Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-28
YOUNG WOMAN SERVES SEN.
TENcE FOR MURDER OF JE.
ROME KERN.
ISSUES A STATEMENT
JUsTIFYlNe HER CRIME
Many Years and That if Public Knew
the Facts They Would Applaud Her
Deed-Good Conduct Reduces SEN
tence Almost Half.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to IlmeS-Republican.
Waverly, May 2S.-Delilah Fails, a
youthful murderess sentenced to prison
eleven years ago for brutal crime,
has returned to her home here, after
serving a twenty-year sentence which
was cut almost in half by good con-
duct while in prison.
Attic partially paralyzed and Grip.
pied by rheumatism contracted while
in prison, Miss Fails retains much of
the beauty she possessed when, at 20
years of age, she was sentenced for
crime that attracted the attention of
the. nation.
Miss Fails killed Jerome Kern in the
woods southeast of Waverly on the
morning of Dec. 8, 1897.
The law has been satisfied and she
has been restored to citizenship with
all the rights and privileges of her
sex, and she is anenable only to her
conscience as to the right or wrong
of the deed she committed.
When interviewed by a reporter she
said: Il prefer that nothing be said
about my liberation from prison as
most all interviews and newspaper ac-
counts of the affair have been eSag
gerated and enlarged upon. and all
wish to say is that had 1 killed Je-
rome Kern when I was 10 years old,
when he first began to abuse me, in
stead of waiting until / was 90, 1 new
er would have gone to prison. AS it is
I,ol -
or remorse. If the people of this COM
munity could have seen and known
the fortunes I underwent from Je-
rome Kern for several years they
would have showered plaudits on the
staging of the crime instead of con-
deming me. I ask for no sympathy,
it is a cheat. now have a good sdu-
cation and am an expert at doing
fancy needle-work, and from this lat
ter accomplishment, I hope to earn
my livelihood, and at this date have
several orders TO execute
When asked for statement re-
garding her being returned to- prison
after having been paroled, she had
nothing 10 say other than in due
time the facts. would be made public.
| 1t was in the fall of 1897 that Je-
rome Kern met death. After he had
been missing from Ibis home for a
couple of days his dead body was
found in the woods. Suspicion point
ed to Miss Fails and she was taken
into custody. After few days she
made a confession stating that she
had lured him into the woods for the
purpose of Staying him. in accordance
with plan contrived by herself and
Kern's son William, whom she was to
marry after the father was out of the
way. The lad also made a confess
sion corroborating the woman's story
and on Dec. 8, 1897 they were SEN
fenced, she to twenty and he to twelve
years penal servitude at Anam osa.
Credit for good behavior reduced her
term to eleven years and five months
Kern also received full benefit of the
reduction in time that can be acquired
by good conduct He has been free
for quite number of years, and is
now nicely situated in the tailoring
business, having learned the trade
while in prison. Miss Fails contracted
rheumatism while at Anamosa, and
uses a crutch to aid her weakened
right leg