Iowa
Old Press
The Sioux City Journal
September 19, 1914
"UNKNOWN” THE MURDERER
DINGMAN INQUEST RESULTS IN VAGUE VERDICT.
WITNESS CONNECTS M’CAVREN.
While Mrs. Creimer Tells Contradictory Story On Stand, “Nebraska Eddie” Paces Nervously in Cell—Gang Was Drinking.
Corroborative evidence that Ray Dingman was killed Tuesday night as the result of a quarrel between jealous rivals for the attentions of Mrs. Rose Creimer was procured at last night’s inquest. Admissions were wrung from Mrs. Creimer which tended to substantiate theories advanced immediately after the killing.
The evidence given also tends to connect “Nebraska Eddie” McCavren, alias Harry Newton, arrested in a house at Fourth and Steuben streets yesterday afternoon, with the shooting.
That shooting followed an early night carousal in which Mrs. Creimer and a number of men took part was admitted by Mrs. Creimer. Discrepancies in stories told by witnesses were cleared up by Mrs. Creimer and others.
Repeated questioning by Coroner J. E. Garver drew admissions from Mrs. Creimer strengthening the belief of the police that “Nebraska Eddie” is the man seen running away from Sixth and Steuben streets immediately after the shooting. After McCavren was locked up no attempt was made to question him, and he spent the remainder of the afternoon and last night pacing back and forth in his cell.
SAYS ALL WERE DRINKING.
Mrs. Creimer’s story last night was to the effect that she left her room at the Hopkins home, 415 Steuben street, shortly after 7 o’clock the evening of the shooting, in company with McCavren. They went to the home of Bernie Brennan, at Fifth and Lafayette streets, a short distance away.
Mrs. Creimer, Bernie and John Brennan and McCavren then started for Herman Snook’s place, and were joined by Peter and Ray Dingman. All this time the members of the party were drinking. They went to the home of Ray Place, where they drank again. The crowd remained there almost an hour, and went out on the street. Mrs. Creimer said she walked along the street with Ray Dingman, while the others walked along behind.
When the crowd approached the Farmer’s hotel, Mrs. Creimer declared a stranger appeared. She was not asked who the strange man was. The stranger and Ray walked around the corner together. While others of the crowd were talking, the shots were fired, she testified.
Mrs. Creimer said she surmised that Ray had been shot and returned immediately to the Brennan home. At first she said that McCavren was with the crowd talking when the shots were fired, but later said she did not see him and did not know whether he went around the corner with Dingman and the strange man, or whether he remained behind.
WENT TO DILLON’S IN CAR.
From the Brennan place, Mrs. Creimer walked to the Rutland hotel, where she met a man in an automobile and was taken to Pat Dillon’s, where policemen found her the next day.
Importance is attached to the statement made by Inger Louden, who was less than twenty-five feet from the shooting. He also cleared up the report about the slayer being a foreigner.
He heard voices, he said, of men at the mouth of the alley. They appeared to be quarreling. Louden said he believed one man had the other down. Then he saw the forms of two men in the darkness. He saw the flash of the revolver and started to where the men were. One of the men, hatless, turned and ran toward Louden, who asked him what the trouble was. The man gesticulated with his hands, mumbled something Louden did not understand, and continued to run.
Louden said the mumbling answer caused him to assume the man was a foreigner. The man was about 5 feet 4 inches tall, Louden said. Louden followed the man to near Sixth and Morgan streets, where he lost him. McCavren roomed a short distance from this place.
MURDERER UNKNOWN, VERDICT.
Charles Buntz and F. Young, a few moments before the shooting, met the crowd a short distance from where they killing took place. They stopped for a moment and talked with Pete Dingman and McCavren. When Buntz and Young had walked on a block, they heard the shots. They concluded there had been trouble and did not go back.
George Edge, 510 Steuben street, who lives across the street from the scene of the firing, declared that when he heard the shots he went out on his front porch and a moment later saw three men running down the street. One of the men, Edge declared, came from near the mouth of the alley, where Dingman was found, and the others joined him a short distance away.
The verdict of the jury was that death was due to revolver wounds inflicted by a person or persons unknown to the jury. The jury was composed of Axel Jensen, Henry Zechmann and James Wright.
Funeral services for young Dingman were held yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Graceland chapel, Rev. George O. Kidder officiating. Burial was in Graceland Park cemetery. A large crowd attended the services.
The Sioux City Journal
September 20, 1914
DISPOSED OF FAMILY COW.
When Milk Supply Is Cut Off Husband Is Arrested.
Against Max Schebet it was charged in police court yesterday that he sold the family cow.
The Schebet family had stood for many iniquities with long suffer equanimity until the milk supply was cut off. Denied cream in their coffee, the Scherbets took the question up with the police and landed Schebet in police court yesterday on a charge of vagrancy.
Many other offenses were ascribed to Schebet among which was a like for consuming enormous quantities of beer and a practice of sleeping in the barn, formerly occupied by the cow. The sale price of the cow, it was declared, had been squandered for drink.
Judge Kellogg required a cash bond of $500 for Schebet’s good behavior. Unable to furnish the bond, he was sent to the county jail for one year.
The Sioux City Journal
Tuesday, September 29, 1914
ROSE CREMER RELEASED.
“NEBRASKA EDDIE” ALSO IS GIVEN HIS FREEDOM.
Rose Cremer, who chatted with Ray Dingman a few moments before he was shot to death at Sixth and Steuben streets three weeks ago, was released by Chief of Detectives Richard yesterday. “Nebraska Eddie” McCavren also was discharged. Both were held as suspects in the murder mystery.
In dismissing the suspects Chief Richard criticized members of the Dingman family sharply for refusing to help the police solve the murder puzzle. One brother, Peter Dingman, was said to have been with McCavren at the time of the shooting. He refused to commit himself on the murder.
“When a man’s family shows such an utter lack of cooperation in running down his assassin it seems to me the police cannot be blamed very much for not catching the murderer,” declared Chief Richard. “This brother knows enough about the shooting, in my opinion, to help us name the murderer, yet he refuses to say a word.”
Dingman was shot and killed in an alley back of Sixth and Steuben streets three weeks ago following a quarrel with an unidentified man. A few moments previously the Cremer woman had been with the men, the police learned. She was found at the home of Pat Dillon on the Floyd monument road the next day, but denied any knowledge of the shooting. The police grilled her without success.
Search next was directed for McCavren, who was seen in the neighborhood of the murder scene a few moments before the shots were fired. McCavren also refused to commit himself and one of the Dingman’s brothers assisted him in proving an alibi. With the two sources of information closed, the police gave up the search.
[transcribed by LZ, Sep 2020]