"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg |
| Chapter Twenty-Five THE BLOWING UP OF THE COURTH HOUSE AND ATTEMPTED ROBBERTY |
| Copy of letter from Miss Kellogg, dated Leon, Iowa, April 1, 1877. “Dear Ones – The citizens of Leon have had a dreadful April fooling this morning. Just about daylight there was a sound heard which the people in town thought to be some rowdy trying to get up a scare for the day and those more remote took to be thunder, as it had been a blustering night. But a few people immediately upon the square soon found out the truth, which was the whole west side of the court house was blown out, undoubtedly the work of inexperienced burglars in an attempt to get at the money in the treasury. One man saw four running in different directions for a little way, then joining each other and going south. Those who found out the true state of the case set out to apprise others, but nearly everyone believed it a ruse; the county officers expecially and very much afraid of being duped by practical jokers. A young man came down to arouse Mr. Varga, Treasurer, and Mr. Blackus, who lives next door, Sheriff of the county.” “Mr. Varga did not give sufficient credence to the report to get up, but Mr. Blackus dress and went far enough to get a view of the courthouse. Seeing the east wall intact he felt sure he had been fooled, and went back and went to bed. Meantime, the perpetrators of the crime had gone, no one knows wither as yet.” “At half past eight Mrs. Bullock came over and told us about it and said Mr. Blackus had just been at their house and was trying to get a posse of men to go in pursuit, so it may have been late before they got after the men. Murray wanted to mount George and put right out with the first squad, but Lizzie felt as though she could not live through such a day of agitation and suspense, as it would be for her with him away in pursuit of such desperate characters; so he gave up the thought, yet he reminded me of a restive horse champing the bit all the way up town. I was so out of breath I could hardly move trying to keep up with him. Were were already for Sunday School when Mrs. B. came, so Murray said I might as well go along and see the damage with him.” “The court house is almost an utter wreck. Three walls are standing and the roof remains, but two of the remaining walls are cracked, and all the supports and graces are torn from under the roof. The floor of the courtroom was swaying and swaying and a great part of the furniture was down in the ruin. It is supposed that the burglars had been at work trying to open the safe all night and, that morning approaching, they resolved to blow it open but, being novices, caused a much greater explosion than they intended and were obliged to leave without getting anything for their ill bestowed pains. The safe had not yet been reached by the excavators when we came away, being buried in the thickest of the rubbish and the wind blowing such a gale that men hardly dared venture into the ruin.” “Mr. Varga had recovered many of his books but said they had been much mutilated by the depredators. If the vault had been as securely locked as the safe, it is probable they would have given up the undertaking as hopeless and retreated doing little or no damage, but Mr. Varga says he had only closed the door and the bolt without using the combination and locking up, intending to go right back after supper and have occasion to go in again, but for some cause he did not return. The safe is the same one that came through the fire three years ago, night before last, and Murray says the seams were slightly open and the burglars thought they certainly could and would get at the contents in one way or another. They did not get a cent of money, even the box of change outside the safe escaped their notice.” The perpetrators were arrested and brought to Justice. This was the third catastrophe which Leon's court house suffered, having been blown down in a storm in 1854. |
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