Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-10
KILLING OF FRED SELLERS
Preliminary Hearing of Olive HisoO1 and
Brothers Begun.'ie
MURDERED MANS WIFE on 1HE STAND
Criminal Relations Between Her Hus-
band and the Girl Described
Testimony that shooting Was
Threatened Long Ago.

fu1
TEKAMAH. Neb.. June 9.--(Special Tele-
gram)-The preliminary hearing of the three
Hiscoxes for the murder OF Fred Sellers
at Oakland last week was commenced in
the county court this morning. Several OF
the states witnesses were. examined and an
adjournment taken until morning.
Mrs. Sellers. wife of the murdered man,
was the first witness. She was acquainted
with the Hiscox family for years and had
known Olive. the girl accused OF the muir
der. since she was or 10 years old. she
knew them back in Cherokee, Ia. where
most of her life had been spent. She saw
her husband last about o'clock on the
evening before the shooting. He said he
was going to Bancroft to try TO trade on
some property. She next saw him about
O clock the following morning at the nome
OF Olive Hiscox. on that morning oliVe
Hiscox came to her house and asked her
to come with her as she had something
she wanted to show her. Mrs. Sellers re-
plied that she did not think she had any
thing she wanted TO see, to which oiiVe
replied: mo. even the body of your dead
husband?" In answer TO subsequent ques-
,ions Olive acknowledged that she killed
him and did ii for revenge upon Mrs. sell
lers for having turned her out of her home
some years previously. Mrs. Sellers then
accompanied her 10 'he H'use' "N'i' Si
husband lay.
WHERE THE TROUBLE BEGAN.
Mrs Sellers testified that the Hiscox girl
worked as a domestic for her on their farm
| In Iowa about four years ago, and that she
| remained with them but few months, when
she was discharged. tecause OF the wltes sus-
picion that all was not as ii should be be-
| tween the husband and the girl. Some
months after that the girl and Sellers were
| arrested at Early, Ia, upon complaint OF
| the wife the two being In the neighborhood
and passing themselves OF as man and
wife At this time Mrs. Sellers agreed. II
| the girl would keep away and not break VI
| her family she would send her away to
school and pay for her support until she
| was able to earn II herself, and did send heI
to school at Carol, la. She testified that
| some two years ago the Hiscox girl again
came to the farm on which they lived and
STAYED for some weeks in an old deserted
| barn. where Sellers visited her. Mrs. Sell
lers went to the barn and caught both hel
husband and the girl there, and afterward
getting the girl alone, secured promise
from her that she would leave and let then
alone. That was the last she had seen o
her until the Oakland tragedy
| DR.. Sward. the physician called to attend
the man, testified as to the location of the
wound which caused the death and iden'
| titled the clothing worn by the deceased
The wound re described as about foul
inches above the right nipple and the bull
let was traced through the upper lobe o,
the right lung across the body, in a down
ward and backward course, through the
left lung striking the third rip and defect
ing downward and striking the seventh IT'D
1t was inflicted with a 32-ca4iber revolver
Dr. Simon county corohe-i testified as Il
| stories told by the two HiscoH boys about
the murder, which were substantially as
printed in The Bee Of the .-4th. Charles
| Mann, the constable at Oakland. in whose
| custody the Hiscoxes we're for day aftel
the murder, testified that the. girl said she
| and Sellers got into friendly scufle anc
that Sellers picked up a.TeyolFer from thf
table and she grabbed 1t, when II was dis
ali night. that she meant him no harm and
loved him as she had never loved any Other
| man.
A brother of the murdered man, from
Cherokee county, Iowa, testified that he had
known of the relations existing between MS
brother and the Hiscox girl. and he recol-
lected the time she was staying in the old
deserted barn. He went there and found
her standing in one of the stalls on an old
blanket He had lengthy conversation
with her. in which he persuaded her to &c
away and break up the relations existing
between her and the brother, Fred. She
threatened then to some time shoot her
lover, and acknowledged herself TO be the
woman who few nights before, had stood
of several men in that vicinity at the point
of a revolver, and said she would not have
cared If she had killed all of them.
The prisoners still bear their bold from
and do not seem to be in the least worried
over the outcome of the case. The fathe
of the girl is here from Cherokee. Mrs
Sellers. wife of the murdered man, show
the grief she has suffered. 1t was Will
much difficulty that she laid bare tn
troubles in her family and told of her hus
bands perfidy and unfaithfulness. At on
point she broke down and pleaded that sh
be not required to answer questions con
cerning her own husbands dishonor. Tn
brother and uncle, who were first held
witnesses. are now under arrest as accesso
ries.