The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-09
DELILAH FALES
MAKES A CONFESSION
Murdered Her Lovers Father and
Found Peace.
Her Victim Had Wronged Her and
the Pent-Up Hatred of Years
Found Vent In the Commission Of
the Crime-shot Him When He
Was On His Knees.

Waverly, Ia, Dec. S.-Delilah FaleS
has confessed her share in the tragic
death of John Kern, the man who was
found dead in a lonely wood on the
23rd of last August. The young woman
confessed that she fired the bullets that
killed him. She was indicted today,
and it is said that her alleged accom-
plice before the fact, William Kern,
son of the victim, will be indicted to-
morrow
When she was a mere child OF IL
years, she charges that the elder Kern
betrayed her and that ever after he
harassed her with his attentions More
than that. he sought by Matchmaking
her reputation, she states, to keep
others from paying court to her Twice
before she became attached to the muir
dered mans son she had been in q Ialr
way to become happily married, but as
many times had Jerome Kern, she de-
clares, poisoned her lovers against her.
At last. when by the same method he
sought to prevent his son from mar
rying her, the pent-up hatred OF years
vented itself in the commission of the
crime.
Il killed him with generalization and
deIiberation," she said. L prayed God
to give me strength to do it with al
the earnestness that 1 could command,
as 1 have prayed to him for forgive
ness l have suffered no pangs OF con-
science On the contrary, restfu
calm seemed to come into my life from
\ the moment l knew he was dead. L
never slept so well as I did after the
night fired those fatal shots.
DELILAH'S CONFESSION.
Miss FaIes' confession starts by tell
! ing of the love affair of herself and
! Young Kern. and of the opposition of
I the father. They discussed the queS-
/ ton of putting him out of the way
and they agreed that that would be the
/ best way out of the difficulties one
/ day the elder Kern suggested TO the
young woman that she meet him. Here
| was the opportunity that she had been
waiting for. and she assented, making
an aDDOiIsmern far the following
| morning IN the woods near her home
They met and he assisted her to alight
! from her vehicle.
He was on his knees before me" she
confessed. Il saw my chance to Kill
! him had the revolver just inside my
coat. which was buttOCed I'D.
AS he was kneelng there. L pulled
/ the revolver out and shot him in the
chest. He whirled around on his knees
a little ways, and, as he fell forward, L
shot him in the right side of the back
| After the first shot ne said: Lille :
somethin-I don't know what; I could
not understand. 1 don't know whether
his clothes caught fire or not; L hur-
ried awav."
Then follows a detail OF the plotting
of the two to lay the crime at the door
of John Lewis, former lover OF Deli
lah. They even prepared letter pur-
porting to have been written by the de-
ceased on the day of his murder, and
which was left where it would be
readily found. as it was a few days
ago. This letter said that if harm came
to Kern, Lewis must be held respon-
sihle.
William Kern's confession corrobo-
rates that of Miss Fales in almost
eyer-- detail.