New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-10
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN IOWA.
A WOMAN AND TWO CHILDREN MuRDERED-AR-
REST OF THE MURDERER.

Correspondence Of The Burlington Hs~k.eye
FAIRFIELD, July 9, 1860:
Late on SATURDAY eveBScg citizens were startled
with the report that strange family had BEEN mur-
der, ear Batavia in this conpy-that the bcdes Of
fher, eoD ard daughter bad been found 10 Cedar
Creek 10 the afternoon by fishermen, bali mile north
Of Batavia. Our Sheriff Robb and others started i'm
me dately for that region, where he learned that
ard 10y With two yoke Of oxen with c"s,lycovered
wagon had passed along the road near where the
bodies were four late Friday evening". His Tnga-
lar strange excited manner attracted the mott - Of
tbose who happened to see him. and suspicion at once
arked him as the murderer. Sheriff Robb, David L.
Hnfsfuitsr ard others promptly followed after i'm,
ard found that he had crossed TIE Des MONIES above
Portland thence 70 Lebanon, theme fonr miles from
Upton, Scotland County, Mo-. where they overlook
him or the rrari- on Sunday evening and returned 10
this place with the prisoner about o'clock p m to-
day.
John Kephart Is the namo of the hoary-headed vii
lain He formerly lived Trenton, Ia Henry
County and ia well known in Washington Coanty,
where be has lived since he left Trenton, tea or twelve
years ago. AZ =,
villain from the tile boy who is found in hs compa-
nv. William Willis, carpenter, the boys father
Il rmery lived IN Muscatine, Iowa. The boy re mem
hers thai John Kephart came to muscatineto move the
family South. On the journey they stopped two
where Kephart helped to husk corn. One morning.
soon after breakfast his father who had esea break
fast well took suddenly sjck and died in less than an
hour. The boys mother, the murdered woman, Jane
Willis told him that Kephart gave his father strych-
rine in his food.
After the death Of Willis seems they went TO the
Z" Cherokee country" where Kephart kept grocery
apd sold whisky TO the Indians This Summer they
moved nesr Fort Dee Moines After living there Some
weeks or months they started for Kansas CITY. On last
Thursday Trey stopped the bridge at Eddyville,
end ceniped ont Mrs. Willis cooked supper, after
which complained of being sick laid down in the wagon
and WEI to sleep. In the night sometime the boy
awoke and saw that she had deep cash in her head.
The three children sI got ont Of the wagon and Keep
hart chased Joseph t. aged H. aud Maria Jane. aged
shout half an hour under and around the wagon,
with the ak in hand until they too were killed He
then placed them by the eide Of ,be mother pound
| ed their heads with the wagon hammer.
He left Eddyville coon after the murderous deeds
were &, ishet and Travelled over thirty miles to the
place doubt where he hoped to hide the
over sixty years old travelling day and night with an
OK team thirty miles, with the de I'd bodies Of mother
end two children in the wagon, TO find place OF con-
cealuent the living boy, James Harvey Willis, by
| bis side-and then when the place vas found, he
stripped bis victia put their garments into the wagon
took the mother rst and then the chilires and hi
them under the water placing leg upon them to keep
them down.
The hoy Jsre. SAYS that he bias brother, Sylves-
ter Willie living in Lopisa County On Friday after
| leaving EddyvIe, he looked again for bis wagon
bsmp err end found it sticking in the boys bead. The
clothes Of the victims all fonn- his wagon.
Kspbart erd the woman bed quarreed about some ONT
money. He charged her with stealing his money. She
claimed that the mo ey in dispute was given to her by
her sen. The money found by the ofcers hid In
ksg of soap-greaae in the wagon
There is intense exc tement IN Jefferson County on
the law will be left to tSke its course. Kephart L. gu
trely safe until he is regularly convicted and hung By
| law.
The telegraph has since announced that mol
took Kepbar out Of tho custody Of the authorities, an
| hung him.