Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa Thursday, November 5, l903 LON SMITH, a well known and popular young man who formerly resided in this city and graduated from the Leon High School with the class of l902, met with a terrible accident which may yet prove fatal, while working on the new library building at Des Moines. The Des Moines Capital has the following account of the accident: LON SMITH, a young man employed at the library on the interior finishing work fell from a point in the center of the big dome this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock and was seriously, if not fatally injured. SMITH was taken to his home at 4l8 Fourth Street in the city ambulance. Dr. N.M. Smith, city physician, who attended the man, was unable to state at 3 o'clock the extent of the injury. It is believed that young SMITH will recover unless internal complications are found to exist. The young man stepped from a narrow scaffolding and fell upon an iron frame floor twenty-five feet below. Later -- Dr. Smith reports that LON SMITH, who was injured by a fall at the library building yesterday afternoon, is likely to recover. SMITH did not gain consciousness until a late hour last evening. Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert

Leon Reporter Leon, Decatur County, Iowa Thursday, November 12, 1903 W.P. Clark left his home in Leon, Iowa, on Oct. 13, 1903, intending to visit friends in Atchison, Kansas. He was last seen at the Union depot in St. Joe. Mo., on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1903, and it is believed he purchased a ticket from St. Joe to Kansas City and boarded a train for the latter point. The half-tone above is from a photograph taken some 15 years ago. It is a very good likeness of Mr. Clark, except that he has grown stouter and somewhat bald. He is 41 years of age, married and left a wife and daughter 14 years of age. He will weigh about 215 pounds, has a full face, dark brown hair, small blue gray eyes, wore a mustache, has the left lateral incisor tooth crowned with gold, and his height is about 5 feet 10 inches. He wore a sack suit of blue-gray cassimere showing a very faint stripe making a plaid, a yachting cap of light gray with black band and visor, a pair of Selz "Perfecto" lace shoes, with plain wide toe, probably no. 9. He carried a leather suit case marked upon the end "Mrs. W.P. Clark," containing a suit of clothes, three shirts, cuffs, socks, etc. He also carried with him a gold hunting case watch with the initials W.P.C. engraved on one side, a gold vest chain with a locket-charm attached engraved on one side with the Masonic and K.of P. Emblems. He is a Mason and also a Knights sf Pythias in good standing in both of these orders. Mr. Clark was one of the leading retail grocers in Southern Iowa, and it is believed by his family and friends that he left home because of supposed financial difficulties. His affairs have been taken in hand by his family and friends and straightened up and he has been found to be perfectly solvent, and is amply able to pay all obligations. Mr. Clark belongs to an excellent family, leaving in addition to his wife and child, his father a man 72 years of age, and his mother who is 65 years of age and in delicate and dangerous condition of health. He is a man of high social and business standing, and his family and friends, both business and social, are exceedingly anxious to learn of his whereabouts and have him return, and any information leading to his location or whereabouts will be highly appreciated and amply rewarded. It is requested that any and all information with reference to him be directed to E.B. McClelland, Leon, Iowa. Copied by Nancee (McMurtrey) Seifert

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