Chicago Times
Chicago, Illinois

J. W. KLING, of Ringgold County, Iowa, has commenced suit against Miss Belle THARP for breach of promise of marriage, asking a judgement of $2,031 -- $2,000 to repair his damaged affections and $31 for money advanced to buy her troussea.

NOTE: Publication date omitted from clipping.

Chariton Leader
Chariton, Lucas County, Iowa

An old rooster of Ringgold county names J. H. KLING has commenced a suit for $2,031 damages in Leon [Decatur County, IA], against Miss Belle THARP, for breach of promise. He is 75-years-old, and she is between 20 and 50. He includes in his bill of items $31 for cash avanced to her to get a wedding outfit, the balance is to heal his broken heart. He ought to get more damages, if he isn't damaged enough.

NOTE: Publication- date omitted from clipping.

The Enterprise
Afton, Union County, Iowa
July 20, 1882

Jos. SMITH, who was arrested at Hopeville [Clarke County, Iowa], a short time ago, charged with horse stealing, recently turned state’s evidence and exposed an organized company of horse thieves composed of himself, John MONROE, now in jail at Afton, and Dode SMITH of Ringgold County. The last named person was arrested, last Tuesday, and taken to Mount Ayr. The trial of SMITH was postponed for 30 days. SHIELDS said SMITH is the leader, that he [SMITH], furnished the pony and gave all the directions for stealing a horse for which he [SHIELDS] served a term of 18 months imprisonment at Fort Madison and that the horse was sold and money divided between the three. They, it appears, have been in cahoots for a number of years. MONROE says he could have sent SMITH to the penitentiary over fifteen years ago.

JOHN SHAY, MALOY, IOWA,}
vs.} Stock Killed.
CHICAGO, ST. PAUL, & KANSAS CITY}
RAILWAY COMPANY.}

On July 11, 1893, the attention of the Board was called to a loss alleged to have been sustained by Mr. John SHAY, of Maloy, on account of stock killed by the condition of the company's fence that passes through Mr. SHAY's farm. The loss is placed at $70, and the Commissioners were requested to lay the matter before the company, which was done. After some correspondence Mr. SHAY notified the Commissioners that "all his claims had been settled."

SOURCE:  Annual Report - Iowa State Commerce Commission

Worth County News
Worth County, Missouri
December 6, 1894

Last Thursday night two suspicious looking men occupied the Ashland school house just across the line in Harrison county. They were seen by a farmer named McCOY, and he reported the fact to a neighbor names Charles MURRAY. In order to learn something about the men McCOY invited them to breakfast, and they gladly accepted. While at the table McCOY and MURRAY went through the overcoat pockets of the strangers and found a lot of revolvers and other small articles that made matters appear very suspicious. MURRAY wanted to take the men into custody at once, but in the absence of a warrant McCOY thought it best not to undertake it. After breakfast the men left. Several hours after their departure, officers from Maloy, Iowa, came along in search of two thieves who had robbed a store in that town on Wednesday night. The officers were put on the track and the burglars were overhauled a short distance east of Hatfield and placed under arrest. They are now in jail at Mount Ayr, Ringgold County,Iowa.

Mount Ayr Record
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
August 25, 1904

Among the new cases filed is a suit for thirty thousand dollars brought by FULLER & FULLER against the C.B. & Q. Railroad. Their client is Wm. T. MINNEAR, and judgment is asked in amount named by reason of injuries sustained by the said plaintiff in being pushed off a moving freight train by the agents of the railroad at a stated point in Missouri. MINNEAR's leg was run over by the wheels of the cars and had to be amputated, and he also received internal injuries which he thinks entitles him to the judgment asked.

Dennis RUSH, formerly of Grant Township, has instituted a suit against G. W. OVERLANDER for ten thousand dollars, and that amount he thinks will be sufficient to reimburse him for the alienation of his wife's affections, as it is alledged in the petition, by the said OVERLANDER. Notice of the suit was served on Mr. OVERLANDER by Sheriff MILLER on Tuesday evening. The defendant to the suit came here on a visit recently, and RUSH at once concluded to start the suit. RUSH and wife secured a divorce from each other at a late term of the district court. SPENCE & SMITH will appear as the attorneys for RUSH in the damage suit.

Leon Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Thursday, February 2, 1905

The trial of Day DUNNING, the well known Mount Ayr banker, whose bank failed last January with liabilities of nearly a half million dollars, was commenced before Judge EVANS in the district court at Mount Ayr last Thursday and is still in progress, the indications being that it will not go to the jury before Friday night.

At the time of the bank failure it seems that DUNNING stated that he had been bumping along for the past twenty years, hoping against hope that in some manner he would be able to recover losses which he had sustained in feeding cattle and other investments, and be able to meet the demands of the depositors of his bank, but things went from bad to worse until the bank was finally compelled to close, having at the time the doors closed only about $700 in cash on hand. The affairs of the bank developed that it was in bad shape and although the failure occurred over a year ago, the depositors have not received a cent of their deposits and the report of the condition of the business does not indicate that they will ever recover more than ten or twelve percent of their money. Day DUNNING, the president and owner of the bank, was indicted on five counts for fraudulent banking, and his son Clyde DUNNING, the cashier, was also indicted on three counts.

There has been a very bitter feeling against DUNNING ever since the failure of the bank, and many of the depositors say they will not be satisfied until DUNNING is behind prison doors. Many of the depositors in the bank were old people, widows and orphans and it seems pretty hard to see all their savings swept away. In the trial of the case against Day DUNNING, a special venue of 75 jurors in addition to the regular panel of 2l, were summoned and contrary to expections there was but little difficulty in securing a jury. The case is being prosecuted by County Attorney HENRY and assistant special county attorney, L. W. LAUGHLIN, as well as Hon. V. R. McGINNIS, of Leon, who was retained to assist in the prosecution by a number of the depositors who lost their money. DUNNING is being defended by FULLER & FULLER and R. H. SPENCE, of Mount Ayr, Hon. J. P. FLICK, of Bedford, and Hon. T. L. MAXWELL, of Creston. The State closed their case on Monday after making what is thought a pretty strong case on the count in the indictment on which he is being tried, that of receiving a deposit from a lumber dealer on the day before the bank closed. The defense, however, is making a desperate effort to defeat the case, and have introduced a large amount of testimony trying to show that while DUNNING had lost a lot of money that he was guilty of doing nothing fraudulant, and that the money was all lost in a legitimate manner and that he is not liable for any criminal act. The sentiment at Mount Ayr, as has been stated, is very strong against DUNNING, and it is said that the most the defendant can hope for is to get a hung jury.

The New Era
Humeston, Wayne County, Iowa
May 15, 1907

Osceola - With the dismissal of all indictments against him Day DUNNING was set free forever for the wrecking of the Mount Ayr bank three years ago. The prosecution moved to dismiss the case because PATTERSON, the assignee, refused to come from Missouri to testify on the ground, it is said, of his personal friendship to the indicted banker. The action of the state was anticipated somewhat because it was noised abroad a few days ago that PATTERSON would not come. This action ends for all time prosecution of DUNNING for the failure of the bank which collapsed January, 1904, and which paid about 30 cents on the dollar. The statute of limitations now covers the case fully, the three years specified being up in January of this year. DUNNING, it will be remembered, was being tried this time as in December on indictments drawn in September of 1905. DUNNING was first tried in Mount Ayr in April, 1904. A jury found him guilty of accepting deposits when it was known that the bank was insolvent. His attorneys appealed to the supreme court, who reversed the case on an error of law. Then a change of venue was taken to Clarke county, where the second trial occurred last December. This time the jury freed DUNNING. Other indictments hung over him, however, and the third trial was recently begun in Osceola. His lawyers set forth motions to quash the indictment, but were overruled. Then the state met with refusal from PATTERSON, which was followed by the ending of the case.

SOURCE: Iowa Old Press, an IAGenWeb Special Project. Transcribed by W.F., February 2008

At Mt. Ayr, the seat of Ringgold County, the president and chief owner of the Citizens' Bank was Mr. Day DUNNING. The common verdict in Mt. Ayr is that Mr. DUNNING was a most estimable citizen, conscientious, public-spirited, of blameless life, an eminently respectable figure in the community. He had lived in Mt. Ayr from boyhood; he had reared there a large family. He was prominent in the church and in good works. For years Mr. DUNNING'S bank lent much money to farmers and to cattle-shippers. There was no reason why it should not make such loans: no business was more legitimate or more open. The daily market quotations and reports showed with trustworthy details just what were the trade conditions. Five or six firms in Mt. Ayr were heavily engaged in cattle-shipping. When the grip of the Trust closed upon the market and prices were fixed by an arbitrary, intangible power, these firms were driven rapidly down the road to ruin. They kept on shipping in the hope that conditions would mend. The bank kept on advancing money to them in the same anxious hope. Conditions grew worse instead of better, a great many farmers' notes had to be extended, the losses in the cattle business piled up, it became evident to those on the inside that a wreck was at hand. It appears that DUNNING did what many other tempted men have done in the like straits: Hard beset, and straining frantically in every direction to get money to tide him over, he accepted deposits after he knew the fall of the bank was imminent. A few days of hot struggle and the thing went down with a crash. There were almost $500,000 of liabilities, and for assets a pile of worthless notes for money lent in the cattle business, the relics of a prosperous business garroted by arbitrary interference with natural conditions of supply and demand. In February of this year [1905] DUNNING was put on trial for the crime of receiving illegal deposits. He was found guilty, and the long career of which his townsmen had been proud ended in utter ruin. [As noted above, the case was dismissed in 1907]

Everybody's Magazine Vol. 12. Pp. 647-8. North American Co. 1905.

Unknown source and date of clipping

A new bank is to be started at Mt. Ayr, to take the place of the Dunning private bank that failed. The incorporators are Hon. John W. Harvey, Hon. Thomas Teale, Bert and Fred Teale, of Decatur county, and F. F. and F. F. and Homer A. Fuller, of Ringgold county. The new institution will be known as the "Iowa State Bank of Mt. Ayr," and will have a paid up capital of $25,000.

Bedford Free Press
Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa
October 31, 1907

Simeon HUDSON of Redding, Ringgold County, has been committed to the Nebraska penitentiary.

Bedford Times-Republican
Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa
July 16, 1925

The courts of California are trying to locate Caroline HOWARD's heirs. She died about 3 weeks ago at Ellston, Ringgold County, Iowa and has some land investments of value.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, December, 2008