IAGenWeb Project - Clayton co.

new content added 05/30/2022

Court Records Index

Clayton Co. Justice & Court Proceedings
... as reported in the 1890 newspapers

~unless otherwise credited, the articles were contributed by Reid R. Johnson for Clayton Co. IAGenWeb

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Elkader Register, Thur., January 16, 1890. District Court-Last Saturday was sentence day for the January term of court, and Judge Hoyt furnished the penitentiary at Anamosa with four new inmates.

The first unfortunate to be called up for sentence was C. H. Barrett, charged with larceny, to which crime he had entered a plea of guilty. His offense consisted in hiring a team of W. C. Austin, of McGregor, and forgetting to return it until after he had been arrested by officers in Minnesota. His term was fixed at three years and six months at hard labor. 

The next to be brought before the bar of justice was James McGraw, the young man we mentioned last week as having burglarized the clothing store of H. Hirshfield at McGregor. He plead guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to four years at hard labor. 

Following him came William Wadsworth, of McGregor, who was charged with the crime of cheating by false pretences in that he had secured the sum of $5.00 from J. Mellose, of McGregor, upon the representation that it was for his mother, who is a hard working widow woman. He entered a plea of Guilty and got off with one year at hard labor.

The fourth sentence was that for John Wesley Elkins, for murder in the first degree, to which he confessed and was sentenced to life in prison. (See the Elkins murder file. The murder occurred in 1889.)

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Elkader Register, Thur., January 23, 1890. District Court-State of Iowa vs. William Lenth, indictment; defendant plead not guilty. Jury impaneled and after trial return a verdict of guilty of assault and battery, and defendant fined $15.00 and costs.

Elkader Register, Thur., 23 Jan. 1890. Elkport column
George Kewis was brought up before Justice Kriebs Monday morning on the charge of larceny. It seems that Geo. carried off a pair of shoes belonging to Samuel Schlette. He gave the officers several weeks trouble to get him, but he was finally bagged. He was sent to the county jail for thirty days at hard labor.

Elkader Register, Thur., 09 Oct. 1890. Elkport column
Samuel Hook, John Hook and Chas. Hook were arrested last week for assault and battery on one B. VanSickle. Judge Kriebs fined them $2.00 each and let them depart. There will be no more scrapping in that family.

Elkader Register, Thur., 30 Oct. 1890. Local column.
The mate of the steamer, Mary Morton, Whiting by name, got on a drunk recently and was discharged when the boat reached McGregor. he continued the drunk at that place, and Sunday landed in the jail at this place to serve out a thirty days' sentence.

Elkader Register, Thur., 30 Oct. 1890; District Court
State vs John Prior, appeal from Justice Court. Defendant pleads guilty to the charge of assault and battery. Fined $25. and costs.

State vs Albert O'Brien, charged with larceny. Defendant plead guilty and was sentenced to one year at hard labor in the penitentiary at Anamosa.

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See also - Crime Files - on the document board

Court Records Index
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