Laura Jane Harvey Murder: Part Two

Friday, March 30, 1960 and the following days

The girls body was brought to a nearby vacant store belonging to Charles Lawrence on the corner of Court and Main streets and laid out on the counter. The Coroner, Mr. C.G. Packard was sent for and jury members for an inquest were quickly found, James Hawley, D.F. Gaylord and Erastus Washburn. Two doctors were also called to examine the body for good measure, Drs. Thrall and Williamson. 

An examination of the body was held and the jurors came to the conclusion that the girl had been murdered due to blows inflicted upon her head by persons unknown. There was a crack in the base of her skull some seven to nine inches in length with several more cracks radiating out from the primary crack. Beneath the cracks, her brain had ruptured. She had also been choked as evidence by the deeply indented marks around her neck. The doctors examined her lungs, windpipe and stomach and determined that she had been dead before she had been thrown in the river due to no frothy water present in those organs. She also had a black eye.

The girl was described as being fairly short and rather full with a large head and dark auburn hair. Her hands were small and delicate and indicated that she did little if any manual labor. She had on a reddish, large striped, calico dress, high Morocco shoes and a small gold ear drops. Mr. Bird, an ambrotypist and Mr. Johnson, a painter, both locals, were summoned to capture her likeness. A steady stream of local townsfolk passed through to look at the girl on the counter before eventually after two days, she was put in a neat coffin and moved to the Courthouse and an official verdict of murder was issued. 

Gradually, the wheels of justice started to rotate and the hunt was on. Local townsfolk were interviewed and it soon became clear that the murdered girl had been the same one who had been in town earlier that week with the two strange men whose location was now unclear. Soon sightings began trickling in as the news spread and several search teams made preparations and set out to hunt the men down for questioning. 

One sighting has seen them heading west in the direction of Centerville so the ex-Sheriff Lewis and R.H. Warden set off in that direction on Saturday, March 31. They were judged to be only 24 miles behind the wanted men. Another party consisting of Sheriff Grey and John C. Fisher headed south towards St. Joseph, Missouri where the party was rumored to be heading towards St. Louis. The post master of Ottumwa, Henry J. Gillespee soon revealed the request for the Rockford, Illinois papers and a third party some days later set off towards Iowa City, Iowa in the direction of Rockford.

Due to the confusions that arise from third hand accounts after the fact, it wasn't clear who exactly they were chasing. Some said there must have been three men initially due to their being three horses and that another man had already been murdered prior to their arrival in Ottumwa. Others said one of the men spoke fluent German. Others came forth and said the three hadn't been looking for a farm but were heading west to seek their fortunes as far as Pike's Peak. 

Several days after the murder, two boys fishing in the river downstream of where the body of the girl was found came across a overcoat that was recognized as belonging to one of the men who had accompanied the girl into town. Later the girl's hair skirt and dark scarf were also found in the river by others. 

A group of citizens pledged $500 for the capture of these two men and asked the Governor of Iowa to kick in another $500. Finally, nearly a week after the murdered girl had been retrieved from the river, her casket was nailed shut and her remains were interred in a vacant spot at the cemetery on top of the river bluff. The anxious citizens awaited for news of the capture of the killers.