Iowa
Old Press
Des Moines Daily Leader
Des Moines, Polk co., Iowa
April 15, 1902
COMMISSIONERS RELEASED MINOR
He was Charged with Being Insane After Assaulting Private
Detective Wyrick.
Albert Minor, an old soldier who but recently came to Des Moines
from the Soldiers' home at Danville, Ill., yesterday gave Private
Detective John Wyrick a drubbing at East Third and Locust street.
Wyrick saw Minor holding to a woman's arm and rushed in to arrest
him. After Minor had blacked Wyrick's eyes, bursted his nose and
bruised him up considerably bystanders interfered and with their
assistance Wyrick hauled Minor to jail. Later Wyrick fled an
information against him for insanity and Minor was arraigned
before the county commissioners, given a hearing and discharged.
Minor told a very straightforward story before the commissioners.
He said that he came to Des Moines in 1897, met with financial
reverses that unsettled his mind and that in 1898 he was sent to
the hospital for the insane at Mt. Pleasant and remained there
for some time as a Linn county charge, not having secured a
residence here. Later he was returned to Linn county and then
went east. He said that after he had been adjudged insane his
widow secured the appointment of a guardian for him so she could
draw his pension money. He told the officers that when he
returned to Des Moines he discovered that she was not living the
best kind of a life and tried to induce her to go with him to
Nebraska, where he had a soldier's claim. She refused to go with
him and then he asked her to sign a deed to the claim that he
might dispose of it. She refused to do this an finally he
concluded to prosecute her for adultery and swore out a warrant
for her arrest before an East Side justice. He says the justice
told him to locate the woman and to hold her until the constable
came. He found her and was carrying out instructions when Wyrick
hove in sight. The commissioners investigated his story and found
it true in all its details. He went away with S.F. Balliett, who
is to act as he legal adviser in trying to straighten out his
affairs here.
[transcribed by C.J.L. July 2005]
Des Moines Daily Leader
Des Moines, Polk co. Iowa
April 17, 1902
A Brakeman Killed
Creston, April 16 - Carn Nelson, a brakeman, employed by
Conductor Mallory on the new Burlington work west of Creston,
fell in front of a string of dump cars and was instantly killed.
His neck was broken.
Louis Busse Sentenced
Waverly, April 16 - Judge Kelly this afternoon overruled the
mothion for a new trial in the case of Louis Busse, found guilty
last week of the murder of his wife and then attempting to burn
her body. He then sentenced the prisoner to be hanged at the
state penitentiary at Anamosa april 17, 1903.
Killed while Caring for a Horse.
LeMars, April 16 - Ellsworth Nash, the 16-year-old son of D.
Nash, residing three miles southwest of Hinton, was instantly
killed while currying a horse in the barn. He was stuck on the
right temple.
Iowans Claim Annuity.
New York, April 16 - Application has been made to Justice Scott,
in the supreme court, by three men who claim they are nephews of
Mrs. Ida A. Flagler, the former wife of Henry M. Glagler, for an
annual allowance of $1,500 each out of the estate of Mrs.
Flagler, who was adjudged incompetent on August 4, 1899, and is
in a sanitarium. The applicants are Wiliam W. Taylor of Nora
Springs, Iowa; Richard W. Taylor of Rockford, Iowa, and George W.
Taylor of Ellensberg, Washington, who allege they are the only
surviving children of Mrs. Flagler's dead sister, Mary Emma
Taylor. They set forth that on the death of their mother, in
1876, they were placed in the New York Juvenile asylum and in the
same year were sent to Iowa and apprenticed to persons. They
believe their father is dead. Mrs. Flagler's estate is said to be
worth nearly $2,500,000. The application was not opposed, but the
court was asked to make such equitable provision for the nephews
as might seem proper. Justice Scott appointed a referee to take
testimony as to the questions of fact raised by the application.
Will Soon Be a Free Man
Wesley Elkins of Clayton county will be released from Anamosa
prison the coming week. He will probably be given his liberty
next Wednesday or about the middle of the week. The papers in the
case will be made up in the next few days, and according to the
present calculations the parole will be signed by Governor
Cummins next Saturday. Warden Hunter will be notified at once and
as soon as the customary civilian's clothes can be made for
Elkins he will be let out. Ordinarily this requires three or four
days. The governor will also act on the other conditional pardons
recommended by the legislature next week, and intends to sign up
the paroles at that time. On leaving the penitentiary, Wesley
Elkins will be taken charge of by Professor Harlan of Cornell
college. He will be placed under stringent restrictions by the
terms of the conditional pardon. The provisions of the resolution
passed by the senate are that if after ten years of liberty
Elkins has conducted himself as he should, he will then be given
a full pardon. Additional terms required by the governor will be
that he shall not allow himself to be place on public exhibition,
that he will make regular reports to the governor whether he is
in school or at some employment, and that he will not return to
Clayton county, the county where at 11 years of age he murdered
his father and stepmother. Professor Harlan will see to it that
the young man goes to school at Mt. Vernon for a time. While the
restrictions imposed by the governor will be more rigid than
those on other persons paroled the young man is ready to bear
them and has written a letter that he is willing to live up to
any terms the parole may contain.
Recommentations in other Cases
In nearly all the cases passed upon the house pardons committee
made recommendations to the governor entirely distinct from the
concurrent resolutions passed. These are merely suggestive and
are submitted for the governor's consideration but will be
followed. It is recommended Theodore bushick of Mills county be
sent to Hayti, where he was born and where his brother and other
relatives live. He has never been a citizen of this country and
his friends in Hayti are anxious to have him return. He has no
money and it will require $125 or thereabouts to make the trip.
No steps have yet been taken to raise the money, but efforts will
probably be put forth in a short time to raise a subscription
fund. Bushick is now 51 years old.
The house committee recommmended that George Stanley of Story
county, who has been at fort Madison since 1870, be allowed to go
to Maine, where his brother and sister are anxious to take care
of him. He is now an old man nearly 70. He will doubtless be
allowed to leave the state as desired. The W.C.T.U. of the state
will give him all needed assistance.
Joseph Creary of Fort Madison, formerly of Mills county, has
earned $1,800 since he has been in prison. He has $1,200 left,
after paying for all the work done in trying to secure his
release. The committee has recommended that a guardian be
appointed under bond to look after his money and see to it he
makes a judicious use of it.
The house committee recommended in the case of William Young, the
colored bottblack of Sioux City, that he be sent back to Sioux
City, where Sheriff C.W. Jackson will take care of him. The
governor will doubtless permit this and will also follow the
recommendation of the house pardons committee that John Ballew of
Fort Dodge be allowed to go to Sioux City, Woodbury county, in
order to avoid his old associates at Fort Dodge. Otto Otten will
be placed under the usual restrictions, no especial privileges
having been asked in his case. He is a good mechanic and is in
position to take care of himself.
Transcript in Hortman Case
The transcript of the evidence in the case of the State vs Harry
Hortman reached the office of the governor yesterday. The law
requires a transcript of the evidence to be filed with the
governor in cases where the death penalty has been imposed.
Hortman on November 30, 1901, shot and killed his sweetheart
Florence Porter, at Cherokee. He pleaded guilty to homicide as
charged in the indictment and the testimony was taken in the case
before Judge Wakefield, to determine the degree of the murder. A
jury was not called, Judge Wakefield held him guilty in the first
degree and adjudged he should be executed by hanging March 12,
1903. Unless the sentence is commuted, the hanging will be at
Anamosa at that time. Or the supreme court may reverse the case,
though no appeal papers have been filed with the supreme court
and it is not certain an appeal will be taken. In fact, appeals
to the supreme court have not been perfected in any of the six
cases in which the death penalty has been the judgment. The only
case in which the transcript of the evidence has been filed with
the governor, aside from the Hortman case, is that of the state
vs Richard Williams, who murdered William Sharper in Jefferson
township, Mahaska county, December 8, 1901. March 13, 1903, is
the date fixed for the execution of Williams at Fort Madison. No
transcripts have yet been filed with the governor in the cases of
Chester Tyler, who murdered Dr. Failor at Newton and is sentenced
to be hanged; of Lewis Brooks and Albert G. Phillips, the bank
robbers who were lately sentenced to death in Buena Vista county;
or of Lewis Busse, who was lately sentenced to suffer the death
penalty in Butler county for the killing of his wife.
The above constitute the six cases in which the death penalty has
been imposed. There has probably never been a time in Iowa when
so many grave murder cases in which the death penalty has been
inflicted were pending. Unless their sentences are cummuted, the
first executions will be those of Brooks and Phillips, the bank
robbers. They are to be hanged December 18 of this year. There is
a strong impression that Governor Cummins will not show much
clemency in these cases and that the recent outrageous murder of
the Peterson children in Des Moines will not have a tendency to
make the chief executive any more lenient.
[transcribed by S.F., April 2007