Posts Tagged ‘Porter’

16
Feb

Child Shot After Inviting Death

   Posted by: admin    in Accident, Death, Trials

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 16, 1904

Child Shot After Inviting Death

Four-year-old Marshall Hollis Shoots and Kills His brother Leo.

Says “Shoot Me Marshall”

Boy Pulls Trigger Killing His Brother Instantly – Tragedy Occurs in Bed.

“Leo said ‘shoot me Marshall.’ I didn’t do it the first time, but he toldi me to shoot him again and I wasn’t afraid that time. I put the pistol against his face and pulled the trigger and he felled over and blood came out of his mouth,” was the testimony of four-year-old Marshall Hollis as he sat on  Coroner McCreight’s knee this morning and told the coroner’s jury how he had killed his two year old brother, Leo.

The children are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. H.E. Hollis, living at 426 Third avenue south, and it was while playing in their mother’s bed at 8:30 this morning that Marshall, the older, found a 38 caliber revolver between the mattresses and on invitation of his younger brother, pressed the weapon against the child’s face and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly. The bullet entered the head at the junction of the nose and upper lip and tore its way until it lodged against the skull at the base of the brain.

Mother Finds Baby Dead.

The mother, hearing the shot, rushed to the room and found her baby dead lying in the bed in a pool of blood. The face was covered with blood from the wound and blackened by the powder. Marshall, the four-year-old child who had ended his brother’s life was in the same bed suffering from a badly burned hand, caused by the discharge of the weapon, which he had held with his left hand supporting the barrel near the muzzle. Aside from surprise that his brother should lay so quiet and still, the child evinced no sings of having realized what he had done.

H.E. Hollis, the father, had been employed by the Illinois Central in the capacity of brakeman, but on account of light business had been laid off. Monday night he went to Woodbine, where he expected to secure employment with the Northwestern, and Mrs. Hollis being nervous in the absence of her husband had placed the revolver between the mattresses of her bed. This morning she arose and went down stairs to build a fire in the kitchen stove and Marshall had gone from his own bed into the bed in which the younger boy and his mother had been sleeping. After lighting the fire Mrs. Hollis was called out of doors to show the driver of a coal wagon where to unload the coal. As she was returning to the house she heard the report of a revolver and rushing up stairs found the baby dead. She summoned H.H Porter, the teamster who was unloading the coal, who after going up stairs hurried away from medical assistance. The mother meanwhile carried the child downstairs, but death had been instantaneous and the attention of a physician wa of no avail.

Inquest This Morning.

Coroner McCreight held an inquest over the remains at 10:30 this morning and the jury, composed of J.J. Conway, being shot with a revolver in the hands (sic), J.C. Walburger, and C.H. Smith, returned a verdict which in part read:

“That the said Leo M. Hollis came to his death at about 8:30 a.m., February 16, 1904, at No. 426 Third avenue south, First ward, Fort Dodge Iowa, by act of his four-year old brother, Marshall W. Hollis.”

Child Tells the Story.

The boy, in whose hand was the revolver when discharged, not realizing that he had figured in a tragedy two hours before, readily answered all questions and placidly told what had occurred. He said he had “feeled” the revolver between the mattresses and taking it in his hands had pointed it at his brother. The latter said: “shoot me, Marshall.” This the older child declined to do until bidden the second time, when he calmly pressed the muzzle of the revolver just over his brother’s mouth and pulled the trigger. In reply to a question he held up the first finger of his right hand when asked with which finger he had pulled the trigger. He had held the barrel of the revolver with his left hand and in the discharge that hand was badly burned. Although not fully aware of what he had done, the child realized that he had done something wrong, for after shooting his brother, he had shoved the revolver under a pillow.

(Editor’s note: Sometimes complete lines were printed out of place. There are a few words in the list of jury members that are confusing, but I think should fit in this paragraph in this manner: “That the said Leo M. Hollis came to his death at about 8:30 a.m., February 16, 1904, at No. 426 Third avenue south, First ward, Fort Dodge Iowa, by being shot with a revolver in the hands of his four-year old brother, Marshall W. Hollis.” This is not perfect, as the word “act” doesn’t fit, but is one possible explanation.)

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22
Sep

Webster City Felt Shoe Factory Starts

   Posted by: admin    in Business, Webster City

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 22, 1903

Webster City Felt Shoe Factory Starts

After an Idleness of Three Months Caused by the Late Fire.

Thirty Hands are at Work

Capacity of the Factory is Six Hundred Pairs Shoes Per Day.

Webster City, Sept. 22. – After having been idle for a period of more than three months, the Northwestern Felt Shoe company’s plant resumed operations Monday in the old wholesale grocery building. The full force is not yet at work, as there is not enough material on hand, but it is expected that within ten days there will be thirty hands working.

The company has a large lot of orders ahead. There are now three traveling men on the road, Messrs. Kelly, Derr and Porter. The capacity of the new plant is 600 pairs per day, but Manager Coppenall says that they do not expect to run over 300 pairs per day this fall. He also says on account of the larger number of orders ahead it is likely that the plant will run until about the first of December. It is customary to close plants of this kind fully a month earlier than this.

The new company is nicely situated. At present it occupies only the second floor of the wholesale grocery building with an office down stairs. With the expansion which will be made in the spring, the company will occupy the whole of the building. F.S. Currie is in charge of the office, while Mr. Coppenall is managing the plant. The felt now being used in the shoes is all new goods. There was no felt saved from the fire which destroyed the former plant of the company. It is the purpose to work the new plant up to the full efficiency of the former factory.

The cutters, lasters and fitters began Monday morning and will get the raw material in shape for the full force within ten days. However, all the machinery is not in operation.

(Editor’s note: The fire occurred on June 16, 1903, and there was a problem with the former manager on Sept. 14, 1903.)

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21
Sep

Monday Morning’s Police Court

   Posted by: admin    in Police court

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 21, 1903

Monday Morning’s Police Court

The Usual Number of People Charged With Law’s Violation Before Mayor.

Charge Theft and Drinking

Man Fined $7.25 for Beating His Horses Unmercifully and Using Profanity.

A gray haired man over fifty years old was arrested by the police this morning upon information from the sheriff of Pocahontas county, who had warned local officers to be on the lookout for the man whose name was Frank Emmons who had absconded from Fonda, on last Saturday, having in his possession a large quantity of upholstering tools, leather and cloth furniture coverings which he h ad stolen from a furniture dealer of that place, leaving town upon the same day.

The supposition of the Fonda sheriff that Emmons had come to Fort Dodge was correct for three grips, containing the described articles were found at the American Express office this morning, and Emmons was arrested shortly after when he came after the grips. The Fonda officers have been notified and will come to the city tonight to conduct Emmons to that place.

Emmons seems peculiar as if he were not in his right mind. He explains the matter by saying that he is out on the road, got drunk, and just landed in Fort Dodge. The value of the articles stolen would amount to over $25 ($599 today). Emmons has two new suits of clothing and two pair of shoes in his possession but only sixty cents ($14.37) in cash.

Stealing a kit of tools from his employer an hour after he had received employment on the plea that he was hungry is the crime Jack Ryan will be charged with in police court Tuesday morning. Ryan, who is a stranger here got a job cleaning gasoline stoves from M. Rhyne, proprietor of a second hand store on first avenue south this morning, after completing the work and receiving his pay stole the tools, so it is said, that he had used to clean the stoves, Mr. Rhyne being too busy at the time to notice their absence.

Ryan was later in the day arrested for drunkenness and the tools, the missing of which Mr. Ryne had reported to the police, were found in his possession.

Elmer Porter, a teamster, also figured in police court this morning. Porter was charged with disturbing the public quiet and using profane language.

The charges were filed by Mrs. Richadr (Richard) Linthel, who lives hear Porter on the round prairie. Mrs. Linthel also testified that Porter was often guilty of mistreating his horses.

Porter was let off with the costs of the case or $7.25 ($174).

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5
Jul

Child Scalded to Death

   Posted by: admin    in Accident

The Fort Dodge Messenger: July 5, 1913

Three Year Old Scalds Himself; Dies

When Albert Porter, the three year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Porter, living on the West side, took hold of a pan of boiling hot water Thursday at 3:00 p.m., he upset the pan and his little body was drenched with the boiling water. He died yesterday at 4:00 p.m. The funeral will be this afternoon at the residence at 3:00.

Mrs. Porter, mother of the little boy had just poured the water into the pan and was to use it for washing. The boiling water scalded the boy’s body and he suffered terriby (sic) at first but later became unconscious.

A peculiar feature about the accident is that in May of this year, Albert nearly lost his life when he took a dose of (unreadable) poison. Physicians worked for some time over the boy at this time and h is life was saved.
Albert leaves besides his parents, one older brother and a baby brother a few months old.

The Fort Dodge Daily Chronicle: July 5, 1913

Child Scalded; Died Yesterday

Baby Was Almost Two Years Old – Had Mastered Art of Walking Few Days Ago.

Death came to the relief of eleven months old Albert Daniels, son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, residing near the Bradshaw Brick yard, yesterday afternoon. The lad had been suffering from burns received Thursday afternoon at four o’clock when he pulled a pan of scalding hot water from the kitchen range while his mother was in another room. In spite of all the aid rendered by physicians the lad could not survived as the burns were too much for his frail body to withstand. The boy suffered for twenty-four hours, being unconscious a large part of the time.

Had the child lived until the fourteenth of August he would have been two years old.

Funeral services were held from the residence this afternoon at three o’clock. Rev. Leitzell was in charge. Interment was made at Oakland cemetery.

This is an interesting contrast in articles. I’m positive that both articles are about the same child, but they give different names. I will have to do more research in order to determine what the correct name is. Also, the Chronicle says that the boy is 11 months old, but would have turned two in another month – that is clearly wrong. The Messenger says that he is 4 years old – again, more research is needed to find the truth.

This does bring up the fact that although newspapers are a great source of information, they aren’t always accurate. Speaking as a current newspaper employee, I know that the reporters try hard to get the facts straight, but in some cases it boils down to what people tell us – or don’t tell us.

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