The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-10-19
THE ADA ATKINSON MURDER.

THE ADA ATKINSON MURDER.
Jacob Melting Confcsses to Having Conn
mitted the Horrible Deed-A Feeble At
tempt at Lynching Defeated.
FOWLER, Ind, Oct. 17-NelIing was
brought into the County Court room Tues
day afternoon. lie took his seat in the wit
ness stand and faced the solidly- packed
citizens who had been waiting almost an
hour for him. His demeanor was even
calmer than Monday, when he was swearing
away young Ladd's life. Early in the morn
ing the prisoner made written confession.
1t was handed him for Identification. Adj
iusting pair Of spectacles he said he rec
ognized it as his. Then, in an impressive
manner, almost dramatic. Colonel Dehart
read his confession in these words:
81, Jacob Melting, being duly sworn, ac-
knowledge that killed Ada Atkinson with my
pocket-knife, shown to-day in open court iii
the Benton County courthouse. l killed her
under the following circumstances. Before
started to do it something came over me and
entlced me to do SO. / started from the fence
on the east side of the orchard to the house
entered the south door of the house. / went
up stairs and found Ada up there. I said to
!
me not to do it, that she did not want to die
that way. | told her / should do it, but don't
recollect what she said. Then took hold of
her and threw her down on the floor Then /
cut her throat Then | became frenzied and
made the other cuts. 1t seems my mind
left me, and / did not care what [ was
gong. 4 can not explain the raising of her
clothes or the rest of the cutting, but sup
pose did it all. Ihad no motive that [ remem-
Der for killing her in this manner, and ! did
not attempt to ravish her, and had no desire
n CT Ac loft T 70 AZ,
m1lk-house and washed my hands and the
knife in the basin, which had lying on the
end of the milk tank near the door. threw
the water in the yard and likely it soaked into
the grass. did not get my clothes bloody,
because the blood did not fall. 1t seems to me
that had hold on the handkerchief which
was around her neck, and might have twist
ed it when cut her throat. After washing
the blood Off my hands and knife | went back
through the orchard to my work do sol
EMMY swear that Jerome Ladd is innocent of
the murder, and that he did not visit me that
day, and that the previous statements have
made about him are false in every particular
JACOB NJ. MELTING.
p. s.: will state that [ have not been
forced to make this confession, and that
make it voluntarily without any expectations
OF immunity from justice.
al NJ. NELL1NG.''
Melting said that was his confession, and
he renewed it there in open court Being
questioned by Judge Coffroth, he said he
had never attempted to outrage the girl !;
had never in his life made her indecent
propositions. On his trial it will be
proved, however, that he had made such
proposals to Ada, Lucy and little girl
named Adsitt. He said he was in the house
about twenty minutes, and that Ada did not
struggle much. He does not remember
striking her in the head or making the many
stabs about her body, but protests that he
was not in his right mind though he clearly
remembers the generalization, and gives q
detailed account of what he did before and
after the murder, and remembers cutting
the girls throat
A warrant was brought forth. Justice
Hawley opened court and held Melting for
murder. The Sheriff rose to lead Melting
away to Jail, when the crowd began to
surge toward him with threatening aspect.
Cephas Atkinson, father of the girl, who
had weepingly heard the cold-blooded
manner in which the brute had told of the
horrible murder, sprang to his feet
and cried "Take him out, meaning for the
crowd to hang Melting, but his voice was
weak and few heard the command, else no
power could have saved Melting an hour.
Friends gathered about Atkinson and
turned his attention to other things, while
Judge Coffroth arose and in calm, easy
manner dispelled the terrible excitement,
bidding the lawful citizens Of Benton
County to continue to merit the
good reputation they had established for
patience and order, and promising them if
Melting were permitted to come to legal
trial no power should save him from the
gallows The speech gave the Sheriff time
to remove the prisoner to the JAIL SUBJ
stantial stone building apart from the county
house, and lock him securely within six
iron doors before the crowd started from tho
room.
At once the crowd went to the jail, but
were met at the door by the Sheriff, who
counseled letting the law take its course,
and the excitement was suppressed for the
time.
About nine o'clock last night three or four
hundred men surrounded the jail, but there
was no leader and no determined action was
taken. Along in the evening ex-Sheriif
Harman made speech to the crowd, advis-
ing them to let the law take its course. The
better element also advised tie populace to
disperse and go to their homes.
After midnight, after two unsuccessful at
tempts to break into the Jail had been made,
the crowd dispersed for railroad ties, ropes,
etc., to aid them in forcing an entrance.
Several of the men went to a vacant lot,
and, with timber which seems to have been
provided, they erected a rude scaffold A.
rope was soon forthcoming. Then the men
went back to the Jail and stood there seem.
ingly lost Tor lack of leader.
Young Laid was congratulated by hun
dredS. Detective Harris is here, and has
the well-earned praises of everybody.
Melting is fifty years of age. He was
born in New Jersey, came West early in
life, and located in Shelby County, Ind. He
was married at twenty-five, and had two
children. He enlisted for the war; His
wife, for some unexplained reason,
refused to live with him, and went
to her father in Kansas. She
took the children. The attorneys
have information of an attempted
rape upon young girl at Goshen, Ind,
about that time, and this may have been the
cause of his wife's separation. He was EN-
ployed for twelve years on the farm Of Joe
Atkinson, uncle of the murdered girl. He
left there, and, after working for Ferry and
others about two years, came back to tho
Atkinson neighborhood. He was an efficient
man about the farm and soon found employ
ment at CephaS Atkinson's. Save in the
inability to control violent temper he
was an excellent farm hand, kindly, oblig-
ing, and handy about the house. He was
rather reserved in his manner, respectful,
and seemed very conSiderate of Ada, who
was the baby girl of the household. He was
always ready to do her bidding. He is a
spare man, but very tough and why. That
he has iron nerves is shown in the undis-
turbed GOODNESS with which, until yesterday,
he passed through the terrible ordeal of the
twenty-one days since the murder, sleeping
under the same roof and mingling with the
bereaved and stricken family
A Modern Fable.
A dog, on warm summer day, lay