Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term
Bolzen
So, I read this as: "Nevertheless, Tracy continued with his insults, approached Mr. Gray, and dealt him a heavy blow on the head with an iron [pin/bolt/nail/peg/etc.???], which are used by draymen to prevent the load on the cart from falling off..."
Does anyone have any idea what sort of iron object would have been used in this way in 1870s St. Louis? I can't imagine a single "bolt" could do it, but perhaps an iron rod strapped over the entire load? I just don't know...
| 4 +5 | iron post |
Kim Metzger
|
| 4 | iron prop or stud |
Chris Pr
|
| 3 | poles |
Michael Martin, MA
|
| 3 | iron bar |
David Hollywood
|
Apr 6, 2020 04:06: Kim Metzger changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/86204">Timoshka's</a> old entry - "Bolzen"" to ""iron post""
Non-PRO (1): OK-Trans
When entering new questions, KudoZ askers are given an opportunity* to classify the difficulty of their questions as 'easy' or 'pro'. If you feel a question marked 'easy' should actually be marked 'pro', and if you have earned more than 20 KudoZ points, you can click the "Vote PRO" button to recommend that change.
How to tell the difference between "easy" and "pro" questions:
An easy question is one that any bilingual person would be able to answer correctly. (Or in the case of monolingual questions, an easy question is one that any native speaker of the language would be able to answer correctly.)
A pro question is anything else... in other words, any question that requires knowledge or skills that are specialized (even slightly).
Another way to think of the difficulty levels is this: an easy question is one that deals with everyday conversation. A pro question is anything else.
When deciding between easy and pro, err on the side of pro. Most questions will be pro.
* Note: non-member askers are not given the option of entering 'pro' questions; the only way for their questions to be classified as 'pro' is for a ProZ.com member or members to re-classify it.
Proposed translations
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English
iron post
A FOUL DEED.—Mr. W. H. Gray, a well-known citizen of St. Louis, died in that city on Monday afternoon, from the effects of being struck with a wagon stake in the hands of a drayman, John Tracy. The later became incensed because Mr. Gray would not have a wagon belonging to him removed to make room for Tracy’s dray. He first struck Mr. Gray with the stock of his whip. A scuffle ensued between the two, and Mr. Gray succeeded in getting the whip. The drayman then followed Mr. Gray with a wagon stake, and when close enough behind him raised the stake and with both hands and struck him on the back of the head, felling him to the ground. Mr. Gray was taken to his home, insensible, and died in three hours. At last accounts, the drayman had not been arrested. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ilgssi/Cairo/obits_1871.html
Stake - one of a number of vertical posts that fit into sockets around a flat truck or railway wagon to hold the load in place https://www.dictionary.com/browse/stake
iron prop or stud
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2020-04-05 02:52:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
You could use pin also, but that may not adequately convey what is implied here... :)
United States
Creativity wins in the long run
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) 
, English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
poles
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
iron bar
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 43 mins (2020-04-05 03:24:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
given the historical context and more likely than stud or bolt
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2020-04-05 03:58:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
and preferable to pole which would suggest vertical
Something went wrong...