Iowa
Old Press
Progress Review
La Porte City, Black Hawk, Iowa
December 22, 1932
DEPUTY SHERIFF DILWORTH KILLED
H.M. Mitchell, Fellow Officer, Shot and Seriously Wounded by
Killer
Last Friday afternoon about 2:15 o'clock, Deputy Sheriff Wm.
Dilworth lost his life and Deputy Sheriff H.M. Mitchell was
seriously shot by two men whom they attempted to arrest on a
charge of rape. The murder and shooting of Mitchell occurred at a
house about one-half mile east of the Waterloo city limits. The
murder of Dilworth was cold blooded.
Brewer and a companion, Patrick Griffith [sic-Griffin], were
lying on a bed in one of the two rooms of the house. Dilworth
went to the kitchen door, in the other room, and inquired for
Brewer. Brewer came through the connecting door with a pistol in
his hand. "Hands up!" he commanded the officers. Both
complied, but Dilworth kept advancing toward Brewer, who had
Griffith [sic] at his back. Brewer, according to witnesses, said,
"I'm going to shoot you," and then fired. The bullet
crashed through Dilworth's left temple, and he died almost
instantly. Immediately Griffith [sic] shot Mitchell, the bullet
entering his back.
Brewer and Griffith [sic] then ran south toward the Cedar river.
Mitchell, bleeding profusely, drove his car to the Cottonwood
inn, about half a mile away, and was taken from there to St.
Francis hospital by William Kahn, proprietor. He was placed on
the operating table at 3:15 p.m., about an hour after the
shooting.
Brewer and Griffith [sic] had gone to the Graves home about an
hour before the shooting in a Studebaker automobile bearing an
Illinois license. They left the car there, when they fled after
Dilworth and Mitchell were shot. Eight officers, including
Sheriff H.T. Wagner, Chief of Police F.M. Shores, police deputies
and federal agents, joined by citizen volunteers, spread a cordon
about the fields within two miles of
the house. The search for the fugitives centered in Maywood
addition, on the bank of the Cedar.
Mitchell was taken to St. Francis hospital and at this time is
making a fine recovery and unless something unforeseen enters the
case will soon be able to be taken to his home. He was shot once
the bullet entering the left side of his back cutting through his
back and lodging in his clothing on his right side. The bullet
was from a .32 calibre gun. Dilworth was shot twice. A .38
calibre bullet which Brewer said he fired entered the left side
of the deputy's head and went out the right side. Then it cut
through the outside door and has not been found. A hole made by
the bullet in the door panel indicates the bullet, of high
velocity type, had struck something before hitting the door. The
other bullet, a .32 calibre, was taken from his body Saturday. It
had struck and broken the deputy's belt buckle, entering the body
about two inches.
The .32 calibre gun, a Spanish-made automatic, was taken from
Griffin when he was captured within two hours after the shooting
Friday afternoon by City Detective Hugh Crumrine and Paul Stealy,
34, an Illinois Central fireman. It was jammed and could not be
fired, officers said, probably explaining the fact that Griffin
had fired it only twice, and did not resist arrest. The .38
calibre weapon, a German Luger type pistol, was found after dark
Friday by Towne and Crumrine by use of flashlights, going only on
a description of the place in the field where Brewer said he had
thrown it. It had broken after firing the fatal charge into
Dilworth's body, which is why he threw it away, Brewer said. The
three empty cartridges and the two .32 bullets have been found,
only the .38 bullet which went through the outside door being
missing.
Stories of the shooting by both men were practically identical,
and correspond closely to the story told by Mitchell and two
other witnesses. The men thought the officers wanted them for
robbing a safe in Topeka, Kan., of about $110 the night of Dec.
4, they told the officers Friday night. They did not know at whom
they were shooting when they pushed aside a light door and came
out with their guns blazing in faces of the deputies, they said,
although Brewer later said he was acquainted with Mitchell,
having worked with him at the Rath Packing plant several years
ago.
They had overheard the officers talking with Mrs. Ernest Frank
Graves, at whose home the tragedy occurred, and at that time made
up their minds to shoot their way out, both told officers.
"Hands up!" Griffin is said to have commanded as he
shoved the light un-hinged door aside. Both deputies complied.
They were facing two men who held guns before their faces.
Information given by eye-witnesses and the two men is that
Griffin, about a half a step ahead of Brewer, fired the shot into
Dilworth's body. Brewer then fired the fatal shot through the
deputy's head, he himself has declared. As Dilworth fell into
Mitchell's arms, causing the latter to turn sidewise, the second
shot from Griffin's .32 calibre gun tore into his left side.
Both gunmen then fled, not attempting to take their large sedan
parked outside. Knocked to the floor and momentarily unconscious
from shock of the shot, Mitchell forced himself out of the room
and to his car parked several yards from the house. He drove it
to Cottonwood inn, nearly half a mile distant, and although weak
from loss of blood from the wound which extended the entire width
of his body, entered the inn and told William Kuhn of the
shooting, instructing him to telephone Wagner. Mitchell then
insisted on going back to help Dilworth, but was forced to go to
the hospital. Crumrine, a close friend of the slain man, was one
of the first to reach the scene of shooting after Kahn telephoned
Wagner. He had trailed the gunmen several miles east at a
distance south of the highway when he came upon Stealy and asked
him to help in the search. They surprised the pair by coming over
a knoll and took them captive without resistance about 4:15 p.m.
Crumrine and Dilworth were both wounded in a shooting scrap about
four years ago when they sought to arrest an escaped inmate. When
the officers entered the Graves home and asked for Brewer, Mrs.
Graves said he was not there. When asked what was in the next
room, Mrs. Graves told the officers they would have to look for
themselves. It was while they were advancing toward it that the
armed men appeared and started shooting.
Dilworth, who has been a deputy in Sheriff Wagner's office for
the past eight years was known as a fearless official and at all
times was ready and willing to enforce the laws of the state and
county. He was respected by all who knew him and his untimely
death will be mourned by the entire county. Mr. Mitchell, the
wounded officer, is also well known in the county and his many
friends are glad to know that although severely wounded he will
recover and again be able to take up his dutiesas deputy sheriff.
The murder and attempted murder by Griffith [sic] and Brewer was
cold blooded and there is no reason that the death sentence
should not be meeted out to both when they are brought to trial.
Peace officers of the state and county should be protected and
the law should deal drastically with criminals of the sort which
have just caused the death of such men asDilworth and the
attempted murder of Mitchell. Both Dilworth and Mitchell have
many friends in La Porte City and vicinity and all home that
their assassins will receive the full penalty of the law.
Funeral services for the murdered man were held Monday afternoon
from Grace M.E. church at Waterloo, Rev. William Hardcastle,
pastor of that city officiating. Dilworth was a member of the
Plymouth church and his untimely death has caused great sorrow
among its membership. The American Legion, of which the deceased
was a valued member, assisted in the funeral rites. At the close
of the funeral service the remains were sent to Crab Orchard,
Neb., the birthplace of Dilworth, where burial took place Tuesday
afternoon.
Surviving besides the widow and her 8-year-old daughter, Betty
Jean, are: His mother, Mrs. Emma Dilworth and a brother, Roland,
both of Crab Orchard, Neb.; three sisters, Mrs. Pearl McKinzie,
Lincoln, Neb.; Mrs. P.F. Stueze, Scotts Bluff, Neb., and Mrs.
R.E. Fulton, Casper, Wyo., and a son by a former marriage, Norman
Dilworth, Stemauer, Neb. Dilworth enlisted in the United States
navy at Omaha, March 18, 1918, as a yeoman, second class, and was
released from active duty in the spring of 1919. He was
discharged from the naval reserve Sept. 30, 1921, at the Great
Lakes Training station. Two years ago he served as vice commander
in charge of membership for Becker-Chapman post, American Legion,
and he had held other public offices in the organization. He had
played in the post band and drum and bugle corps and sung in the
post's quartet.
-----
Approximately 300 persons went to the Black Hawk county jail
Friday night to seek permission from Sheriff H.T. Wagner to lynch
Elmer Brewer, 38, and Patrick Griffin, 33, confessed slayers of a
sheriff's deputy.
[transcribed by C.J.L.- 1st cousin twice removed to Patrick Griffin (unfortunately); January 2007]