The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-29
HICKEY ADMITS
TWO MURDERS
confesses to the Staying Of Little
Joseph Josephs and Also TO the
killing Of Young Michael
kruck.
BLAMEs IT TO DRINK
While Intoxicated He Wrote the Pos
tai Cards Which Have Puzzled
the Police for Several
Days.

/ [United Press Leased Wire Service
BUFFALO, N. Y, Nov. 29.-J. Frank
Hickey, of Quincy, Mass, recently err
rested in New Jersey. has confessed
to the murder of seven year old
Joseph Josephs, of Lackawanna, the
crime of which he stands indicted.
/ He has also confessed to the MUIR
der of Michael Kruck, the young New
York newsboy. ten years ago.
4 The confessions came yesterday as
4 the result of conference by District
i Attorney Dudley with the man, ana
Il were made public by the county
prosecutor shortly after noon today.
Calmly and deliberately, Hickey told
the story of his crimes He related
the facts leading up to them with the
oonsummate sang froid OF an arch
fiend and the face OF a child, but when
he came to the actual tale of the COM
mitting of the murder, he broke down
4 and wept.
i Drink, drink, that's what caused
my terrible DOWNFALL exclaimed the
man, as his frame shook with sobs.
sI've stood it as long as I could, but
i I've got to confess. Oh, the hell my
i life has been since that time, when
Il late in the afternoon of October 12,
III lured that little Syrian lad to his
awful death.
Eyes. wrote the postcards.
J Wrote them mostly when ]. was drunk
: drank to try and get away from my
remorse, and for time it seemed
! that I would forget it. But in these
Il spells, used to become conscience
, stricken, though in a different manner.
and write the cards, telling of my
state of mind
I, Il experienced the most poignant
pangs of remorse. after | had killed
the little New York newsboy. but
when I strangied the little Josephs
Had, to satisfy the demands of my ter
), rible lust, while in state Of intox-
!, ication, / went nearly crazy with re-
morse.
81 was near to suicide many times,
but somehow always clung to life
with sort of hope that some time,
, some where would be able to for
get, but all to no purpose.
Nov am ready to take the con-
sequences of my terrible acts. am
ready to pay the penalty which society
will demand"
j Joseph Josephs, aged seven, son of
a.. 1f,1y NO,
disappeared on October II, 1911. He
! was last seen in candy store that
: afternoon The father believed that
= the child had been kidnapped, but no
6 effort of police Or private detectives
4 could bring to light clue to the boy.
. Rewards were offered in vain.
November 16 last the child's mang.
d led body was found in the vault of an
r outhouse near a saloon on the ridge
:. road In Lackawanna The search OF
the police to the spot had been di-
q rected by the receipt of postcards and
, letters from some unknown writer
q from New York and Boston and al
times during August, September and
October.
Il
!, that he had outraged the child, had
8 slain him and then had thrown the
l. body into an Clubhouse in Lackawanna
=. In several notes he declared that he
y had killed two other children ant
. had attempted to strangle a dozer
i others. None of these postcards wat
# taken very seriously, though Police
Chief Roy Gibson. of Lackawanna, In
vestigated as well as he could. Blu
the writer mentioned no definite
place in his rambling communication:
until he sent postcard from New
: York City dated November 10. In thii
J he directed the authorities to searcl
the closet This was done and tn,
bones OF the child were recovered.
II Photographs of the postcards an
e peared in the newspapers and were
e recognized by several people as re
g sembling the handwriting Of Hicke.
e who had been employed in Lackawan
N ma and Buffalo. These clues were fol
e.. lowed up and led to the arrest o
IS Hickey in Whiting, N. j., whittier h
had gone from New York to take treat
d ment in the hospital at Keswick.
1t The killing OF Michael Kruck occur
10 red in Central Park, New York City
IS In 1902. Hickey was arrested at tha
le time In an intoxicated condition il
d. Buffalo, and In his delirium accuse,
s. himself of killing Kruck, but later de
b. MED knowledge of the murder an
was discharged for lack Of evidence