The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-12-20
THE MCMILLAN MURDER.
Pleas OF Guilty entered This Morning
By Pearcs and Reed

Pleas OF Guilty Entered This Morning
by Pearco and Reed
Before Justice Fietchsr. A1d the Grim
IaaIs demanded Without Bail.
The subatanes OF the coaSsssien Made
By Pearcs Lat Evening.
Conflicting Stories Told ~ Reed in
Relation 20 the ngurdlor.
Az stated in THE News last week
John z. Pearce made confession at
late hour "Wednesday Of his guilt in con-
nection with the Mcmillan murder, and
implicated Reed in the tragedy. The
substance of his statement IL As follows:
Il Onthe night OF the murder I'Was in
Emporia, and at abouh7 O'Clock Reed
and l found an old sickle-bar on the
south side OF the railroad. near the stone
yard at the Commercial street crossing.
took the bar and broke nf piece. be-
fore doing which pulled Of my over
coat and Ind it In the weeds.
IL lad on a short, dark coat,
which would look black at night. and
black SLOUGH hat. While was break
ing the bar man about my size came
along with & black hAE on and OverAlls
which were tucked In his boots.
I BROKE THE BAR,
and Reed and / thsn.walked vest = short
DISTANCE sad placed Il IN an
empty box car We waited ashOEt time
and then went eeas toward The Junction-
We then turned ana walked east sRAinin
the direction Of the gasWorks, sad OVER
took MCMILLAN who was walking To-
ward town on the track. Neither Of Us
had ever seen him before. asked
for
PIPE FULL or TOBACCO
or q chew, and while he was getting Il
for me Reed came up behind him and
struck him with the sickle-bar. He
struck him twice and then dropped the
bar. / then picked itup and hit him
once. He fell as struck the blow.
When struck him he was staggering
toward me. think the last blow
killed him. He staggered and rolled
toward the south.
REED TOOK THE WATCH
and the money. He had about $500.
We then laid the body on the
track, Reed taking the feet
and the head. We then
ran back 70 camp. We left camp the
next morning At O'Clock and went in
the direction of BItlertown. gave ell
the money 1 had except $3.50 to AcIn
tosh and . boy with white hat to keep
for me. They agreed 30 meet me at
Usage City and return Il. bat they
NEVER SHOWED Up.
parted with the gang at BitlertoWn
where We broke into q house to get
something to eat. and spent part OF
Sunday and Sunday night IN box car
near the Junction. ! went TO Reading
and from there to Usage county. where l
hired out to 3 farmer to plant trees.
did not see Reed and Mcintosh after
parting with them at BIslertown till /
saw them in Jail. Reed and tore up
some papers belonging to Mcmillan.
BADLEY RATIFIED.
Reed upon being interviewed again
last night at first admitted that he had
struck Mcmillan once, but maintained
that Pierce had struck the first blow.
He afterward denied, however, having
taken any part In the murder, and de-
clgred that his first statement as made
on Tuesday night was correct. Then he
again confessed to having been party
60 the murder, and this sue
cession of contradictions was kept up by
him for some time. VIII en- asked by
one Of the officers why he pursued such
a course, he replied that he was so
BADLY CONFUSED
that he didn't know what he was dong.
Later in the evening. he admitted to I'm.
der Sheriff Kremer that he had hit Nc
MILAN once. and said that he thought
he ought 70 have q lighter sentence than
Pearce for giving the thing away tn the
officers.
| FACE TO FACE.
Late in the evening Pearce and
Reed were brought face To face
In the same room, when the form
Or said: Reed, you MAJ as
well own mp to your share Of the
business, a. your are - deep into It as 4
am" Reed finally acknowledged that
he had helped to Kill McMIllan but then
! denied It. He expressed surprise Ct the
altered appearance Of Pearce. and said
he had fallen away 30 much that he
would scarcely have known HIM.
IN COURT.
Thursday County Attorney Feighan
fled an information with Justice fetch
er against the criminals charging them
with murder. The defendants were
quietly brought into the court room and
: the state appeared by J. w. Feighan,
prosecuting attorney, and the de
PENDANTS were duly advised and instruci.
ed as to the nature of the pro
: ceedings, whereupon the said defend
y ants, Pearee and Reed, each plead
ed guilty to the charge of mu rderIng w
Z Fl. Mcmillan at Emporia, Lyon county,
II Kansas, on the Sd day of November
1888, and they, the said John E. Pearce
and the said Elmer Reed. said defend.
N ants both waived an examination.
,fI WhereupOn, the court finds that felo
~ ny has been committed, to- wit: the vii
, full, premeditated, malicious murder o.
m w. Fl. Mcmillan, In the first degree, and
m there 10 probable cause to believe
,e John E. Pearce and Elmer Reed SAID
N defendants, guilty thereof. Whereup.
,e on, the said detendants Pearce and ReeC
Il. were remanded TO the custody OF thG
I'd sheriff of Lyon county, T. L. Ryan, 4
D. be committed to the jail thereof withou
m bail, and to appear before the dlstriC
Ee court in and for Lyon county at Its mex
u. term thereof to answer the complain
II filed against them.
IA Pearce was visibly moved and she
ae team when he entered his plel
a Reed was stolid and indiffer
4 emit and manifested no emotion. The
" are both extremely anxious TO get OF I
"a the penitentiAry, and Pearcs asked thi
,a morning whether the justice could nc
of sentence them.
n. THE BEST OF ORDER
prevailed during the proceeding, an
only very small number OF persOu
90 were present. Last night Under ShsrI
Kremer stayed mp with the prisoner
which seemed to greatly quiet sthei
j. fesrs. There were groups Of men aroun
10 the court house till long after mIdnlgh
but there was no intimatIon Of an
- breach Of the peace.
=. SHERIFF RYAN
=. returned Thursday from Kansas Cit
- and says the chemical analysis who
- has been made by an expertat that plaG
- disclosed the fact that the spots On h
- overcoais worn on the Aight Of the mu
q. der by Pesrce and Reed were bloc
=. stains. The sheriff informs Us tn
!. young McIntosh made TO him some da,
- $50 the same statement which he sWo