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The Republic and The Appeal Thursday, June 30,1977Twenties...[Continued from front page]Yackey, State Agent, said he had known the man as Bert Pettit.Spencer physicians performed an autopsy and determined that the man had died as the result of a severe beating.Authorities had an unknown murdered man; unknown motive and unknown killers. Pictures were mailed to newspapers in many cities but no results were obtained.The body was held pending identification and more and more newspapers carried the story until it had been thoroughly broadcast in a six state area.Then, six months later, a lady with her son, daughter, and a nephew cameto-Spencer. I was working in a drug store in Iowa City, she explained. When I saw the picture and read the unusual story. I think the man might be my ex-husband.Examined watch They examined the victim’s watch and tenatively identified it as his. They inspected the body and the mystery was over. It was that of Louis H. Dayton, 56, born in Washington, Iowa.His daughter said, “He and mother were married in 1896 but divorced on the grounds he was cruel to her. He always loved detective stories and wanted to be a detective or a secret agent. He absolutely loved mysteries.He fulfilled his ambition. He was a secret agent at the time of his death and the central figure in a mystery so baffling the perpetrators of the crime have never been apprehended. The mystery might have been solved if officers had talked to a certain woman, however.One evening, when slightly in her cups, she told me her story. Here it is.“You know _and . don’t you?You went to school with them. Well,the woman who cleans for Dr. —had cleaned his office thoroughly “but was called out of bed at 3 a.m. to clean up a lot of blood. Those two young menhad routed the doctor out of bed to*treat their cuts and bruises. They had been bootlegging, you know. Their knuckles were bruised as if in a fight. They got blood all over the clean floor in the doctor's office. That fight was the night the stool pigeon was killed. Draw your own conclusions.Maybe there is a different explanation of their cut and bruised knuckles —but for almost half a century I’ve held my tongue—and wondered.What I was told was hearsay and second hand hearsay at that. And anyway, every one of the principals is now dead...
Newspaper Details
Albert City Marathon Republic
Albert City, Iowa, US
Thu, Jun 30, 1977
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Don C.
MT, USA 22 Oct 2016
Other Publications Near Albert City, Iowa
Albert City Appeal and Marathon Republic
Albert City Gazette
Albert City Marathon Republic
Albert City Pioneer
Albert City Republic Appeal
