Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, August 29, l90l

There was quite a scrap in the Court House Park Saturday evening during the band concert, which nearly resulted in a riot. FRED and JAKE LEE, who live 7 miles northwest of town, were in the park and a crowd of young men of Leon commenced joshing them, shoving one another against them and evidently trying to pick a quarrel. It seems the LEE boys tried to avoid any trouble, but the gang kept following them around and finally FRED LEE was struck and knocked down. He fought back and the crowd went from the north to west side of the Court House. Here FRED LEE struck JIM STOUT on the arm with a pen knife, inflicting a wound two inches long and clear to the bone. JAKE LEE had had nothing to do with the fight up to this time, but about this time he was struck by ROY BIDDISON and he promptly knocked BIDDISON down several times. In the mean time, FRED LEE ran west out of the park followed by several of the Leon boys and just west of Hamilton & Gardner's Store, he was knocked down. He again used his knife, this time making a slight cut on BEN UPDYKE's leg. He then got away and running west, crawled under MARION OSBORN's house, where he hid for a time and then sent a friend for his team and left for home. JAKE LEE was taken before Mayor Woodard and a warrant was issued charging BEN REDMAN, WARREN SANKEY, DOL ZIMMERMAN, ROY BIDDISON and JIM STOUT with fighting and disturbing the peace. The boys appeared before Mayor Woodard Monday and were found guilty, REDMAN, SANKEY, ZIMMERMAN and BIDDISON being fined $ll.35 each and STOUT $5.85. STOUT and REDMAN paid their fines and the other three went to jail. SANKEY and BIDDISON were released the same evening, friends having paid their fines, and ZIMMERMAN is staying his out in jail. Up to the present time no information has been filed against either FRED or JAKE LEE.

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert