Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1911 — YOUNG MEN HATE FIGHT; ONE USES A SPADE. [ARTICLE]

YOUNG MEN HATE FIGHT; ONE USES A SPADE.

Roscoe Zeigler Seriously Injures Russell Harmon in Fracas While Threshing Wednesday. In a fight that occurred at the Werner Miller farm, north of this city, at about 5:00 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, Russell Harmon, 21 years of age, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Harmon, received serious Injuries, having been struck across the face with a spade by Roscoe Zeigler, 20 years old" son of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Zeiglejr north of town. Both young men, have been working with the Gunyon. threshing gang and according to fellow workmen the young men had engaged in a scuffle the day before. The scuffle had started in a friendly manner, so the other threshers say, but the boys were both angry before long and some blows were exchanged, and Zeigler received a black eye and a bruised nose. Testimony seems to conflict to some extent as to the exact cfliuse of Wednesday’s trouble, and Jim Downs, who was an eyewitness to the fracas, is quoted as saying that Zeigler’s assault was unprovoked. He states that Zeigler was using the spade to shovel some loose oats from his wagon when Harmon came along to go to the blower, where he was going to work and that Zeigler struck him without any exchange of words. Another version is that the fuss had been intensified by the other threshers nagging the boys op. and that Harmon was making for Zeigler when the latter used the spade.

Harmon was brought to Rensselaer by John Leach and his injuries looked after by a doctor. It was found that his nose was fractured and the bones apparently crushed quite badly. Four of his front teeth on the, lower ja,w were knocked loose and may have to come out. Apparently Zeigler had struck him with the broad side of the spade, the concave side hitting Harmon. It will require some quite good surgery to repair his nose and put it into anything like good condition, but his injuries are not expected to terminate seriously unless infection sets in After his injuries had been dressed he was taken to the home of his parents on the Jacob Wilcox farm, near Surrey, where he passed a restless night He had lost a great deal of blood and suffered considerable pain. A warrant was issued for young Zeigler and Sheriff Hoover and Constable Parks went to the house to serve it, but Roscoe had left home and it is presumed be became alarmed and fled. ,Both families are highly respected people and the affair Is very unfortunate. Both Mr. and Mrs. Zeigler are greatly worried about tne matter and Mrs. Zeigler broke down entirely when the officers appeared at her home. It Is quite certain that Harmon will recover from his injuries and it would be much better for Zeigler to come back and face the trouble than to run away from it.

All the “Doubting Thomases" on the new depot proposition can now crawl in their holeß and pull the holes In after them.. The depot is really going v to be built. Workmen this Thursday morning staked out the building preparatory to laying the foundation and the work will be pushed rapidly, the contractor being anxious to complete it within the 90 days granted him by the contract. The platform at the old depot is in a very poor condition and it was proposed to tear up the planks, which are broken and rotted in many places, and build a cinder platform. Agent Beam wrote in to have this order changed, however, as it is almost Impossible to push a heavy truck over a cinder surface, Agent Beam said we could struggle along with the old plank platform until the new depot is completed.