O’Brien County in Iowa

Sheldon in O’Brien County

John Doe 1917

Homicide

John Doe 1917
50 YOA
Tool House
Union Depot
Sheldon, IA
O’Brien County
April 17, 1917

By Nancy Bowers

On Saturday morning, April 21, 1917, a Milwaukee Road foreman searching for rail spikes entered the tool house at the Union Depot in Sheldon.

Inside, he found a dead man sitting in a chair.

Courtesy photo Mid-Continent Railroad Museum Archives

An unknown man was found murdered in a tool shed at the Union Depot in Sheldon in April 1917.

The man, who was about 50-years-old and carried no identification, had been dead three or four days.

The victim had two bullet wounds: one just above the heart and the other in his right temple.

Local authorities ruled the death a homicide, saying it would’ve been impossible for the man to have inflicted the wounds on himself.

A woman living near the depot reported hearing two revolver shots on the night of Tuesday, April 17, which established the date and time for the murder.

The man was never identified and no one was charged in the crime.

Information Needed

Questions and comments about the homicide of John Doe 1917 should be directed to the Sheldon Police Department at 712-324-2525 or to Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.

Sources

• “Dead Man Found At Sheldon,” Emmetsburg Democrat, April 25, 1917.
• Mitford Mail, May 3, 1917.
• Palo Alto Tribune May 2, 1917.
• Sheldon Mail, April 25, 1917, transcribed by S.F. for Iowa Old Press, April 2007.