The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-14
TRAGEDY AMONG
HOLY ROLLERS
Girl Kills Her Insane Brother
Because He Killed the Holy
Prophet.
WAS DELIBERATE CRIME
WIDOW OF THE DEAD PROPHET
Is HELD AS AN ACCOMPLICE,
SHE HAVING coNsPIRED WITH
GIRL MURDERER.
Publishers Press1

Seattle, Wash, July 13.-Immedi-
ately after the arrest of Esther
Mitchell, II, who killed her brother
here, orders were given for the arrest
of Mrs. Maud Creffield, widow of
Franz E. Creffield, the prophet of the
Holy Rollers whose death at the
hands of George Mitchell led to this
tragedy Mrs. Creffield telephoned
the police where she was to be found
and when taken to the station frankly
admitted that she entered into a COM
pact with Esther to kill the slayer Of
her husband She will be held as an
accomplioe.
George Mitchell shot the Holy
Roller" prophet because, he alleged,
Creffeld wronged his sister, and when
he was tried recently on a charge of
murder in first degree, he was acquit-
ted on ground of insanity.
Esther is said to have been among
the most fanatical of the Holy
Roller" prophets devotees.
Esther Mitchell made the following
statement: Mrs. Creffield and
talked over the matter of killing
George. The one that had the best
chance was to do it. Mrs. Crefield
bought the gun. We were at the room
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and
l thought l would have a better chance
to do it than Mrs. Creffield as my
brother wanted to see me and believed
that he would think nothing about my
going to the depot. Then Mrs. Cref-
field gave me the gun and l was to
do it, We agreed that it must be
done as soon as possible. My brother
Fred was up to my room and said that
Perry and George were going to Port
land. l went to the depot and saw
Perry get his ticket. At last | saw
George and shook hands with him.
He and Perry were walking in front
and Fred and l were walking behind.
l was walking to the door and George
was in front of me. That was the
chance l wanted and | shot him. My
brother Fred grabbed me and | sat
\ down on his lap and put my arms
about his neck l sat there and the
officer came. | intended to follow
him to Portland If l did not get a
chance at him here. l am not sorry |
did the shooting; | am glad of it,"
Charles Mitchell, father of the fam
lily, and his daughter Esther reached
reconciliation. For some days the
girl refused to see her father. Hear
ing that he was about to return to his
home in Illinois, she consented to an
interview at which all of the rest Of
the family except George was present.
Esther Mitchell and Mrs. Creffield
announced their intention of making
Seattle their home. The two women
took small apartments here, sold their
witness certificates to raise funds and
apparently made up their minds to re-
main in Seattle,
The Mitchells, George, Perry and
Fred, were sitting with Esther on a
bench in the big waiting room talking
together and apparently on the best
of terms. When the Oregon train
was announced they started forward.
Esther then stepped up to George and
shot him before any one realized what
was happening. The three brothers
were en- route to Oregon where they
expected to go back to work. Directly
after the shooting Perry Mitchell and
Fred Mitchell were arrested at wit
nesses. They were found together on
a bench in the station sobbing on
each others shoulders.