesses before the coroner, which are hereafter given.

While at Cantril and before the murder, Hale visited Rev. Minear and asked to be baptised, saying that he had a premonition that he would not live long, which request was complied with, as we are informed. Later he wrote a couple of letters to his mother who resides at Boydsville, Missouri, telling her what he expected to do and requesting that he be buried by the side of the girl he intended to kill. These letters were afterward found on his person and are now in possession of the authorities.

In the morning before leaving Mt. Sterling, he purchased a five shot revolver, 32 caliber, of Forehand & Wordsworth make. This weapon the authorities have, which contains three unexploded cartridges. Since the shooting, Hale has stated that Zora had promised to marry him and then went back on her promise, but this is doubted, for it is known that she persistently refused to keep company with him, and the testimony shows that she did not speak to him when he addressed her a moment before he fired the shot that took her life. Des Moines Norris, a well known farmer near Cantril, who did not testify at the inquest, was near Hale when he fired the fatal shot, and was the first to reach Zora after she fell. We understand that Mr. Norris corroborates the witnesses before the coroner in their statement that she took only about two steps before she fell and that she uttered no exclamation. In less than three minutes she breathed her last.

After the shooting Hale was taken to an old building where he lay apparently unconscious, and was brought to Keosauqua in a dazed condition. Constable Will Haney, assisted by Bert Boyd and two Struble young men, brought him here, reaching Keosauqua after dark, and turned him over to Sheriff Ramsey. They seemed to fear mob violence to the prisoner, and telephone messages sent here conveyed the idea that a mob was gathering, and as a precautionary measure Judge Sloan, who happended to be at home, went up to the jail and issued an order to convey Hale at once to the penitentiary, and within half an hour after Hale's arrival at the jail he was on his way to Ft. Madison, the Sheriff taking him by the way of Hillsboro.

After reaching the jail here Hale seemed to rouse up like a person from sleep, and Sheriff Ramsey asked if he was conscious. He answered, "Where am I?" He was told that he was in jail at Keosauqua and he said, "Well, protect me and see that I get a fair trial." He then turned over on the bed and began to cry: "Could I see that little thing before she is buried?" The Sheriff told him that he could not. The last thing he said to the Sheriff when he left him at the penitentiary, was for him to tell Judge Sloan and County Attorney Harlan that he was willing to take a life sentence and remain in the penitentiary, but that he didn't want to come back to Van Buren county for trial. He gave his age to the Sheriff as 20 years his last birthday.

It is an awful affair and has cast a deep gloom all over the county and especially the neighborhood where the unfortunate victim lived. The murdered child, for she was scarcely more than a child, was the idol of her parents and was loved by all her acquaintances. A great concourse of people attended her funeral, held at Mt. Sterling last Sunday. Elsewhere in this issue is an obituary of Zora and an account of the funeral, sent in by Rev. Minear who was in charge of the services.

Following is the evidence given at the inquest:

IDA COOKE, age 17, live at Mt. Sterling. We were watching the ball game and were standing west up the hill so as to see better, when this boy that shot Zora Donaho went past all three of us, Zora being one of the number. He said "Hello, Zora." He put his arm around Miss Bennett, the other girl, and shot Zora. I did not see the revolver till he shot. He then went on a few steps and shot himself in the forehead, and then I left. I did not see her fall. He shot her but once. Only two shots fired, one at Zora and one at himself. "Hello" was all he said to her. She didn't answer him. I had never known him. I didn't hear him say anything after he shot Zora. We were on the sidewalk. He was not more than two or three feet from Zora when he shot.

RHODA A. BENNETT, age 21, live 2 1/2 miles southwest of Mt. Sterling in Missouri. Zora Donaho, Miss Cooke and myself were standing under the trees on the sidewalk watching the ball game and we could not see the batter adn Zora said, let us go up further where we can see better. We started up the walk and this fellow, the fellow who shot Zora, went past me and stopped in front of us and said "Hello, Zora," and shot. He was in three or four feet of her, facing Zora. I didn't see him say anything. I heard another shot, but I did not see him shoot any more. I did not recognize him when he came up. I saw Zora fall. Sank backward. I left them. I only heard two shots fired. This was all in Cantril, Iowa, in the afternoon.

ELMER W. BENNETT, age 28, live 2 1/2 miles southwest of Mr. Sterling in Missouri. I was in Cantril this afternoon. Mr. Ed Hale was talking to me. We were sitting on the sidwalk that goes to the schoolhouse grove. He got up and left me and walked toward the girls. I notices while he was talking to me that he had been drinking, at least I thought so from the way he was talking. I happened to notice my sister and Zora Donaho talking together. He walked up behind them and commenced talking to a fellow sho stood behind the girls. The fellow's name was Lambert Parsons. The girls started on toward me. They had not taken but a step or two. He then ran up behind my sister and said "Hello, Zo." He then came up and threw his right arm around my sister and fired, shooting Zora Donaho in the breast. From all appearances it was intentional. Zora stepped back probably two steps and fell over backward. He only shot her once. I then saw him take two steps to the right and hold the gun up with both hands to his head and fired and fell over sideways. I knew Ed. Hale. He had no home in this county, was working on a farm by the month. He had been working for John Donaho. I think he had been there about two weeks. He worked for Donaho, the father of [not readable] years ago. I only knew him when I saw him. I know nothing in particular about him. In the conversation before the shooting he said nothing about doing anything of the kind.

RELIA B. FERGUSON, live at Mt. Sterling. I am the wife of John A. Ferguson. I know Zora Donaho. She was working for me about a month ago. At that time she said she was 16 years old.

DR. G.A. TREIME, live at Cantril, am a practicing physician. Zora Donaho was shot in right breast, about two inches above the nipple and about two and a half inches from breast bone. No exit. The ball passed into the right lung. Immediate cause of death hemorrhage. She was pronounced dead by Dr. Casady before I got there.

In the absence of County Coroner, the inquest was held by Justice of the Peace W.A. Jones. The jurors were A.L. Holder, S.A. Casady and J.J. Casady, and their verdict was: "That Zora Donaho came to her death by pistol shot wound in her right breast at the hands of Ed. hale, which we believe was done with felonious intent."

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book E, Pages 55 & 56, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA