Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-07-13
Horrible Murder In JsfferseI
County. =
The Murderer, Nan 4lsty Ysars Old,
Odu0ht! -&t

From the Burlington Hassksge, Of the Al
We have condensed the following particulai
Of the most Aendish and brutal murde
ever committed in this State: a., z.
Late on Saturday evening last 30sh nit.
the citizens Of Fairfield were startled wit
he report that strange family had bee
murdered near Batavia, in Jefferson count
that the bodies Of ! mother, son an,
daughter, had been found in Cedar Greek
in the afternoon, BY dshsrmen, half . mil
north Of Batavia. Sheriff Robb and other
started Immediately FOR that region, wher'
they learned that man and boy, with two
yoke Of oxen and CLOSELY covered wagon
had passed along the road near whore th.
bodies were found late Friday evening. Hi
eingulsr, strange aud exoit,d manner at.
tracted the sttention Of those who happened
to see him, and suspicion at once marked
him as the murderer The Sheriff and 9th
ers promptly followed after him and over.
took him near Upton, Scotland county,
Missouri, in the prairie, on Sunday evenin 6,
and returned to Fairfield With their prisoner
on the I'd. John Kephart is thename Of the
hosry headed villain. He formerly lived
near Trenton, Henry county, and is we'll
known in Washington county, where he has
lived since he left Trenton. 10 or IL years
ago. ia
From son Of the murdered woman, who
was found with Kephart, the following facts
have been elicited: William Willis (oarpen.
ter), the boys father, formerly lived in
Muscstine, Iowa. The boy remembers that
John Kephart came to AuscatiDe to move
the family south. On the journey they
stopped two months in Oass county, No.,
at widow Snyder's, where Ksphart helped
to husk corn. One morning, soon alter
breakfast, his father, who had eaten break
fast well, took suddenly sick and died in less
than an hour. The boys mother, the murd.
cred woman, Jsne Willis, told him that
Kephart gave bis father strychnine in his
food. After the death OF Willis It seems
that they went to the "Oherokee country"
where Kephart kept grocery and sold
whisky to the Indians. This summer
they moved near Fl. Desmoines After liv.
ing there some weeks or mont rs they start
ed 'or Kansas City. % last Tbursdsy they
stopped near the bridge at EddyviIle. camp.
ing out. Mrs. Willis cooked supper, after
which she complained of being sick, laid
down in the wagon and Went to sleep. In
The night, sometime, the by awoke and
discovered that she had deep cash in her
head The three children got out of the
wagon, and Kephart chased Joseph T., aged
IL, and Maria Jane, aged Z, about hslf an
hour, under and around the wagon, with the
Axe in his hand, until they, toe, were killed.
He then placed them beside of their mother,
and pounded their heads with the wagon
hammer. -
The grey headed old villain left Eddyville
soon after the murderous deeds were finished,
and travelled over thirty miles to tho plac
where he no doubt hoped to hide the
victims from human eyss-the
living boy, James Harvey Willis, by his
'ide-and then, when the place was found,
le stripped his victims, put their garments
nto the wagon, took the mother first, and
hen the children, and hid them under the
water, placing log upon them to keep them
lown. The boy, james, says that he has q
brother, Sylvester Willis, living in LOUISE
sunty. On Friday, alter leaving Eddyville,
le looked again for his wagon hammer, and
ound it sticking in the boys head The
,lothes of the victims were all found in the
wagon. Kephast and the woman had quar-
eled about some money. He charged her
vith stealing his money. She claimed that
he money in dispute was given to her by
Ter son. The money v as found by the officers
lid in q keg Of soap gres 80 in the wagon.
There is intense excitement in jefferson
county, but the people are lsw-sbiding, and
vill leave the law to take its course.
kephart is entirely safe until he is regularly
convicted aud hung by law, which fate he
deserves as richly as any man who ever
lied upon the gallows.