Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-26
PIONEER TRAGEDY
BOUGHT TO MIND
SETTLERS OF IOWA Melted
OUT JUSTICE WITH A RIG
oRous HAND
Charles City Lynching Recalls Famous
kephart Case of 1e5o-Man Murders
Widow and Three Children Is
Hanged by Mob.

The mob execution of James Cullen.
which took place recently in Charles
City, recalls to the minds of the Or
est residents and remaining pioneers
OF southeastern Iowa the hanging Of
one, SO called Reverend" Kephart,
near Fairfield about 1858,
Kepnart resided with his wife and
children near Trenton, in Henry coun-
ty. The winter of 1850 he first became
of public interest, at which time he
was holding revival meetings near
Washington. During this revival SER
les he became desperately enamorsd
with widow who had three children,
two boys and girl. His own wife
was at the time at home in Trenton.
The widow was possessed of some few
hundred dollars, which was supposed
to be the principal attraction for KEEP
hart.
Leaves for Kansas.
Kephart took the widow and her
three children, secured a covered
wagon, and set out for Kansas, then a
new country. They stopped in that
state three years, met with repeated
reverses and started back toward the
north. During their three years so
journ. Kephart had run through the
widows money, with the exception OF
$780, which the widow still held and
kept hidden in soap key. En- route
to the north Kephart and the woman
had quarrel over money matters.
When near the settlement known as
Eddyville, they canlped one night in
July, all four of them sleeping under
the wagon. 1t was the final sleep for
the woman and her two daughters
Murders With a Hammer.
During the night Kephart awoke,
secured an iron hammer and killed the
widow with it, knocking her in the
head. The poor woman's cries awak-
ened the two little girls. They became
frightened and ran for their lives. The
preacher pursued them and killed
them in the same horrible manner.
The lad was destined to live and see
the punishment melted out to the muir.
derer of his mother and sisters. Keep
hart slowed the dead bodies away in
the wagon and drove hurriedly until
within six miles of Fairfield. Here
he hid the bodies in the driftwood of
the Little Cedar river and turned his
tracks southwark to Missouri.
Bodies Are Discovered.
The next day settler, hunting
along the river, noticed the calico
garments worn by the dead woman
floating in the water. He investigated
the matter and found the three bodies.
An alarm was instantly given and
hundreds of hardy pioneers responded
to the chase. The tracks were plain.
Thirty miles from the scene of the
futile concealment of his crimes,
Kaphart was captured. He was escort
ed back to Fairfield and cast in Jail
to await the judgment Of his captors.
During the night the murderer at
tempted to kill himself by hanging,
but was withheld by the sheriff Early
the next morning mob Of three hun
dred men, sullen and foreboding, rush
co the Jail. overpowered the sheriff
and secured the prisoner. Silently
the doomed man was marched back
along the trail to the spot on the Lit.
tie Cedar where the bodies were foun /
The rope was ready and Kephart paid
the penalty Of his crimes overlooking
the waters Of the river which had ties.
tilted to his guilt.