Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-06
sLoopy CULT HELD REsPoNsi.
Die ron vlLllscA AND
OTHER MuRDgRs.
SAME BAND BELIEVED TO
HAVE OPERATED ELsEwHERE
Of Religious Maniaes
Supposed to Have Headquarters in
Denver - offiesrs Following Clues
Obtained Thru Letters Written by
cranks-Anothsr Threat.

ldndIlCS WHO nave NHAcN SWoAsJ AouA
persons in the last year and who are
spreading terror thru the central west?
Sheriff Jackson and other officials OF
this county, believe such to be the case
and they are bending every energy
toward discovering the members OF
this band before another murder can
be perpetrated.
These killings, which are charged to
the murder fanatics. are always IN
patches and never singly. The Iowa
authorities believe the murders are
perpetrated as a religious rite of some
kind and are in the nature of blood
atonement or sacrifice.
The last crimes committed by the
fanatics was the killing in this city
early last month Of J. B. Moore, his
wife, four children and two visiting
little girls. Previous murders which
are believed to have been done by the
same band in Colorado Springs. where
six were murdered: in Monmouth, ILL.,
where there were three victims; at
Ellsworth, Kan, where five persons
were sacrificed to the horrible deity
they have created; at Paola, kan.'
where two were blain. Sheriff jackson
and other Montgomery county onicla!s
are trying to find the members OF TINS
band and place them behind bars pc
fore there is another time OF sacr'-
fee"
No KNOWN Motive.
The theory of q sect OF relislonlsts
who are practicing murder as one OF
the rites was formed by the OFFICERS
after they had read literally hundreds
of letters which were written them by
cranks and near-cranks on the sup)ect
of the murder of the Moore Fam. ~:
Immediately after the publication OF
the crime these letters began pouring
in. and while their numbers have oe-
creased they have not altogether
ceased coming. The letters were care
fully studied by officers, who hoped
that hidden somewhere in the rambling
words Of q crank would be found q
clue to the murderer.
The entire absence Of a motive TOT
the crime led the officers. In the begin
ming, to search for q maniac OF some
kind-one with q homicidal tendency.
And the fact that some five or Six
patches Of murders had been COM
mitted in exactly the same manner and
with a similar instrument, all within
few months, turned the search IN the
direction Of a maniac who was travel
ing about the country.
% Letters Furnish Clue?
IN studying the crank letters for
clue. the Officers were following out
we'll known fact that in many cases
where crimes are committed by men OF
unsound mind the perpetrator will
write letters to the officers and will
refer to the crime.
After studying hundreds Of these let
tiers, the officers were struck with the
contents Of one which had been mailed
in Chicago and which referred to num-
erous murders committed in Denver
several years ago. The writer OF that
letter purported to give description
of the Denver murderer and to see a
strong resemblance In the methods
used by the villisca murderer. "The
writer OF that letter Is at least in
earnest, whether she knows anything
about it or not" said Sheriff jack
son.
Then the sheriff Of Ellsworth. Kan.
sent the Iowa officers a copy of let
ter received by him some time ago. fol-
lowing a family murder in that city. in
which the murderer followed the exact
lines Of the Villisca murderer The
letter was mailed in Denver. and al
tho written in rambling manner.
showed much familiarity with the bible.
The signature was taken from the Book
of isaiah. Several words were under
scored in red ink.
Collision Shown.
circumstances have arisen which
cause US to believe this letter was
written by the Ellsworth murderer"
wrote the Kansas sheriff After
lapse Of several days there was re-
ceived another letter which pointed to
Denver, altho mailed at Wichita,
Kan.
"The man who wrote that letter was
the murderer of the Moore, family or
knows who did that deed" is the COM
ment Of every official who reads 1t.
This letter. together with several
others, was submitted to experts In
insanity and criminology.
II was a wonderfully constructed
thing. written evidently by religious
maniac And curiously, 1t fitted into
the letter written evidently from Dem
YER to the sheriff at Ellsworth. It's
writer showed a familiarity with the
other crimes Of the series. He quoted
the same passages Of scripture as did
the writer Of the Denver letter.
And certain passages led the officers
10 believe that at the exact moment of
The Villisca murders, . certain act was
performed by others In Denver. there