The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-07-05
A Woman and Two Children
Murdcrcl--.FOun in Cedar
Creek, , miles N. h. of Bata.
via. Jefferson Go. 49, Descrip-
linn.
BATAyIA. June 30th. IS,


At about 2 o'clock, p NJ, woman and
two children were found in Cedar Creek,
about 2 miles northeast of Batavia, evident
ly murdered and thrown into the Creek.
They were near where the Iowaville and
Lancaster road crosses the stream. The
woman, think, is about 80 years Of age :;
small size; dark hair; has a cash cut in her
forehead, and one behind her right ear The
skull bone is broken in, and there is a bad
cut in the back part of her head, where the
skull is also broken. Her left shoulder is
broken. The wounds evidently were made
with an axe, or some other deadly weapon.
She was dressed in a skirt and sack, and
stockings. The little boy resembles. his
mother, and is, I think, five years old. Two
wounds on his forchead;one, left the skull bro
ken and brains oozing out The back part Of
his head mashed. Dressed with cotton shirt,
blue drill pants and suspenders of the same
The little girl is about three years old, with a
family resemblance to the other two. Her
right check cut off, with upper lip and part
of her nose, with her gums, teeth and her
jaw-bcne gone, OH the right side Of her face
They have been laying in the water, it is
thought, about two or three days-pcrhapS
longer. Two persons, from appearances,
must have been cngagcdin the preparation of
the deed, as we found tracks of two where
they carried them down the bank into the
water. Quite quantity of blood was found
on the banks near by. They have not been
identified yet, though there were perhaps Is
persons on the ground. 1t is certainly one
ofthe most brutal murders ever perpctrated
A. COLLINS.
n B.-The bodies have been brought near
the Depot, where they can be en-. The
woman has five of her fore teeth out of the
upper jaw, and three of t te lower, and one
broken off even with the gums in the lower
jaw. They were found by man who was
| fishing in the creek, and were partially COW
cred with water
jfLATER-THE MURDERER ARRESTED.
The County Judge of Jefferson County,
VIM. X. Alexander, promptly issued Pro-
clamation Offering reward of 5000 for the
arrest of the murderers, and an additional
reward was pledged by citizens of Fairfield.
This was followed by immediate pursuit, and
we have information to-day, Tuesday, that
the murderer was caught near the Missouri
line, and brought back to jefferson, and
lodged in jail at Fairfield. He was travelling
with an OK team, two yoke and a wagon
boy was with him, who witnessed the MUIR
der, but escaped into the woods. The muir
der was committed in the wagon, and the
blood caused stencil almost msupportable
Some reports represent the man from Soap
Creek, in this county, that he formerly ped
died baskets. Others say he was from
Wayne county. 1t is gratifying to learn
that measures so efficient were so promptly
adopted by the officers and citizens of JEFF
ferson county to bring the perpetrator of
this murder to justice, and that success has
crowned the efforts.
We do not altogether credit reports of
threatened violent punishment of the pris-
oner by the people of Jefferson, although it
is not impossible This is said not to be the
first murder committed by this man. 1t is
to be hoped it will he the last.
"WEDNESDAY.
Information of tie old villain, the other
parties and the murder, has been obtained of
the surviving boy. JOHN KEPHART is the
name of the wretch. He once lived near
Trenton, Henry Co., this State, and is well
known in Washington county, where he
lived some twelve years after he left Tfen-
ton. VIM. Willis, the boys father, lived in
Muscatine. Kephart came to Muscatine to
move the family South. They stopped two
months in Cass county, Mo-, at a widow
Snyder'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
to the Cherokee country" where Kephart
kept grocery and sold whiskey to the In,
dams. 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 cook
ed 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 a deep cash in
her head The three children all got out of
the wagon, and Kephurt chased Joseph T.
aged II, and Mariah Jane, aged 7, about
half an hour, under and around the wager
with the ak in hand, until they too were
the mother and Po1Raat rei II ftaas wifi
the wagon hammer.
He left Eddyville soon after the murder.
Gus deeds were finished and travelled over
80 miles t. the place where he no doubt hop
ed to hide the unfortunate victims from hu.
man eyes. A grey headed old man, over 60
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 concealment /! the living boy
James Harvey Willis, by his side-and then