USA > Iowa > Warren County > The history of Warren County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics &c > Part 58
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"Immediately after returning from Mr. Cading's the taking of testimony was resumed. A sister of the wounded girl also testified that she was sit- ting by the side of her sister when the man entered the house; that she knew the man who stood in the door when her sister was shot, and asked her, 'how she felt now,' at the firing of the second shot, was Reuben Proctor, the defendant; she recognized him by his voice as well as his gen- eral appearance; she was 13 years old and a girl of fair intelligence. Several other witnesses were examined during the after part of the day, observing that the morning after the murder two more masks were found. The first a few rods from Mr Cading's house and the second abont three hundred yards from the first, both in the direction of Proctor's house. It was also shown that early in the morning after the shooting occurred, and before the fact had become generally known in the neighborhood, Proctor went to Cading's house and seemed very anxious in regard to the affair. He examined the masks found closely, and upon a lock of hair being found in one of them, took the hair and after examining it, threw it upon the ground. The subject soon came up as to the color of the hair found. The parties who had seen it, all agreeing the hair was black, except Proctor, who contended to the last that it was not. Proctor's own hair was black -- the secret wherein rested, as some supposed, the cause of Proctor contending the hair found was of different color. Proctor also inquired particularly as to how the girl was shot, what her condition, etc., saying he desired these facts to assist him in ferreting ont the perpetrators of this foul crime which he volun- teered to assist in doing, when this information was furnished him. At
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five o'clock in the afternoon an adjournment of the examination was had until seven o'clock in the evening when the taking of the testimony was to be resumed. The State had not yet closed its evidence, but had other wit- nesses to examine which it was thought would show facts and circumstan- ces tending to connect Proctor directly with the commission of the offense charged. Before the examination had proceeded far, O. O. Morrison, who had been up to this time espousing with great forensic skill, the defense of Proctor, was noticed suddenly to disappear. The cause was said to be, his neighbors had impressed upon his mind the fact that his associations there that day were not good for his health. That home was the best place for him. Being of a disposition that takes kindly to advice, Morrison thought well of the idea of being healthy, and went home. As soon as the adjourn- ment was had the sheriff took Proctor across the street to the hotel at Schonburg for the purpose of waiting the further examination of the case in the evening. Here the sheriff and his deputies, Proctor and Seevers, all remained for supper. While at the table some of the party remarked to Proctor to eat hearty. . Why,' replied Proctor, 'do you think it will be my last?' The sheriff's party replied, 'No' they did not think it would be his last, but it might be.
"At the time the adjournment was had it was noticed the crowd outside was not so large as it had been during most of the day. Men from differ- ent parts of the county who had been seen before, were not then upon the ground, which was thought by some to be an indication that no violence against the prisoner would be attempted; others, better informed, knew it meant exactly the reverse and awaited the cover of the night with a cer- tain quaint composure that foretold with a certainty the doom of their vic- tim. There was no excitement about the going away in the afternoon of certain prominent men of the county or the return of others soon after, but a certain quiet system about it was all that could be understood. Sheriff Meek was told just enough of what was going on to keep him out of danger. Such remarks as 'we don't want to hurt the sheriff and will not if he keeps out of the way, but if we take a notion to take charge of his man he must not make a fool of himself, and get in our way,' were carelessly dropped among the crowd during the day. But the general expression was that they did not intend to alarm or disturb any one except Proctor. No one was molested or made afraid, but all except Proctor were promised to be treated as they were, with the greatest kindness.
"After supper, and about fifteen minutes before seven o'clock, the sheriff prepared to start with Proctor back to the court-room, to resume examina- tion. They passed out of the front door, Sheriff Meek and Deputy Pressley on either side of the prisoner, while Deputy Burkett walked immediately in front and Culbertson behind them. As soon as they were conveniently out of the house, Burkett, who was in advance, was seized and shoved quickly aside and held against the fence, a little west of the gate, in front of the door out of which they first passed. Another of the crowd stepped between Pressley and the prisoner, two others seized the sheriff, drew his hands behind, and with some apparent firmness, held him inside the yard until the crowd, while, at the same time, they laid hold of Meek, also seized the prisoner, and had taken him out of the yard and into the street a short distance from the house. The sheriff shouted loudly to the crowd as they passed across the street in charge of Proctor: 'Hold on there,
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gentlemen, hold on, there! don't you do that-stop that-I command the peace!' But the crowd either did not hear the sheriff or did not have time to attend to the matter he was mentioning, or for some other cause, did not care whether the peace was commanded just then or not, at least it could not be noticed that this request was heeded in the least. Proctor was hur- ried across the street, a noosed rope thrown over his neck as he passed along, and he was not allowed to halt or even slacken his pace until he was stood upon the platform of the stock scales, standing back a short distance from the street, and a little to the west of the house from which they started. When the end of the rope was thrown over one of the cross-beams of the scales above, it was caught below, when, by a hurried, but regnlar pull, Proctor was lifted by the neck from the platform, some motion was made in that direction, and it was thought he would attempt to catch the rope above his head, to slacken the pull on his neck. Some one said to tie his hands, which was quickly done, when, by the same process as before, Proc- tor was raised and suspended about half-way between the cross-beam above and the platform below. After he was drawn up, some one said, 'Let him down; let's see what he has to say for himself.' To this came the reply: ' Leave him up, d-n him! we do not want a word out of him, he is such a d-d liar we could not believe a word he would tell us,' and without a word he hung. Not a word was uttered by him when he was seized by the mob as he came ont of the house. Not a word as he passed across the street. Not a word as the fatal rope was thrown over his head, and tightened with its death-like grasp around his neck. Not a word when he stood npon the scales and watched the greedy hands that thirsted for his life adjust the rope above his head with a speedy determination he could not misunderstand. Not a word as he felt the steady pressure of that rope about his neck. But without a word at any time after he was seized by the mob; without a groan, a quiver, a sigh, or a struggle, Reuben Proctor was thus lifted into eternity. After he had hung a short time, his body was examiner to see if life was extinct. There being yet signs of life remaining, he was per- mitted to remain hanging until a later examination pronounced him dead.
"The leader, or captain, then commanded them to fall in, which was done, and they all marched across the street, to where most of them had horses waiting, mounted and rode back again immediately in front of the scales, where they left Proctor hanging and where he still hung. During the mounting and return of those men, some names were publicly spoken in the party, to which the captain, when noticed by him, shouted, 'Tell those d-d fools to quit calling names.' When the company was re-formed in front of the hanging man, the captain delivered a short address to his men, in which he advised them to go home, to remain peaceable, law-abid- ing citizens, not to disturb or alarm their neighbors, and they would be no- tified if wanted in the future. With this, the captain proposed 'three cheers for the deed we have done to-night,' which were given lustily. A prominent citizen of Belmont then stepped upon the platform, in front of the company, and sincerely thanked them for what they had just done, in behalf of Belmont township; that what they had just done was a deed of which they might well be proud; with this the company rode away, prin- cipally to the south, but some of them soon returned, going in the other direction.
" After the crowd was thus dispersed, Proctor was left hanging until the justice of the peace, Van Gilder, who assumed the position of coroner, in
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the absence of that official, empaneled a jury and prepared to hold an in- quest over the body. This jury cut down the body, carried it into an empty store-room near by, and after hearing what Sheriff Meek and Deputy Pressley knew about the matter, returned a verdict that Proctor came to his death by hanging, 'at the hands of parties unknown.' No other wit- nesses were sworn, and although there were fifty men within reach of the acting coroner, who could have informed that worthy self-constituted offi- cial more about the transaction, not one was subpoenaed or examined. The swiftness with which this official flew to assume the duties which may, under certain circumstances, be exercised by him, and the dispatch with which he closed the work, showed a culpable effort to avoid the truth or an incorrigible ignorance of the duties of the investigation he had voluntarily assumed to perform.
"And thus ended the whole proceedings. In less than thirty minutes from the time Proctor was seized by the mob at the door of the hotel, he was hanged, cut down, a verdict returned, as above, and the body of the unfor- tnnate man turned over to the still more unfortunate father, mother and sister of the deceased, who, all the time the execution of this terrible work was going on, were at a house a short distance from the scales where Proc- tor hung. Within a few moments more the streets of Schonburg were de- serted, and not an eye-witness remained upon the ground to tell of the ter- rible scene of horror, shame, sadness and woe so recently enacted."
Miss Cading died on Friday morning, following the hanging of Proctor. An inquest was held that evening, the verdict of which was as follows:
" STATE OF IOWA,
" WARREN COUNTY. $
"At an inquisition holden at the residence of Charles Cading, in Belmont township, Warren county, Iowa, on the 16th day of November, 1877, be- fore W. P. Judkins, coroner of said county, upon the body of Angusta Cading, there lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed, the said jurors, upon their oaths, do say that said Augusta Cading came to her death from a gunshot wound inflicted with felonious intent, upon the 31st day of October, 1877, by some person or persons to the jurors un- known.
" In testimony whereof, the said jurors have hereunto set their hands this day and year aforesaid.
" WESLEY CHESHIRE. "WM. J. CLARK. "W. M. PECK."
This it might be thought would have ended the discussion concerning Proctor, but it was not to be so. On the 10th of December thereafter an ingenions article appeared in the Iowa State Leader, at Des Moines, claim- ing that Proctor had been resuscitated. It attracted some attention, and many persons believed it, and came to the Indianola newspaper offices to give their reasons therefore, while many others came to deny it and to say that they knew otherwise. The following is a complete copy of the arti- cle referred to:
"Notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts on the part of his friends to keep the matter a secret it is known to be a fact that Reuben Proctor is still in the land of the living, although his exact whereabouts are unknown, unless to a very few. When a rumor to this effect reached my ears I set
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about a course of cautious inquiry and investigation, and by means and throngh persons I will not divulge, learned full particulars of the affair. Renben Proctor's life was saved by the hasty and awkward manner in which the mob did its work. The rope used was a thick, heavy one, and was so clumsily tied that his neck was not broken, and, indeed, was not drawn tight enough to prevent breathing, but the intense agony of his situation threw him into a faint so deep as to closely resemble death. In the hurry and excitement of the affair no critical examination of his condition was made, but when his struggles ceased he was pro- nounced to be dead. The inquest held upon his body was a hasty one. It will be remembered that the mob made no attempt at disguise or conceal- ment, and yet a jury summoned on the spot and of men who either wit- nessed or participated in the hanging, returned a verdict that he was hung by persons to the jury unknown. As the aim of the inquest was to discover nothing and implicate no one, it was loosely conducted and hurried through with, and at its close the body of Reuben Proctor was taken in charge by his friends. He was taken home, and as lie was believed to be dead, was laid ont upon the bed and a member of the family kept watch by his side. This person fell asleep for a few hours, and, upon waking, observed that the features of the supposed corpse had undergone no change, and were not rigid and fixed as in death. He felt the arms and legs and found them limp and not withont a slight degree of warmth. Putting his ear to the region of the heart, he thought he could hear it faintly beating. He then took a mirror, and holding it to the lips, a slight moisture became visible on the glass. He rubbed this away and held it there again with like re- sult. Again and again he repeated this experiment, and always with the same result, until he became satisfied that the moisture was the result of respiration. He then aroused the rest of the family from sleep with shout- ing the announcement that Renben Proctor was still alive, but not until they had examined for themselves could they be convinced of the fact. This unlooked for position of affairs threw the whole household into a tumult of excitement, and for a while they knew not what to do. They dared not send for medical aid, fearing that the mob might learn of it and return to make sure work a second time. At length, with such methods as suggested themselves, they set about the work of resuscitation. They rubbed the body vigorously. They threw cold water on the face. For some time they seemed to accomplish nothing, but at last a feeble groan escaped the lips, the eyes opened, closed again, as if dreading to see. They spoke to him, told him he was with friends and need have no fear. He again opened his eyes and looked abont in a curious, wandering way, and, after a few at- tempts, spoke, but with great difficulty. He did not seem to be conscious of the events of the day, and enquired what had happened. They told him, and, as his memory was awakened to the terrible ordeal he had undergone, a convulsive tremor shook his whole frame. Imagination, with its magic power, seemed to transform his surroundings into the scene of his fearful suffering, and ever and again he closed his eyes as if to shut ont the dread- ful vision. During the period of returning consciousness, he must have suffered a hundred times the terrors of the day. His breathing became difficult, and it seemed, at times, as if each breath would be the last. His face grew livid as if again the noose was tightening round his neck. So vivid and realistic was the horrid fancy that the constant assurance of his friends were long powerless to dispel it. True it is that all the ingenuity
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of the inquisition could not devise such powers of torture as exist in man's own mind. To influences without, he can oppose the resources of mind, courage, fortitude and resolution, but when mind is itself the instrument of torture, when thus the means of defense are made the weapons of as- sault, he suffers, a helpless, hopeless victim. I will not dwell on this un- inviting topic, and what remains may be briefly told. A mock funeral was agreed upon. As natural, the house was shunned by the neighbors, and this contributed to the scheme there in progress. A coffin was pro- cnred, filled with dirt, and was duly consigned to the grave. A few days after, Reuben Proctor, so disguised that his mother would not recognize him, left his home never to return. Whither he went, I know not, nor do I care to learn. Guilty or not guilty of the terrible crime of which he is charged, he is accompanied by memories that will destroy his peace for- ever, and from them neither accident nor ingenuity can rescue him. Those that hate him most cannot wish him worse than to be left to himself, a prey to his own imagination. And thus let us leave him."
The authorship of this article was, we believe, neither known nor sus- pected in Warren county, but it was evidently inspired by a midnight pe- rusal of Edgar A. Poe's stories.
THE BELCHER-SWEEZY CASE.
Both of the men concerned in this case belonged to Warren county, but the crime committed by one of them took place in the village of St. Charles, Madison county, on the Fourth of July, 1879. On the afternoon of that day James Sweezy was slain by Lauren Belcher. The affair seems to have been the outgrowth of an old feud. There seems to be considerable doubt whether Belcher really intended to kill Sweezy, and whether death was not in part, at least, the result of an accident. We cannot venture therefore to give an accurate statement of the facts. The most satisfactory account of the affair that can now be obtained, is from the pen of a correspondent, writing from St. Charles. He says, under date of July 9:
" As the affair at St. Charles, on the Fourth of July, now known to the public as the ' St Charles murder,' is now ended, so far as the preliminary trial is concerned, it will be well to make a statement of the facts of the case as brought out in the evidence.
" James Sweezy, of Madison county, twenty-two years of age, and Lauren Belcher, of Warren county, twenty-three years of age, both single men, belonged to neighboring families, and had some small dealings between themselves, such as trading in revolvers, rings, guns, etc., and in some of these transactions there had been a difference of opinion, leading to some trouble, and it was, as stated by himself at the time, to settle this differ- ence, that Belcher, about half past four P. M., entered a ball-room where Sweezy was standing, and invited him out to settle their difference. Sweezy replied that he did not wish to go-that he was not able to fight Belcher. But Belcher replied that he did not want to fight him, but only to talk with him. They then went out, and as they were quarreling, Sweezy was heard to say that if Belcher did not stop he would call for the police. Belcher replied that he was a coward; Sweezy denied, and Belcher replied : 'You are a coward, and a black son of a b-h.' Sweezy replied that he could not take that, and first attempted to draw his coat- Belcher having his off at the time-but rapidly drew it on again and struck,
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or struck at, Belcher. They then came to rapid blows, and Belcher, at the second blow, knocking Sweezy off the sidewalk, his head striking a large flat stone lying two and a-half feet from, and one and a-half feet below the level of the walk, Belcher falling with and over Sweezy, and landing in the ditch beyond on his hands and knees. Sweezy was picked up, body rigid, and the blood ponring from his left ear. He was carried to the Morgan House, and in fifteen or twenty minutes was dead, having shown no sign of life but a slight movement of one hand and occasional labored respiration. An inquest was held before justice C. W. Thompson, abont four and a-half hours after death. Drs. Roberts and Beaver were called to examine the body, and found but one injury, and that on the left side of the head, the temporal bone being fractured from the auditory canal directly upward to the upper margin of the bone, the fracture extending three-quarters of an inch into the parietal bone. The articulation, between the temporal and parietal bone, was also considerably loosened. Death was reported to have taken place from concussion, and other injuries, at the base of the brain. Belcher was tried before justice Thompson, on the charge of striking with intent to commit great bodily injury, to which he pleaded not guilty. He was defended by Judge Leonard, of Winterset, and the State was represented by Mr. Wilkinson, also of Winterset Belcher was bound over for appearance at court, and bail placed at eight hundred dollars, which he did not pro- cure, and therefore was sent to jail."
Belcher was indicted at the September term of the Madison county Dis- trict Court, and his bail fixed at eight hundred dollars. In a few days he disappeared, and his bail being forfeit, it is supposed, will be paid by his bondsmen Hhe left his country, perhaps, forever, and probably for that country's good.
Thus we have completed the awful story of the murders in Warren county, the equal of which perhaps few counties in the State can furnish, and let us hope that it may never be repeated on its soil in future history.
CITIES AND TOWNS.
INDIANOLA.
MUCH of the history of a Western county is connected with its county seat, and so it is in Warren county. From the earliest day when the county became an organized entity, Indianola has been its center of in- terest. Here were the records of the county and the place for transacting all the public business no less than the residence of the politician, the highest development in churches and educational institutions, and the place of meeting for all public purposes of church associations, synods and conferences. The first settlement in the neighborhood was yet some distance east of Indianola, near where Ackworth now stands.
Some time after the passage of the act organizing the county we find the following act relating to the seat of Justice of Warren county:
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That Wil- liam Ferguson of Jasper county, William Ware of Polk county, and Al- fred D. Jones of Madison county, be and they are hereby appointed com- missioners to locate and establish the seat of Justice of the county of Warren. Said commissioners, or any two of them, shall meet at the house of Alexander Ginder, in said county, on the first Monday of June next, or at such other time within the month of June next, as a majority of said commissioners shall agree, in pursuance of their duties under this act.
"Said commissioners shall, before entering upon the duties of their office, take and subscribe the following oath: 'We do solemnly swear (or affirm) that we have no' personal interest, directly or indirectly, in the location of the seat of Justice of the county of Warren, and that we will faithfully and impartially locate the same according to the best in- terest of said county, taking into consideration the future as well as the present population of said county,' which oath or affirmation shall be ad- ministered by the clerk of the district court, notary public or some justice. of the peace of the county, and the officer administering the same shall certify and file the same in the office of the clerk of the board of county commissioners, whose duty it shall be to record the same.
"That said commissioners, when met and qualified under the provisions of this act, shall proceed to locate the seat of Justice of said county, and as soon as they have come to a determination, they shall make .out a certifi- cate containing a particular description of the place so selected, naming therein the quarter, section, township and range, upon which they have located such seat of Justice; which shall be signed by said commissioners,
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and filed in the office of the clerk of the board of commissioners of such county, whose duty it shall be to record the same in his office; and the place thus designated shall be the seat of Justice of said county.
"That said commissioners shall each receive the sum of two dollars per day while necessarily employed in the discharge of their duties under the provisions of this act, and two dollars for every twenty miles' travel in go- ing to and returning from said county, to be paid out of the funds arising from the sale of lots in said seat of Justice.
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