The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-09-13

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo
seattle-Is there another girl on
earth as friendless as Esther Mitchell
IS years old?
Not a soul will say kind word for
her. No lawyer will take her case
Not a newspaper viii publish a line
in her defense. Not a woman viii
come forward to cheer her up one
particle.
And" say the men Of two states
Washington and Oregon, 1t serves
her right"
Esther Mitchell killed her brother.
He had just been acquitted on a
charge Of murder himself; he dared
take the life OF Joshua" Crefieldi
head of the sect of Holy Rollers. This
religious pervert. this fanatic, this
arch-eonspirator against family and
home. had a peculiar fascination over
women. He took wives away from hus-
bands. mothers away from babies
sweethearts away from lovers, daugh-
ters away from fathers, sisters away
from brothers.
Crefield took Esther Mitchell away
from her father and her brothers. He
told her that she was TO be the mother
of the second Christ And she be-
lieved. She left her home; she sat at
the right hand of Crefield at the wild
golngs-on OF the Holy Rollers. She
forgot everything.
The brother begged her to come
home. She refused. He knew the
fate OF other girls like herself who had
joined the Holy Rollers. So he saved
her from that fate. He killed Crefield.
the man who said he was immortal.
And Esther Mitchell killed her bro
ther in the very self-same way be-
caAse he killed the man whom she
took to be the personification OF God
upon earth says correspondent OF
the New York World. In cold truth,
on the other hand Satan could have
learned much from Crefield. And.
for this very reason, the girl who
killed her brother because he killed
the man she believed to be divine has
not a friend on earth
Once a Salvationist.
Once upon a time Franz Edmund
Crefield was a Salvation Army officer.
Three years ago he dropped that and
started sect OF his own. He gath
cred about him a little company OF
followers on Kiger island, in the Col
umbia river, Oregon. Most of them
came from the town Of Corvallis and
the little hamlets in the neighbor-
hood Esther Mitchell was then a
slip of girl. just IS. She became
one Of his first converts. Her sister,
Mrs. Burgess Starr. also forsook her
husband for the man Crefiield. Maud
Hurt was his third convert, or rather
victim. She married him.
Il am to be the father of the sec
ond Christi" he proclaimed. and they
believed him.
More and more the women fiocked
to Creffield. Then the law took hand
and he was sent to the penitentiary
for a second term. Most of his victims
went insane after that and, one by
one. we're sent to asylums and re-
treats. A few recovered. Nothing
d nted. after serving his term Cref-
field started IN again. Once more Mrs
Starr and Esther Mitchell, now a
beautiful girl Of IS, came at his bid
ding. They ran away from their
homes to do 1t.
And George Mitchell. farmer boy
OF 20, made up his mind that he would
save them If he could Other men
who had suffered in the same way
went with him to find Creffield. They
we're armed. and they meant to kill
George Mitchell was the first tc
run down the man. He heard that
this self-styled Joshua" was in Seat
tie. He came here; he found him in
the heart of the town.
There was just one shot. Crefield
fell dead with 4. bullet through the
middle of his BRAN. The whole state
was afiame with Joy at the deed. Cit
liens who had suffered at Cretiield's
hands hailed young Mitchell as theiI
deliverer Corvallis raised a hand
some fund to defend the young man.
Honorably Acquitted.
The boy was put on trial Ills tech
nical defense was emotional insanity
But his attorneys did not attempt tC
disguise the fact that this plea was
simply a legal loophold. To the Il
jurors was told the whole sad story Of
the Holy Rollers. They needed nc
more. George Mitchell was honorably
acquitted. 1t could not have been 9th
erwise.
Esther Mitchell demanded TO be q
witness against her brother. She was
heard.
"He has killed holy man and he
ought to be hanged" she said. Will
perfect composure. Il want to see my
brother live long enough to make hi.
peace with God, then he should die.
All this time her closest companion
was Mrs. Maud Hurt Creffield, widow
Of the dead Holy Roller. She NAi