The Topeka state journal., 1905-11-21

the town Of Bogue being the home Of
his earlier life. In 1903 his father,
Newton Wetzel, sold his large farm
and removed to this city where he en-
gagged in the hardware business. Town
life held too much temptation for the
young boy and he speedily grew to be
incorrigible. He was full of fun and
mischief and while not absolutely bad,
was unreliable and caused his father
much sorrow. He developed a mania
for money and was noted, among the
boys Of his age, for always being, as
they termed, well heeled." A team,
which had been given him, was sold
and the proceeds of the sale, about
two hundred dollars. was carried
about by him. This led to his murder.
Leland Roberts. the confessed mur-
derer. is a youth of 20 years, son of
w. A. Roberts, an attorney of this
city. He has served a time in the re-
form school and has been in the local
Jail several times and, at the time of
the murder, was under bond charged
with stealing a small sum of money
from the till in the Office of a lumber
yard here. He has been suspected of
being implicated in more than one
serious misdemeanOr His parents
have had no control over him for
years.
Charles Keleher, implicated by Rob
EAl le Is -l4E sun OF W imam LAeleneF-
we'll known hotel man of this city. He
has been a wild youth and is G black
sheep in an estmable family. He has
been somewhat of a sport and while
his life has been constant source of
trouble to his parents, it was never
thought that he would engage in an
act of the nature Of the crime with
which he is now charged, and it is
claimed by friends of the family that
ne viii have no difficulty in proving his
innocence of being an accessory. or
accomphce, in the crime.
Rolf Ross the negro, is considerable
of an unknown quantity. He drifted
into town some weeks ago in company
with a couple of negro women and when
these were made to move on Ross re-
mained behind: he hung about a negro
dive and was regarded as a worthless
character.
The confession made by Roberts, while
In the sweat box at Salina is a story.
told cody, Of most villainous crime.
The confession, in substance, is as fol-
lows:
The Confession of Roberts.
III knew that Charley Wetzel had
about two hundred dollars and [ made
up my mind some time ago that I would
set the money. At first I thought I
would steal it but then I thought that
he would tell on me and get me into
trouble and i made up my mind to kill
him and take the money and 20 awav
EROAE 40 4lidS- fAEleUET ana asked him
to go in with me and he said he would
DO it, We planned to get Wetzel out
from town and told him that I could get
him job as news agent on the railroad
at Salina if he would go there with me
told him that as / was under bond I
dared not go to the depot to take the
train but that we could go down the
road and catch the freight about a mile
east of town and he said he would 60
He said he would lave to go over to a
house. Mr. ThOrnton's. in the north>A art
Of town, to get some clothes and I told
him I would go there with him.
81 told keleher that I thought we had
better get the niger Dreaming RoesN
to so along to do the killing and said
for him and the nigger to go down TO the
cut east of town and that I would 20
with Wetzel to Thorntons after his
clothes. We went and got the clothes
and then Wetzel and I walked down
through the pasture and met Keleher
and the nigger at the cut. We walked
around for while and was gfrafd to
tackle the boy because we knesv he had
gun found a wagon singletree and
said TO Wetzel that I wished I could get
the clip OF the stick He said he. could
get it OF and I asked him to 20 down
by the river where there were some