The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-07-10
Decorated For
Killing a Man
MEDAL FOR THE MURDER OF A
RELIGIOUS FANATIC IN THE
STATE OF OREGON.

| Mitchell the slayer OF Franz Edmund
| Creffield, the selfstyler Joshua -
leader of the band of fanatics calling
themselves the Holy Rollers" is to
be presented with a handsomely en-
grayed gold medal as reward for
killing Crehield in First avenue a
few days ago When the medal Is
presented Mitchell probably will be
the only man in the country who has
been SO honored for homicide.
The donors are to be committee
of respectable citizens Of CORVALLIS.
Ore, where Crefheld and his band
created so much excitement and in
dignation three years ago. The man
who brought the word to Seattle that
the gold medal is forthcoming is O..
" Hurt, a CORVALLIS resident and
the father of Maude Hurt Crefield.
the dead prophets" widow.
Hurt arrived in Seattle Sunday and
he announced that he had come here
for the purpose of taking care of his
daughter, but mainly to make ar
rangements for the defense of George
Mitchell. who has been removed to
thee ounty jail to await trial on the
charge OF first degree murder
O. v. Hurt declares that as soon
as the news reaches CORVALLIS that
Crettie1d had been killed by Mitch
ell committee of citizens at once
started subscription for the purpose
of raising money to present Mitchell
with a medal and to hire a good Grim
| inaI lawyer to defend him.
"Mftchell's friends. or more espec-
tally the good citizens who were OPP
posed to CretHelFs immoral teach
fngs will go to the\limits OF their re-
sources to defend the young man."
said Hurt. I'VE do not purpose, II it
is in our power TO prevent, to have
Mitchell punished for an act which
deserves commentator. 1t would
have been better had that frauds life
been ended long ago. There would
have been fewer unhappy families In
Corvallis"
Hurt says that the minute the
news of CrefField's death reached the
Oregon town its pread like wildfire
and that there was universal Joy. For
weeks persons in Corvallis who had
been disgraced thought the influence
that Cref1eld had on members OF
their families had been searching for
the Holy Roller leader He had been
driven from one town to another. and
for n month lynchfng was threaten
ed. 1t was generally believed that 1t
was only a question of time until
some citizen. feeling the outrage that
had been perpetrated upon him.
| would take the law into his own
hands.
''Mitchells well aimed shot spared
others the trouble af sending Cref-
field to an eternity that he deserved"
said Hurt in substance.
Hurts entire family at one time
was under the spell of this. religious
fanatic. 1t was at Hurts home in
Corvallis that some of the disgrace
fuI scenes of the Holy Rollers were
enacted. Hurt himself was once I'M
der the influence, but it didn't take
him long to throw it off and since
then he has been one of Cretfield's
most pronounced enemies.
At one time during the orgies OF
the Holy Rollers all the furniture In
the Hurt house was piled in q heap
in the front yard and set on fire by
Crefield, who announced that 1t was
burnt offering to God; that relig-
iuus people had no right to have FUR
nitnre, for furniture was a luxury. AL
another time live cats and dogs were
offered up in the fires while 'Cretileld
went through his incantattons ana
worked himself and his followers III
to I; frenzy of emotion.
A short time prior to the date that
the Corvallis people captured Cref-
field and tarred and feathered him he
succeeded in inducing Maude Hurt,
o. V. Hurts daughter. to marry him.
CreAteld hid in the woods after he
was tarred and under cover of the
night returned to the Hurt house,
where he craw1ed beneath the floor
and remained week, where he was
fed by Mrs. Creftleld.
Later Crefield sought refuge in
the house of B. f. Starr. of Portland.
During the stay there the husband of
Mrs. Starr filed charge against him
that led to his sentence OF two years
In the penttentiary. Mrs. Crettield,
in the meGltime, had become insane
and was sent to an asylum about the
same time that CrefEleld went to the
Salem prison. Mrs. Starr is a sister
of Geo. Mitchell. the slayer. Mitchell
also claims that Crefield enticed his
younger sister Esther into the ranks
of the HnIY Rollers and hisrrnced her