State v. Franklin

The defendant, forty-eight years old at the time of the trial, with his wife and two children, had his home south of the railroad tracks in the city of Missouri Valley, Iowa, at which location he operated a cafe and a service station and truck stop. His home and place of business were adjacent to the Boyer River, which emptied into the Missouri River about seven miles distant. On March 5, 1949, there was an ice jam at the mouth of the Boyer River which caused its waters to back 'up and overflow an extensive expanse of territory driving many people from their homes. In defendant’s home the…