The San Francisco call., 1895-11-26
He Took Three Lives Because
His Father Had Struck
Him.
HIS MOTHER THE LAST VICTIM
McKercher, the Visitor, Shot While
Running From the Enraged
Young Fiend.

ALBANY, Or, Nov. 25.-Lloyd Mont
gomery is the self-confessed slayer of his
father and mother and D. V. McKercher
at the Templeton farm, three miles from
Brownsville, on Tuesday afternoon. Bit
by bit the vicious young murderer has
told the entire story of the killing. His
contradictory statements made lmmedi-
ately after his arrest, in which no Gre
dence was placed, were followed by a
strange and improbable yarn to the effect
that he avenged the killing of Mr.. and
Mrs. Montgomery by shooting Mckercher,
the caller at his fathers house, who, he
stated, did the killing.
To-day Montgomery freely admitted the
triple murder in the presence OF several
witnesses. The confession OF the young
tiend was dramatic in the extreme. He
stated that the deed was done in moment
of angry passion. He did not know what
he was doing. Before he told his story he
broke down and cried like child, and over
and over he walled:
~ wish l had it all to do over again. |
wish | had not done it. When L shot my
father and mother did not know what [
was doing"
Montgomery's attorney was not present
at the confession, and the boy. who is is
years of age, told his story without coer-
cion.
"McKercher came up to my fathers
house that afternoon" he said. "They
were at the front gate talking when l came
down from hunting. Ny. mother asked
me to get some wood for her. l was tired
and did not feel like getting it, but got it
presently. Anyway, L went out TO the
front yard again. McKercher was talking
to my father about some money my father
like if father could let him have few
dollars.
"My father ordered me to go around
and get him drink Of water. [ told him
did not want to. | said something else
and then he slapped me in the face. l had
always had an awful bad temper, and his
slapping me in the face made me so wild
that didn't know anything, and it always
seemed to me, anyway, that they tried to
make dog OF me. [ ran around the
corner of the house, and got my rife and
shot my father down.
"McKercher ran toward the house.
shot at him, but missed him. He said
something about not shooting him, but I
fired again and he dropped in the sitting
room.
"Ma was screaming and tried to get
away from me. She yelled at McKercher
to look out, but before she could get the
kitchen-door closed I shot her twice and
she dropped. After this I left the rifle
lying on McKerchers legs, thinking that
when people found it out they would think
that McKercher had done the killing in a
quarrel. I went out into the pasture and
waited till l thought that the children had
come home from school. Then 1 came
back to the house.
ooh. wish" Montgomery here cried
"that I hadn't done it. I didn't know
what was doing.
81 read about the Durrant case and
some other cases of killing, and after it
was over thought that could get out Of
it by saying that had been at the house
only little while before, and that Nc
Kercher would get mixed up in it.
Young Montgomery does not seem to
realize that his confession means the death
penalty. He said nothing about what he
expected, but it is evident that he thinks
that some mercy will be shown him be-
cause the deed was committed in fit of
madness. The confessed murderer has a
hard reputation all over the country. He
has frequently had trouble with his
parents, and was of ungovernable temper
and almost unmanageable. About year
ago he was caught in a forgery case, and
got out of it by his father paying two
false notes. His father was always in
mortal terror of him, and was afraid that
he would kill some of the family in fit of
passion.
Since Montgomery has been in Jail here
the full force of his desolate and perilous
position seems to have had its effect upon
him. Yesterday his mind was SO weighed
down by brooding over the killing of his
parents that he called in the jail-keeper
and said he would tell it all. He then told
the story that McKercher had killed his
parents during the quarrel, and just then
he happened on the scene and avenged his
parents death.