Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-04-24
The Amador Parricide.

There have been many conflicting rumors
regarding the killing on Sunday last near
Forest Home of John kessler by his 10
year-old boy From what can be learned
the entire family is bad lot, and their
associates of the worst class. Mrs Kessler,
according to the Amador Sentinel, has made
very contradictory statements regarding the
affair, and is contradicted by her 12-year-
old daughter. The latters statement
is believed About o'clock Sunday
morning word reached Forest Home that
John kesSler had accidentally shot and
killed himself. Some of the neighbors i'm
mediately went to the house. They found
the old man lying on the kitchen floor in
pool of blood, and around MIN his wife
10 years When asked regarding the
death of her husband Mrs. Kessler said
that about o'clock that morning, while
she, Johnny-the eldest boy, and Mary,
the eldest girl, were out milking the COWS,
the rest of the children being in bed, they
heard the report of shotgun in the house.
She rushed to the door and met her hus-
band coming with outstretched arms, bleed
ing profusely from a wound in the abdo-
men, and speaking family. While bathing
his face with camphor he fell to the floor
and expired, She sent word TO Mr.. Meiss,
one of her neighbOrs, and started the eldest
boy to inform her relatives, living on the
Costumes river. She told this story in a
straightforward manner corroborated by
the children, testified to it at the Coroners
examination and was generally believed
by the public. Late in the afternoon of
the same day Constable Jehu and District
Attorney MCGEE, who happened to
be in the vicinity Of the crime,
and made a thorough personal ex-
animation, pronounced it case of muir
der instead of suicide, as was at first
thought. The Constable subjected the en-
tire family to cross-examination. but all
to no purpose, for they persistently ad-
hered to the first statement made by Mrs.
kesSler-that it was q case of accidental
death. On leaving, the District Attorney
took the eldest boy with him to Plymouth,
although he had not been placed under ar
rest.
On the following day an autopsy was
held, which showed that two shots had
been fired, one taking effect in the chest,
fired at a distance of about fifteen Yards
and the other in the abdomen, fired at
close range, as the body bore powder
marks.
The eldest girl made a confession to the
District Attorney, and upon the strength of
IL tne DlSiTlCC attorney arrested the Oldest
boy, John kessler Jr., upon a charge of
| murder He was taken before Justice for
examination. The only witness examined
was his 12-year-old sister, who made the
| following statement Sunday morning,
about : o'clock, my father, who has always
| abused and thrashed my mother since can
remember, struck her because she gave the
children some crackers. My brother John
ny interfered, and he kicked him over and
ran my mother and the rest of us out of
| the house with an AK. | ran around the
| north side of the house, to put Oil my shoes
and stockings. My father was then some
place near the south end of the house, and
| could not see him from where ! was sit
ting My brother John came around the
corner opposite 10 the side where nv father
was, with shotgun in his hands He
| walked past me to the corner of the house,
in sight of my father, raised the gun to his
shoulder pointed it in the direction where
supposed my father was standing, and
fired" At this point the witness was
stopped by the District Attorney, and the
Court held the 15-year-old defendant for
murder. Although this was all the evil
dence brought out, the supposition is that
after the boy fired the first shot he fired the
second into his fathers body at very short
range. The prisoner is Is years of age and
it is said there is nothing in his appearance
to indicate depraved character and the in
ference is that the fatal shot was fired under
the most aggravated circumstances.