Iowa Old Press


Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
March 2, 1899

A little child of Mr. and Mrs. Hodapp died on Tuesday of this week. The funeral was held yesterday and the burial took place at Granville.

In speaking of the death of James Fraser, Jr., last week the Sutherland Courier pays the departed the following eulogy: "Mr. Fraser was well known in the southern end of the county and was highly respected. He had a bluff, decided way that sometimes was the cause of differences of opinion with others, but did not lessen the respect others had for him. He was a Republican in politics and a leading member of the party in Liberty township.

D. H. Adkins and family will leave Paullina about the 10th for their new home in Tehama county, California. Mr. Adkins has purchased a few acres of land near the town of Red Bluff, in the Sacramento valley, and will engage in fruit culture on a small scale. The climate he thinks will be beneficial to the health of Mrs. Adkins and it is for this reason that the removal from here is made. He found things on the boom while there and believes that the country has good chances for the future. Oranges are grown there in abundance and he is in the heart of the great olive country. We hope Dave has found a choice spot of this great earth and that the future of himself and good family will be blessed with good health and prosperity.

The death of Mrs. John Meyer at her home in Red Bank, Tennessee, near Chattanooga, was announced here this week and was a severe shock to her relatives and friends. Death came on the 18th, following a surgical operation. Deceased was a daughter of Mother Uck of this place, and sisters of Mesdames John Wiese, Claus Hanson, George Ewoldt, and Rolf Wolken. She was well known in this vicinity and her death caused universal sorrow where known. To her mother and sisters who were so closely drawn together by the ties of relationship the shock proved severe and their grief weighs heavily upon them. Sympathy of old acquaintances is expressed for all and especially to the sorrowing family in Tennessee. Deceased was 36 years of age and was born in Kircherholz, Germany.

A marriage license has been issued to Wm. C. Wiese and Lena W. Meyer.

[transcribed by A.N., January 2017

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Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
March 9, 1899

Col. O. M. [Orsmund] Barrett, a pioneer of this county, died suddenly at San Diego, California, on the 1st inst. He was known to all the older residents of the county and served several years in the state legislature some years ago.

At the residence of Alexander Scott on the afternoon of March 3d occurred the marriage of Miss Helen J. Scott and Mr. Fred L. Huston. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. A. Herron in the presence of the immediate relatives and a few friends. The guests were most hospitably entertained, the presents to the bride and groom being of an appropriate and useful character. The newly wedded couple left on the evening train for Butte City, Montana, amid a shower of rice and the congratulations of a host of friends who wish them great prosperity.

Miss Jeane Scott of Sheldon attended the wedding of her sister at Deloraine from last Friday.

Born - To Mr. and Mrs. Robt. Curran of Paullina, March 6, 1899, a son. To Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Rohwer near town, March 8th, a daughter.

The marriage of John and Ada Fox was annulled on account of insanity of the wife. $25 alimony was allowed.

[transcribed by A.N., January 2017

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Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
March 16, 1899

Promptly upon the acquittal of Mrs. Stanford, charged with adultery, the grand jury found another indictment charging her with lewdness.

The criminal docket has kept Judge Hutchinson busy this week in District Court. The county attorney elected to try W. L. Parsons first in the case where he and Nellie Stanford were indicted for adultery, but Parsons applied for a continuance and it was granted. The trial of Nellie Stanford commenced Monday afternoon and the case was submitted Tuesday afternoon to the jury. Milt Allen defended. The jury were out about an hour and discharged Mrs. Stanford.

[transcribed by A.N., January 2017

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Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
March 23, 1899

The death of William Rosenberg on the 12th of this month occurred at his home in Edington township, Jackson county, Minnesota, the cause of death being heart disease. Deceased was a resident of Caledonia township prior to removing to Minnesota, and is known to a great many of our readers at the present time. Mr. Rosenberg was born April 25, 1864, at Cooper's [Grove?], Illinois, was married to Wilhelmina Stroman in 1888. Six children were born of this union, five of which are still living. These with the sorrowing widow and aged parents and his brothers and sisters are the nearest surviving relatives. The remains were brought to the home of his parents in Caledonia township and were placed in the St. John's cemetery on the 17th inst. Rev. J. Horn conducted the services.

The following notice of the death of a former resident of Liberty township and one of O'Brien county's pioneer settlers is clipped from the Sloan (Iowa) Star of the 16th inst.: "H. C. Wheeler, one of the old and respected citizens of Lakeport township, died at his home Tuesday, March 7, 1899. Mr. Wheeler was a man well known in the community and his reputation for integrity, probity and fair dealings was of the best. Mr. Wheeler was born in Orwell, Addison county, Vermont, September 21, 1820, moving from that state to make his home in Ohio and later becoming a pioneer settler in Iowa. He had lived for many years on his farm in Lakeport township among the friends who now so sadly mourn his death. He was thrice married, being united to his third wife, who now survives him, in 1857. He joined the United Brethren church in 1859 and had since lived a life of morality, piety and Christian uprightness. Just before the end came he expressed the fullest confidence in his eternal welfare and peacefully passed to the Saviour whom he had served on earth to receive his reward in Heaven. The funeral was held in the Lakeport M. E. church last Thursday, Rev. G. P. Hatheway officiating, and the remains were laid to rest in the Sloan cemetery, followed by a large concourse of sorrowing friends."

Born - To Mr. and Mrs. F. K. Sprague, March 17, 1899, a son. To Mr. and Mrs. Bert Hammond of Eagle Grove, March 16, 1899, a daughter.

At Granville Monday occurred the funeral of Michael Schutz of Caledonia township. Deceased was a resident of Caledonia township for many years, being one of the earliest settlers. His death was not a surprise to his many friends for his indisposition constantly grew with the last four years of his life. Mr. Schutz leaves a family of four sons and two daughters.

Hector Cowan left this week for a ten day's visit at his birthplace near Stratford, Ontario, Canada. His health has not been the best for some time and it is thought this trip will prove beneficial. While away he will purchase some new Shorthorn blood for his herd.

Mrs. C. C. Moffit was notified this morning of the death of her father in eastern Iowa. The announcement was a sad surprise, as it was not known that he was ill. Mr. and Mrs. Moffit will leave this evening to attend the funeral.

John Chapman has returned from Chicago where he left his son in a hospital. The latter has had a birthmark removed from his face, and is doing nicely on the road to early recovery.

David Sanford who has been a sufferer for about two years past with rheumatism and during most of that time confined to his home, passed away last Monday morning. The funeral will be held Wednesday at the Methodist Church.

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Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
March 30, 1899

After an intermission of over five years it is thought at last that the murderer of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Schultz has been captured in the person of Oscar Nullis [sic. Nellis]. The man was arrested at Lodi, S. D., and was brought to Sioux City. He was taken at once to Cherokee to answer to the crime committed within sixteen miles of that town August 16, 1893. Martin Schultz and his wife were aged respectively 60 and 48 years and they resided on a farm in Cherokee county. It was generally understood that they kept considerable money about the house, and that most of the time they lived alone. The night of August 16, 1893, after the old couple had retired for the night, the house was entered by two masked men. The old man was found next day lying on the bed with his skull crushed in. Mrs. Schultz lay just outside the door, and her head was smashed to a pulp. Six of her teeth were picked up on the ground. The robbers had taken between $300 and $400 from the house after ransacking everything, but still $875 remained untouched. It was this murder case which generated the story of the face of the murderer upon the tombstone of the victims. It was stated the features of a man could be plainly seen on the stone, and many persons really believed that it was the face of the man who committed the deed. Our readers are familiar with the story of the crime and will be interested in the account of Nullis' arrest published in The Times this week.

Mrs. Henry Traver, south of Paullina, was agreeably surprised some days since by a visit from her brother, J. R. Hinkel of Junction City, Kansas. They had not met for twenty-three years. Mr. H. may remain in this part of the country.

A marriage license was issued to Frank Carroll and Mae Butler.

THE SCHULTZ MURDER - The Supposed Murderer of the Schultz Family Apprehended
Special from Yankton, S. D., to Sioux City Journal

The wife of Oscar Nullis, who, after six years of liberty, has been apprehended and taken to Cherokee, Iowa, to answer for the murder near there, August 16, 1893, of Mr. and Mrs. J. Schultz, has made sworn statement before a justice here which is substantially as follows:

She, with her husband, lived upon a farm sixteen miles from Cherokee, Iowa, and about one mile from them, on another farm, lived Mr. and Mrs. J. Schultz, who were very old people and were supposed to have money. In August of 1893 a rumor was current in that neighborhood to the effect that Schultz had a large sum of money in his house, with which he intended to purchase more land.

On the night of August 16th Nullis and his wife retired at about 9 o'clock. About 10 o'clock Nullis arose, put on his clothes and said to his wife: "I am going over to rob those Schultzes. They've got some money and I want it." Mrs. Nullis tried to dissuade him, but he was stubborn and left the place. Returning about one and a half hours later, he told his wife that when he entered the Schultz house Mrs. Schultz awoke, recognized him and pursued him to the door, and to save himself he struck her with something and killed her. Then he was compelled to go back and quiet the old man for fear he would know who killed the old lady. The next morning the bodies of Schultz and his wife were found by the neighbors.

Nullis then threatened to kill his wife if she ever told of his being out of the house that night, or breathed a word of what he said about killing Schultz and his wife. A week later they left Cherokee county for Oklahoma. Mrs. Nullis claims that she has been very anxious since that awful night to reveal all she knew of the case, but had been deterred from so doing by his threat to kill her if she told.

On the evening of March 6 a man, with a woman and child, registered at one of the hotels in Yankton as Frank Randel and wife, of Bloomfield, Neb. The man registered under an assumed name, his true one being Frank Culligan, well known in this section, bearing an extremely shady character, having been in the Yankton county jail several times upon different charges, the authorities failing, however, in each case to convict owing to lack of evidence, although circumstances pointed strongly in his direction.

During his stay of three days at the hotel here he remarked that he was in a scheme to get $2,000; that the woman he was with was the wife of a man who murdered a couple in Cherokee, Iowa, in 1893, and that she was to turn state's evidence against her husband for the murder, and thereby they were to gain the reward offered of $2,000. He claimed that the matter was nearly ready then for materialization.

When the couple left town they went separately, the woman going by train to Wakonda on the Northwestern, while Culligan, with two others, left for Gayville with a team. Sheriff Hill, of Cherokee, met Culligan at Wakonda last Sunday, talked with him and even got a piece of tobacco from him. But it appears that Culligan evaded him later, and Sheriff Hill came to Yankton in search of him, evidently knowing that Culligan was mixed up in the affair, but was short of evidence at the time of meeting him in Wakonda, Culligan, up to this time, seems to have disappeared.

It is stated that the reward offered for the arrest of the murderer is $1,700. Doubts are expressed at the conviction of Nullis, as his wife cannot testify against him. Perhaps here is where Culligan hoped to be prominent. Just what other evidence is forthcoming is not known, but the Cherokee authorities are satisfied of the guilt of Nullis.

[transcribed by A.N., January 2017]

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