The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-07-18
a Box,s USsAzuRAL DEED.
He Murders Father, Mother, Brother
and Sister Wishout Provoeation.


TOPEKA, Kan, July 1.-THE trial of
Willie Sells, aged sixteen years, for the
murder of his father. mother, brother and
sister, will begin at Erie, this State, on
Monday. The youth Of the criminal. the
number and relation It the victims, the
entire lack of provocation, the manner of
the killing and the circumstances of the
case, make it almost unprecedented in the
annals of crime. The morning of March
Sth, Willie made his appearance at the
farm house of nsighbor, Mr. Kendall, and
in an excited tone stated that strange
man had been at his home during the night
and he thought had hurt his father, as he
was lying on the floor with blood on his
face. Willie said he awakened and saw a
man standing In the door between the
room Willie and his brother slept in and
the one occupied by the parents and sister.
II got nay clothes on the foot of the bed
and was putting them on when the man
turned, locked at me and then ran out into
the yard. /, did not try to arouse my
brother, but put ON my pants and went
int the room where my parents were
sleeping to get my boots and overcoat. l
saw my father on the floor with blood on
his face, but thought his nose was bleed
ing as he was troubled that way. put on
my boots and overcoat to see if I could
find the stranger. When passed out of
the door he was standing in the yard but
ran. pursued him for half mile when
he mounted horse held by another man
and both rode away as fast as they could
60" Upon hearing this story Mr.. Mendall
accompanied Willie home. The floor was
covered with blood, in which he fairly had
to wade Old man Sells was lying on the
floor with the whole back paxt of his head
crushed In and his throat cut SO deep that
his head was almost severed from his body.
Near him, also on the floor, was the body
Of Mrs. Sells, with her skull crushed and
throat cut in the same manner. A few
feet away, in bed in a corner, lay the
body of Miss Ida Sells, with her
skull crushed and throat cut from ear
to ear, and in the adjoining room
in the same bed on which Willie had been
sleeping, was the body of Waite Sells, with
large cash in his forehead, one of his
eyes chopped out, and his throat cut SINH
lar to the others. Mr.. Mendall found q
large Ratchet covered with blood and hair
lying on chair, and about foot from the
body of the father butcher knife, which
was also covered with blood. The officers
In the morning made an examination, but
found no trace of the stranger or horse
tracks, although Willies tracks were plain
~ lndented in the mud. Returning to
Sells house wash basin Of bloody water
was found on the stove, in which the per-
petrator had washed his hands. It waa
discovered that Willie had washed his
hands and wrists, but above the wrists
blood was found on his arms. There was
blood under his finger-nails also, and his
underclothing was considerably stained.
There was purse containing 5000 uuder
MIR. Sells's pillow, and two watches hang
ing in plain sight we're undisturbed, SO
that there is no probability that the crime
was committed for the purpose of robbery.
Previous to this horrible occurrence the
boy has borne a good reputation, and
stouty denies the preparation of the deed
and afHrms that if he committed it it was
IN his sleep, or when his reason was de-
throned. It is said that he was a constant
reader of dime novels, and had several
times expressed desire to become hero.