There was no doubt about the facts of the matter. A prosperous Decatur County farmer named John F. Hayden, 45, shot his neighbor, William Edwin Bracewell, 48, dead during a dispute about cattle on Friday, the 8th of January 1904, at the Hayden farm in Woodland Township, southeast of Leon and northwest of Wayne County's Lineville.
One question remained unanswered once Hayden had been taken into custody, however. Would Bracewell's friends and neighbors lynch the killer?
That was why the Decatur County sheriff brought Hayden to Chariton late in the afternoon of the 8th and the suspect cooled his heels in the Lucas County jail until the following Wednesday when he was returned to Leon.
The following story from The Chariton Patriot of Jan. 14, 1904, describes the situation as well as the circumstances of the killing:
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In the Lucas county jail this week was a man, who if his neighbors could get their hands on him, would be handled pretty roughly and perhaps lynched. His name is John Hayden and his home is in Woodland township, near Bracewell, Decatur county. He is now in jail at Leon.
He is in custody for killing W.E. Bracewell, a wealthy and highly respected citizen of that community. The shooting occurred late last Friday afternoon, and was the result of a controversy which arose between the two men over some cattle belonging to Bracewell which had trespassed on Hayden's premises and had been shut up by the latter.
When Bracewell went after the stock, Hayden refused to turn them over. With the remark that, "he would see about that," Bracewell dismounted from his horse and started toward Haden. Hayden then drew a revolver and shot Bracewell twice, both bullets taking effect in the abdomen.
The news was telephoned to Leon and Sheriff Wallace and the coroner, Dr. Bowman, started immediately for the scene of the murder. Upon the road they were met by Hayden, who was on his way to Leon. He was greatly excited and appeared not to realize what he had done. He offered no resistance and was taken in charge by the sheriff.
Coroner Bowman went on to the Hayden farm, where Bracewell was supposed to be dead. Upon the coroner's arrival it was found that he was not dead, but he died two hours after the shooting.
A neighbor, Francis Peck, was an eye witness to the crime and makes the statement that the killing was not in self-defense and was entirely uncalled for.
The killing of Bracewell aroused such strong feeling against Hayden that the Decatur county officers, fearing lynching would be attempted, brought the prisoner to Chariton for safe keeping. He was returned to the Decatur county jail Wednesday.
Hayden had been a resident of Decatur county for several years. It is currently reported that before coming here he served a term in the Nebraska state penitentiary for murder. Mr. Bracewell, his present victim, was among the most respected and progressive farmers in the county. Both were wealthy men and each owned from 300 to 400 acres of land.
Hayden was indicted by the grand jury Wednesday morning for murder in the first degree.
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The suggestion that Hayden previously had served time for murder was unfounded, but he came to trial in Leon for the real murder during May of 1904. His attorneys launched an elaborate defense based upon alleged insanity. Not only had Hayden always been somewhat peculiar, the defense argued, the situation had worsened after he had been kicked in the head by a mule a couple of years before the killing.
The jury didn't buy the defense, but did convict Hayden of the lesser charge of second-degree murder and he was sentenced as a result to 21 years in the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison.
Nine years later, on the 17th of March, 1913, Iowa's governor granted Hayden an unconditional pardon --- based upon insanity. He had been transferred by that time from Fort Madison to Anamosa and was collected there by his family and taken to the home they had established at Ravanna, southwest of Mercer in Mercer County, Missouri, after leaving Decatur County, Iowa, behind.
John caused a degree of concern during December of 1916, when he vanished from his Missouri home and his family advertised in the new year, looking for anyone who might know where he had gone to. He reappeared during March of 1917, however, and all apparently was well.
According to his obituary, published four years later in The Princeton Telegraph of Sept. 14, 1921, John died at home in the Ravanna-Lucerne area at age 63 on the 7th of September, 1921, with burial following in the Ravanna Cemetery. He was survived by his widow, Hannah, and six adult children. All but one son had been present at his bedside.
As you might expect, there was no mention of criminal history or of his alleged insanity in the obituary.
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