Linkenhoker-Starke-fight - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Jim Starke, the notorious old rip who tore down the American flag from the school house in Clark Township and who was later convicted of maliciously slandering Emma Conner, is again before the public.

Yesterday afternoon at his farm three miles south of Ladoga he assaulted John Linkenhoker, an equally unsavory customer. Linkenhoker is still alive but with the chances decidedly against him. Linkenhoker, who is a teamster, had bought some trees of Starke and while in the woods a dispute arose between the men. Linkenhoker finally sat down upon a log and as he sat there Starke ran up behind him and struck him a vicious blow upon the back of the head with a heavy club. Linkenhoker was cared for by two other teamsters and was finally carried to Starke’s residence and Dr. Batman called from Ladoga. Batman pronounced his injuries as probably fatal and at noon today Linkenhoker was still unconscious.

Starke gave himself up but was released on his own recognizance. Linkenhoker is the same man who attempted to obtain damages from James C. Know for alleged bribery and whose case was kicked out of court by Judge Harney. He was arrested only the other day on a grand jury indictment for gambling and is fully as disreputable a hound as Jim Starke. The sad eyed sandbagger Starke, it is to be hoped, will finally get the penitentiary sentence he has been working so hard for for several years. – thanks so much to “S” – one great typist

Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Friday, 16 March 1894

A Journal representative visited Ladoga yesterday afternoon to look into the Starke-Linkenhoker matter and experienced little difficulty in finding all the wild beasts at home.

Linkenhoker was at his home in Ladoga being pitched into a spring wagon in an unconscious condition Wednesday evening and rattled into town like a skunk in a kettle. He was unloaded at his residence and when The Journal called was still unconscious, his ears and nose being stuffed full of cotton to prevent the flow of blood. Dr. Batman, the physician, stated that the skull had been fractured but that there was a jolly good chance of his recovery. Cale Dodd is Linkenhoker’s partner and a modest young man with a red nose. Mr. Dodd was present when the affair occurred.

The fuss was over a tree which Starke claimed he had reserved. Dodd and another man were busy sawing with Starke and Linkenhoker quarreling on a log a few feet away. Dodd paid but little attention to them, but suddenly looked up and saw Starke strike Linkenhoker, who at the time had his back to him and his head bent in meditation. Starke had a wicked look in his eye and grasped the short thick club with both hands. “There, d—n you, if that don’t kill you, a club won’t” he exclaimed as Linkenhoker fell forward on his face. Starke was asked by Dodd why he had done it but said nothing. He helped load his victim in a wagon and then went on about his business.

Starke was in town and did not seem greatly concerned. Squire Jim Watt had put him under $500 for assault with intent to kill but his had been promptly furnished by Ben Clark, so Jim was on the streets as happy as a bed bug after house cleaning. He stated that he had smashed Linkenhoker for his own personal satisfaction. He claimed that Linkenhoker had attempted to swindle him and had added insult to injury. “He called me a liar,” said Jim, “and when he called me a liar I just picked up a club and smashed him. That’s all there is about it.”

People at Ladoga seem vexed with Starke because he did not do a better job. – thanks so much to “S” – one great typist