Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-07-13
The Murder In Js6srson County.
THE MURDERER LYNcHED.


The Murder In Jefferson County.
i THE MURDERER LYNcHED.
The most horrible murder probably eve
pmpetrated within the limits of the State o
Iowa., was that of . mother and her tw,
children, about two miles northeast of Bata
via, in Jefferson County, on Friday evening
the Goth ult
The following particulars Of this bruta
and horrid massacre we clip from cores
pondence to the Burlington Hawk-E Eye, writ
ten under date of Fairfield, July End:
Late on Saturday evening last our citizens
were startled with the report that . strange
family had been murdered near Batavia, in
this county--that the bodies of mother, son
and daughter had been found in Cedar Greek
in the afternoon by fishermen, half a mile
noTth of Batavia. Our Sheriff Robb and
others started Immediately for that region,
where he learned that man and boy, with
two yoke of oxen and closely covered wag.
gon, had passed along the road near where
the bodies were found late Friday evening
His singular, strange, excited manner, at
tracted the notice Of those who happened to
see him, and suspicion at once marked him
as the murderer. Sheriff Robb, David L.
Huffstutter and others, promptly followed
after him and found that he had crossed the
Des Moincs ABOVE Portland, thence to Leban-
on, thence four miles from Upton, Scotland
county, Mo-, where they overlook him in the
prairie on Sunday evening and returned to
this place with the prisoner about o'clock
P. M. to-day.
John Kepart is the name of the hoary head
ed villain. He formerly lived near Trenton,
in Henry county, and is well known in Wash
ington county, where he has lived since he
left Trenton 10 or IL years ago.
gather an imperfect history of the acts Of
this old villain from the little boy who is found
in his company William Willis (carpentcr)
the boys father, formerly lived in Muscatine,
Iowa. The boy remembers that John KEEP
hart came to Muscatine to move the family
South. On the journey they stopped two
months in Cass county, Mo-, at widow Sny-
der's, where Kephart helped to husk corn
One morning, soon after breakfast, his father,
who had eaten breakfast well, took suddenly
sick and died in less than an hour. The
boys mother, the murdered woman, Jane
Willis, told him that Kephart gave his father
strichnine in his food. After the death of
Willis it seems they went to the Cherokee
country" where Kephart kept grocery and
sold whisky to the Indians. This Summer
they moved near Fort Des Moines. After
living there some weeks or months, they
started for Kansas city. On last Thursday
they stopped near the bridge at Eddyville,
camped out. Mrs. Willis cooked supper,
after which, complained Of being sick, laid
down in the wagon and went to sleep. In
the night, sometime, the boy awoke and saw
that she had deep cash in her head. The
three children all got out of the wagon, and
Kephart chased Joseph T. aged IL, and Ma
ria Jane, aged Z, about half an hour, under
and around the wagon with the ak in hand,
until they too were killed. He then placed
them by the side Of the mother and pounded
their heads with the wagon-hammer.
He left Eddyville soon after the murderous
deeds were finished and travelled over 80 miles
to the place where he no doubt hoped to hide
the unfortunate victims from human eyes,
A grey headed old man, over 80 years old,
travelling day and night with an OK team 80
miles, with the dead bodies of mother and
two children in the wagon to find place of
conccalmcnt!-th living boy, James Harvey
Willis, by his side-and then when the place
was found, he stripped his victims, put their
garments into the wagon, took the mother
first and then the children, and hid them un-
der the water, placing a log upon them to keep
them down.
The boy, James, says that he has broth
er, Sylvester Willis, living in Louisa county.
On Friday, after leaving Eddyville, he
looked again for his wagon-hammer and found
IL stuck in the bows head
The clothes Of the victims were all found in
his wagon.
Kephart and the woman had quarreled
about some money. He charged her with
stealing his money. She claimed that the
money in dispute was given her by her son.
The money was found by the officers hid
in keg of soap grease in the wagon.
The same correspondent writing to the
Hawk Eye under date Of July 4th says:
When Kephart was brought to the Jail his
captors came with him on horseback, gallop
ing rapidly to avoid the excited multitude
his feet were tied with rope, one end o.
which was united to allow him to run into
the jail, and he hastily passed into the Gel
with the rope dangling tied to the other leg
This piece Of rope he secreted, in the hurry
and excitement it was not thought of agar
by the Sheriff or any one-this piece Of rope
hand cuffed as he was, he tied to bars of hi.
prison door and slipping the moose around
his neck, standing on the edge of his bed, ie
his body fall, by drawing his knees up hi
kept his feet from the floor.
When found he was spcechless and re
manned speeches. until one hour ago. 1t ].
now thought that he will recover. He cvi
IDENTIFY was determined to die, as he coult
have relieved the choking by standing on hi
feet.
Again the correspondent under date Of July
| 9Th writes:
have just witnessed the most exciting ant
| painful scene. $50 men from the vicinity O
Batavia, where the murdered victims wert
found, came into Fairfield one hour ago, or
ganized on horseback and in wagons, passed
around the public park, orderly and quiet
the poor orphan boy in the van. They rode
to the court house and Jail, surrounded it and
halted, our citizens rapidly assembled
County Judge asked to be heard-next vii
son, Slagle, Collins, from Batavia, Acheson
Negus, hanson, Myers, and others. They
were all listened to-they asked not to defend
Keuharf hrt anr,oa1nd tn all rood citizens r.