Iowa Recorder Greene, Butler, Iowa January 20, 1904 OF INTEREST IN IOWA After wrestling all night with the problem whether to prosecute his only son as a horse thief, J.M. Chambers, a wealthy farmer residing near Knoxville, appeared in Des Moines police court and dramatically exclaimed to the judge: "God knows I have tried to bring that boy up right and have done well by him. Now he came to his. But, though he is my own flesh and blood - all I have - I will let the law take its course." The old man bowed his head and wept as he signed the information charging his boy with having stolen a horse and buggy from his barn and sold them to a Des Moines liveryman. No sooner had the theft been discovered than the old man started a pack of bloodhounds on the trail. For nearly forty miles the animals kept the trail as the old man urged them on and on, little dreaming that they would expose the disgrace of his own son. They stopped at an East Des Moines livery stable, where the stolen property was found. The arrest followed soon after. Incendiary Caught in Act. L.C. Willing, proprietor of a Waterloo department store, was arrested when about to touch a match to his stock of goods to collect the $5,000 insurance upon it. He not only confessed his guilt, but told of two fires started by him a year ago. Mrs. Lewis Pleads Not Guilty. Belle Lewis of Ottumwa, charged with the murder of her husband, William F. Lewis, was arraigned in District Court and pleaded not guilty. She asked for an attorney to defend her and a Sigourney firm was appointed. Within Our Borders. - Fire drills have been inaugurated in all Des Moines schools. - The Clinton theater is to be equipped with a steel drop curtain. - S.T. Fields, leading merchant and ex-Mayor of Mitchellville, is dead. - A hog bit off the thumb of D.H. Baker, a farmer near State Center. - Mrs. John Hodgon, a well-known pioneer of Butler County, is dead at Clarksville. - Andrew Brown, aged 18, was drowned at Mondamin by skating through an airhole in the ice. - Mr. and Mrs. Ward Lamson of Fairfield recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. - Charles White, one of the Quinby bank robbers, is wanted in Dakota for several postoffice burglaries. - Fire of unknown origin destroyed the home of C.W. Corey, at Fort Dodge. Loss $5,000, no insurance. - Fred W. Lerch, a pioneer business man of Des Moines, dropped dead at his home in that city. - A tramp printer named Ferguson passed two forged checks on Muscatine business men, securing about $20. He has disappeared. - C.S. Seymour of Thornburg was struck by a train and fatally injured. - Attorneys for Mrs. Lavelleur, whose trial for the murder of her husband at Newton, has twice resulted in a disagreement, have applied for a change of venue. - Detlef Evers of Denison, who killed his child by giving it carbolic acid and attempted to kill his wife, has been declared insane and taken to Clarinda for treatment. - Michael J. Conroy, of Clinton, a barkeeper, was convicted of conspiracy to burglarize several wealthy homes in Clinton and was sentenced to ten years at hard labor in the penitentiary. - A Chicago Great Western passenger train struck a grocer's delivery sleigh at a crossing in Dubuque, killing Clifford and James Dunkley, 11 and 9 years old, respectively, and injuring Edward Koch, the driver. - Frank Benedict fatally shot his wife in the head, wounded Steve Erwin and then blew out his own brains. Mrs. Benedict had quarreled with him and left his home and was stopping at Erwin's place. - In a rear-end collision of Milwaukee and St. Paul freight trains near LeClaire Brakeman Fred Lynch was killed and Engineer Horning and Fireman Parker, both of Dubuque, were slightly injured. Confusion in the train orders is given as the cause. - The little 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Howeland, who resides four miles east of Randall, was shot and instantly killed by his half brother, a lad of about his age. The boys were hunting when in shooting carelessly at a mark the accident occurred. - Murdering her helpless husband with laudanum as he lay sick in bed in order to get his life insurance of $2,000 is the crime against Mrs. Belle Lewis of Ottumwa, in an indictment just returned by the Keokuk County grand jury. The couple formerly lived at Sigourney and Lewis died suddenly Oct. 10. It is known the woman bought laudanum just previous to her husband's death. After his funeral the suspicions of the officials were aroused, the body was disinterred and a chemical analysis of the stomach showed the presence of laudanum. Cathy Joynt Labath Iowa Old Press http://www.IowaOldPress.com/