Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-04-19
TRAIL OF BLOOD
AFTER TWENTY.oNE YEARS Will.
LIE SELL is FREE.
AN AWFUL TRAIL OF BLOOD
Boy Convicted Of Numbering Entire
Family In Most Brutal Manner
Pardoned by the Governor.


Topeka. Kan.-Willie Sell. who has
spent twenty-one years in prison
charged with the slaughter OF his
father and mother and brother and
sister In Neosho county. has been
given an unconditional pardon by Gov
ernor Hoch. By arrangement Sell will
go to Nortonville. Kansas, and accept
position In State Senator Gritiin's
drug store.
The murder OF the Sell family was
done In the home near Erie. Seosho
county in March, 1883. II was one OF
the worst examples OF human butchery
in the history Of the state. The muir
ders were committed at night. when
the victims were In bed. The killing
was done with a hntchet and knife
and the victims heads were crushed
or split open and their throats cut. The
only one In the family to escape was
Willie Sell. at that time an untersized
sixteen-year.old boy.
Willie Sell claims that he was awnk'
cned about n. M. March sth. and saw
man standing In the doorway be-
tween the room where he and his
brother slept and the room where his
father. mother and sister slept He
saw thc.man go outdoors. and followed
him for quarter OF u mile. where the
man was Joined by another man with
two horses. and the two men rode
away. Willie then went to the
home of Farmer Mendell and gave tho
alarm.
The boy was put into the peniten'
iinry twcnty.onc years ago. He Is now
thirty.scvcn years old and has been
model prisoner for twcnty-o years.
Every warden Of the poniten;lary has
favored his pardon and during the ad'
ministration Of Governor L..dy III.
pardon board recommended an un-
conditional pardon. Lecdy refused TO
comply with the ccommcnda,ion.
On the night Of the murder. Will.
Sell had slept In his undcrcio,hes. The
front Of his shirt was spattered with
blood. There was also blood upon one
knee. aK II he had kncit In a pool OF
blood. His feet were bloody. where he
had stepped In pool OF his fathers
blood. The ercascs about til. knuckicH
Of his hands showed blood stains. aS
did the finger nails. 4 basin OF water
had washed his bloody hands there.
In spite Of the hidcounncss OF the
tragedy Willie failed TO show the
slightest emotion over his loss. He
did not weep. but showed the eaimncss
that n person would II h. had been
told his parents and brother and ais
ter were asleep instead of dead. He
stood beside the bodies Of his parents
and identified butcher knife whity yDl
lay near his fathers head rs one whicRs
his mother hnd brought into the house
tho night before with which TO cut on
. button.
The following July Willie vas tried
and convicted and sentence! to hang.
which was cquivaicn, 10 life inprison.
mcnt In the pcn,tcniiary.
Regarding the blood on his hands.
Willie at iifst could give no explana.
ton. as he at that time said that he
had touched neither Of his parents as
they lay there dead. Later. however.
he said that he believed that he had
kncit by his fathers side when he sirst
wen, into the room. and had lifted his
head. lie denied that he had washed
his hands. OF the blood on his shirt
he said I, must have spuricd there
when his brothers throat was cut.
Apparently there never was more
clear case OF circumstnn'ial evidence
pointing TO guilt than confronted WI.
lie Sell. Yet those who long worked
for his pardon made Il appear quit"
plausible that some one else did tho
deed and that the boy was the victim
OF unfortunate circumstances.