The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-12-31
CONFLICTING OPINIONS.
Will Kerr's Death the Subject
of Another Sensation.

held insurance on the life of Will Ker
! when the latter was killed by the expos
ion of stick of giant powder, to which
sad accident Webber was the only wit
ness, has aroused new interest in tn
tragedy, and has been the foundation 70
more or less open charges, cruel, if un
true.
The theories now freely propounded
are sensational in the extreme, and thu.
are readily received by the public Klind
In the:e cases the mere accusation j.
Il.lf proof 10 many and all inventive
mind can readily weave chain of cir
cumstantial evidence TO fit tho theory.
This paper has Ne particular view K
press. but OWN. to the great interes
aroused AID i'll comIuon fairness will
give some OF the reasons for believing
the suspicious not well grounded.
The frs. great reason is th:t the crimo
with which George Wcbber is being
charged is SO i:ao~s,rous that oiilt tho
most cohvinciA. proof would make q
fair minded man believe that such a
I cri..re would be even contemplated. And
w.iile Webber ha.i his fault: there is
nothing i'll his past life to: warrant Il be-
lief that hewas capable of such cow
ardly, dcsaicatle outrage.
! III the street talk much stress is laid
upon the fact that at the inquest Webber
testified tlIa; Kerr was stopping 10 pick
mp the stick OF powder, thinking the
fuse had gone out, wheH-the evidence of
/ tiae body sli wed that it was the back eff
Kerr that received the force of the ex-
ptosion. 1t is therefore taken for grant
e9 by some tat Wcbbcr testified falsely.
Sush conclnsisn is very lame. 1t is
more thax probable that if Kerr stopped
to pick UP the stick, he would have seen
th>s Ike fuse was burning and would
turn quickly to escape. Then came the
fatal explosion. It weuld all happen so
quickly that the korrifed friend of Kerr
could hardly take note of every detail.
It l., loo, hardly likely that = young
n:d, coala be blown up pnrHssely by a
stick Of gi.nt rewdsr. in the opex,
against hi. will. The testimony given at
the iuqaest was not deemed strange at
the tim :. and competent. shrcwd officials
were present.
Two houses, occupied, were within a
v.ry short distance Of the spot where the
explosion occurred. 1t is beyond belief
that even a man so har 2ened as to conl-
NIT such = crime, would have so little
| r., n
such conspicuous place for doing the
decd.
| The fact that Kerr's life was iilsuredi i'll
Webber's favor for $4,000, and t',at Web
ber compromised with the insurance
company for about $500, is cited as a
strong proof of guilt. 1t is knswn, how
ever. that both boys had taken out in
surancc in the Washington Cooperative
Association for 5000 each payable to
each other. A solicitor for tka compaay
was i'll Corvallis before the presidential
election and urged the two aoys, among
others. 10 take out insura ace, but tEsy
refased. Bat, the conversation drifting
io politics. and the agent being a BryaW
s1aaai and sNebbsr arid Kerr republicans, !,
thc agent made this proposition to thena,
which they accepted: He would make
out two policies of 5000 each, and if
BRYAN were elected they were to pay the
full premium. McKinley being elected,
the boys Insurance for year cost them
notiling. The policy of each one was
made payable to the other.
| Webber's acceptance of such a small
SUM as compromise, loses its ugly color,
when it is known that the association is
an assessment concern, in a bad way
financially, and that Webber was advised
by a prosainent Portland lawyer to get
what he could. for the company was on
its last legs in measure. 1t was not the
standing of the policy, but the shape of
the insurance compaay's Affairs that
made the acceptance of the small pay
\ IAent desirable.
The strongest ground for the current
suspicious is the efforts of Webber to
keep quiet the fact that he had such
policy, and had collected it In part.
This unwilliugness to make pnbiic the
|
insurance matter can, however, be as
cribed to . desire to avoid that very no.
torety and those suspicious which he
knew would naturally arise, and which
actually did arise-notoriety and suspi-
cioas, which the most innocent man in
the world would dislike to awaken
All the suspicious and actual charges,
presuppese deliberate plan on the part
of Webber to make way with Kerr, a
supposition utterly opposed to the fact
that third man, Frank Kennedy, was
a member of the fishing party. The abb
sence of Kennedy at the time of the ac-
cident was net brought about by Weber,
nor could it have been foreseen by him.
Nor are any of the numerous theories
which seek to fasten the crime of mur.
der upon George Webber this being the
blunt truth of the matter) as plausible
simple or natural as the account of the
, accident given by Weber.
/ The strong attachment of the two boy.
for each other, aud Tie intimacy existing
. Between them, is a bar to the serious
r charge, with those who have not lost al
faith i'll human nature. Will Kerr was a
1 quiet. orderly. young man, who would
E willingly harm no one, aud yet he, hat
Y Web5er been the unfortunate victim o
e the explosion, would be now under th'
! same dreadful suspicious that are hel,
Z against Wcbber.
This paper has NO desire to shield th
guilty, nor is it disposed to cansure thos