The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-27
| KILLED DAD
WITH ONE Blow
William Lee Has Confessed to the
Murder Of His Parents and Broth.
er While They
Slept.
USED ONLY AN AXE
Was Refused Money so That He
Could Marry Country Girl
of Seventeen on Next
Day.
[Gate City Leased Wire Service. !


EVANSVILLE, Ind, Aug. 26.-The
story OF how he crept into the room
where his father, Richard Lee. his
mother and brother, Clarence, were
sleeping and slew them with an axe
in order that he might obtain money
with which to set up home for the
girl he was to marry, came from the
lips OF VIM. Lee, 81 year old boy,
here late today.
After maintaining show of indit-
ference for two days, young Lee
broke down when confronted with
damaging evidence the authorities
had collected against him. He con-
fessed to Sheriff John Davis, going
into details, and declaring that after
his parents were dead he set fire to
the1r bed. He then ran from the
house and gave the alarm, hoping to
avert suspicion.
Fearing that mob of citizens
might come here from Boonville and
attempt to lynch Lee, the authorities
placed the prisoner N an automobile
this afternoon and under a heavy
guard hustled him to Jeffersonville
penitentiary for safe keeping. The
prisoner is expected to arrive there
tonight. In addition to his confess
sion to Sheriff Davis, Lee signed a
/ disconnected statement in which he
asserted he was out of his head when
he committed the crime.
h1ood,, x,oeh l.,,;, ez,.,,
the afternoon, bearing finger prints
corresponding to those made by Lee
at the direction of the police, played
big part in breaking down his first
story that he killed the older Lee
after he had found his parent had
slain his mother and brother A few
gray hairs from the head of Lees
aged mother also chung to the basin.
Lee told Sheriff Davis that on going
| home Wednesday night he informed
his parents that he was to marry
! Nina Taylor the next day and de-
| manded money. This was denied and
quarrel followed.
L went to my room and waited I'M
til they had gone to Sleep said
young Lee. Then | slipped out and
got the axe. killed dad with one
blow as he lay in bed and then hit
mother. Clarence made an effort to
get up and grabbed me. | beat him
down with the axe and ran from the
room"
Lee told of then going to the rear
10 nd hi
of his parents and brother from the
axe. He washed his hands in the
basin and threw the latter into a
! vault. Packing up a few of his
mothers dishes, he returned to the
death chamber and decided upon
| firing the house. Lee said he made
4 several attempts to start a blaze
about the bed and when the fire was
under sufficient Roadway he ran from
| the house and gave the alarm.
The axe found by the police, he
I said, was the one used in Staying his
parents. He carried his revolver in
/ to the room with him, Lee said to
shoot anyone who might get the bet
ter of him, but remembered leaving
4 it on the floor, afterwards returning
it to his own room, where it was
| later found.
Although keeping bold front up
until today, the long hours in the jail
here in solitary confinement proved
too much for young Lee and tonight
1 he was On the verge of collapse. Nina
/ Taylor, the II year old country girl
he was to have married, was hyster-
/ ical tonight and medical aid was sum.
moned. She insisted Lee was in.
nocent up to the time he made his
partial confession, admitting that he
killed his father
viii either killed the entire fam
/ lily, or he killed no one," she said
/ this evening. When the news of the
confession reached her, she collapsed