Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-27
CONFESSION
or the Latest Victim TO Religious Fanat-
icism-HOW and Why John Kemm-
Ter. of HOlyOke, Massachusetts,
Shot His Three Children
to Death.
He Feared They would Lead Bad Lives
when They Grew Up, and Felt Con-
WINGED that 1t was His Duty to
Send Them to Heaven.

dren by John Kemmler still continues to be
the chief topic of conversation In this vlcln-
ity, and the greatest excitement prevails.
The murderer is very intelligent-looklng
German, who has resided here for about
seven years, and worked in the mills. He
has been a sober, industrious man, and, while
generally regarded as an ''odd genius, he has
never been considered insane. During the
course of an interview he was asked:
"Did you shoot your children deliberately 2"
Yes, of course l did," he replied, with
emphasis; 81 shot them all, and they died
and went to heaven"
''Why didn't you shoot yourself?"
''Why, that wouldn't be right. / should
go to hell if / should shoot myself"
''But how could you shoot those little in
nocent children?"
"How could IP How could l see them
grow up and come on the town, and by and
by see them going OFF into bad housesp L
thought that if l killed them now they would
be all right. They would die and 90 straight
to heaven"
'But they would not need to Come on the
town. You are not an old man, and could
support them well enough"
81 am about forty-eight years old. am
too old to work, and it makes no difference
what becomes of me, and now my wife won
have the children to take care of. She can
do washing and other work and earn enough
to live on. II is better for her than to have
the children"
''Did you love your chIldren?"
"Why, of course l did, and that is why
l shot them. They didn't feel it. put the
pistol close to their head, and they died right
off and went to heaven"
Describe the shooting as you did il"
"Well, you see, my little Emma was lying
on the bed, and my eldest little girl was tax
ing care of her. The little one fell off the
bed the other day and hurt herself very
much, and I felt sorry for her. l always
loved my children and could not bear to see
them take any hurt, so l told the eldest to
take of her when she was on the bed, and
see she didn't fall again. So she was stand
ing by the bed and | called my little Anna
into the other bedroom and told her l had
got something to show her." Here the man
laughed 6endlshly. "Then l pulled my re-
volVer out of my coat pocket, and when she
was looking at it she said, 'Oh, how pretty,
and she fell right down. Then went into
the bedroom where the others were, and my
little one lay right there on the pillow, and
thought could shoot her, too, so she would
die right away and never feel it. ~
And then you shot the eldest, didn't
you?"
thought l might as well kill her, and 30
shot her, too, and she fell right down on the
floor"
did you bring Anna into the bedroom
and lay her on the bed?"
Yes, picked her up off the floor and car
ried her just where the others were, and laid
her on the bed, just as nice as l could.
'But you lett the eldest lying In the blood
on the floor. Why didn't you pick up her
body, too?"
'tShe bled 60 much that I thought the
blood would get all over the bed, and it could
be cleaned off from the floor much more east
ly than from the bed
"What do you suppose will be done with
your"
me up in jail. 1t makes no difference, am
just as well off there as anywhere"
"But they will hang you for this
"Well, don't care. They may do what
they please. | don't make the laws. | had
got to do it. These children couldn't live to
come on the town and go to bad houses. /
might"
''Then you are christian. are you?"
eyes, am a good protestant christian. 1
never have had time to go to church in Hol-
yoke, but l used to go when was in North
ampton."
Besides the above the following facts were
learned about Reminders history: He was
born in the southern portion of Germany in
August, 1841. He left home in 1857 and
went to England. From England to Spain,
thence to Gibraltar, Morocco, the Cape of
Good Hope and Zanzibar. He came to Amer
lea in 1860, and worked in Easthampton that
summer for Pomeroy & Sen, in their brick
tumn of 1860, aHd shipped on an English
merchantmen. He followed the sea until
1865, when he went home TO Germany. He
remained in Germany until 1866, when he
again came to America. He went to North
amptop, and then to Amherst, working In
Amherst for a man named Adams. He next
went to Connecticut, to place called Ham
over, where he timed spoons. While living
at Hanover he went fishing one hot day and
received sunstroke. He had terrible head
aches for some time afterW ard and knew that
he was watched for some time, his fellow
workmen thinking that he was out of his
head. He apparently recovered his health
and went back to Northampton to work.
There he married Annie Won Shierce, the
mother of the three children he murdered.
He worked at Northampton for the Bay
State cutlery company, Clement, Hawkes.
& Maynard, and the Riverside cutlery COM
paDy, and was four years in a paper
mill. He found it difficult to mske living,
so quit work and went to Southington
Connecticut, where he worked for Peck
Stoves & Wilcox, making scales. While
there his wife was sick, and the medical ex-
penses were so much that be could not make
money enough to pay them. He came to
Holyoke about four years ago and had work
ed in the Germania mills since that time I'M
til last April. He received one dollar and
seventy cents per day for wages. In April
of this year he thought he would go to the
Black Hills and see if he could not make a
fortune. He had heard of men getting rich
there, and on April Oath he drew one hun
bred and sixty dollars from the Mechanics
savings bank and one hundred dollars from
a Northampton savings bank and started for
the Black Hills. While there he heard of
the excitement at Leadville, and bought q
next night, while Kemmler. was encamped
the Indian stole the horse. While telling
tie story of the horse-st ealing Kemmler
swore he would have killed the Indian if he
could have found him. This remark he re-
peated several times. He became discour-
aged and started for home. When he ar
rived at Omaha, on his return trip, he tried
to obtain work of farmer, but could not
make bargain. He made up his mind
while west to kill his children when he got
home.
He said: 'FIhey are small now and good
as anybody's children. If kill them they
will go straight to heaven, will never do any
thing bad, and will never be bad girls"
When he got to Chicago he had thirty dol
lars, and bought a ticket to Boston for four
teen dollars. He arrived holne week ago
asst Wednesday. Last Sunday he thought
he matter over and decided to kill the chill
lren this week. He was with the children
down by the river Thursday night, and |
bought of their falling down on the cold, |
lamp ground. He thought he would wait |
and kill them In the house. Friday evening |
lie went out and practlced with his pistol to |
ice if it was all right, and yesterday after
loon sent his wife away and then killed them.
He repeatedly said, 81 am growing old. |
amt make money to send them to school and
iress them well, and l am afraid they will
De bad
While he was narrating this story an officer
anne in and told him that one of the chill
lren was alive. At this Kemmler jumped at
he grated door, like a Gagged lion, and
houted, ''Let me out; let me go kill her. 1
lon't want her in pain"
When the officer told him that the child
would soon die he quoted down and said,
'Oh, it is all right, then" He repeatedly
Isked the bystanders if they did not think he
lid riUht Ho Gaid that ha would NOT hava |