Sheriff looking for a relative of Paton Marshal James Busby, killed by bank robbers in 1911
Greene County engineer Wade Weiss told the county supervisors at their Sept. 22 meeting he had received many calls about county roadways. “It’s getting to be kind of an emergency situation trying to get these things open,” he said about the roads.
He said the secondary roads crew was ready to place shoulder tile on P-29 north of E-18 (three miles south of the Webster County line). However, 2-1/2 inches of rain there last week delayed the work. He said once the tile work is done the crew will put the shoulder rock down “and then push to get that open.”
He said it may be opened without pavement markings. P-29 is vital to get traffic north, according to Weiss.
County Road P-46 east from P-29 to Paton will be finished, with an expected 12-day job to put in the shoulder tile and then rock. He said the county had gone outside the contract and did driveways to provide some access to residents.
“It’s unfortunate. We’ve had 36 inches of rain in the Paton area this summer. There’s still 50 working days left on the contract, just because of all the (weather) delays. Only 90 working days have been charged based on the work being done.
The board met via Zoom with Webster County supervisors to approve an proposed wetland in Section 19 of Highland Township within Joint District 110-221. The wetland is northeast of Churdan.
The wetland is requested by the landowner, who is working with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Water will be pumped out of a private tile to a pond, and then back through a tile into an open ditch in the drainage district. There will be no actual impact to the drainage district or upstream landowners, and no modifications will be needed in the drainage district, Jacob Hagen of AgriVia said.
“If there’s no cost and it’s not going to affect anyone’s drainage, it’s a good project,” board chair John Muir said.
The board approved a professional services agreement with Schneider Geospatial for GIS services from Oct. 1 through June 30, 2026, at a cost of $11,358. Assessor Adam Smith called the agreement “a stop gap” until the county determines how to proceed long term after the departure of GIS coordinator Michelle Fields.
County attorney Thomas Laehn talked with the supervisors about the sentencing Sept. 19 in a criminal case involving a charge of arson. A jury found the defendant guilty in June of five criminal counts. She was sentenced to 15 years and two days in prison. (Complete information is available under the Courts tab on GCNO).
“Part of the purpose under the law of a sentence is to deter other people in the community who might be considering similar crimes,” Laehn said. He said the prison term is “an appropriate and fitting punishment, not only given the specifics of that case, but also to make it clear in Greene County if you commit arson, you’re going to prison.”
“Arson is an inherently dangerous crime that poses risks to neighboring property owners, to their property, to their lives, and to firefighters,” he continued. He said a firefighter had gone into the burning house, concerned there might be someone inside. “There weren’t people in the house at the time, but he could have been killed.”
He gave credit to the sheriff’s office, and particularly sheriff Jack Williams, for his persistent effort so the crime didn’t go undetected. “He had a sense that something was wrong. He pretty much single-handedly did the investigation… I want to commend the sheriff’s office, and I also want to make a public statement…. There will be consequences for people who commit arson or insurance fraud.”
Laehn also updated the supervisors on Summit Carbon Solutions’ request to amend its permit to build Phase 1 of its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. The permit was approved in Iowa contingent upon getting approval from South Dakota, but that state has denied the permit twice. Summit’s request is to be able to use any route, taking South Dakota out of the project.
Laehn opined the result could be “a pipeline to nowhere. The Iowa permit does not authorize that.”
Sheriff Williams asked for help from the public in locating any living relatives of James Busby, a Paton town marshal who was killed in 1911 during a postal robbery. Williams has taken steps to have Busby’s name added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC. There will be a ceremony at the memorial wall next spring; Williams is looking for a Busby relative to attend it.
According to the 2011 Heritage of Greene County, Iowa book, the Paton post office was robbed of several hundred dollars early in the morning of May 7, 1911. Two highway men had broken in and blown the safe. Luck wasn’t with them, as they missed their getaway train.
The explosion woke up townspeople who found the open safe. The robbers ran south and Marshal Busby formed a posse. A second posse was formed in Dana. The robbers holed up in a country schoolhouse two miles south of Paton. With the posse heavily armed, Busby went to the schoolhouse and opened the door. He was shot dead.
One of the robbers dragged Busby’s body into the school and used it as a shield at one of the windows. A gun battle ensued. Finally, one of the robbers staggered through the door; his partner was ready for more fighting. The remaining robber kept Busby’s body propped in the window while he fired from behind it. The battle lasted about 30 minutes until the gunman staggered and Busby’s body fell from the window. The story of the post office robbery and the ensuing shoot-out was published in The New York Times the next day. The information in The Heritage of Greene County was submitted by Harold Ruth of Paton.
