Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-06-09
speciai to rimes-Republican.


Beaman, June 1.-TWO children and
n their father dead and a third child
\ wounded are the awful results of the
Il attempt Of Ben Knisely, q farmer near
here. to exterminate his entire family
with q shotgun. The fact that Knise-
ly's supply Of shells became exhausted
before the human slaughter was COM
pleted is responsible for the wife and
two other children being numbered to-
llday among the living.
N Tire Dead and Wounded.
HI The dead are:
RALPH KNIsELY, aged 8.
CORA I1N1SELY. aged Is.
BEN KN1SELY. tho father. aged 40.
Agnes. aged u, was wounded in the
{!hip by a charge from tho gun. Her
injuries are not considered serious.
Those who escaped the deadly wrath
If the husband and father are Mrs.
tkHiseiy. Tho eldest daughter. Ella. aged
ls. ana . stspdaughter. still older. who
- q home q the tizno.
1taOsdy Fsllews Quarrel.
me KniASJy xoiae WAS suddenly
\ ltransfoffnSd into a slaughter pen ct
yls:3e o'clock Sunday evening. and was
ISthe direct result OF the fathers al
||teged intimate relations with the two
Holder girls. Ella and Cora. This fact
0was developed at the coroner's inquest.
II Miss Ella Knisely has been employed
lin the McMartin home. two miles dis
liant from tho Knisely home. which is
1.-two miles east Of Beaman. She spent
l)sunday with her parents and last eve
ming her father h1tched up team and
L prepared to take her to her place Of
After the team had been
lllhitched and ready for the start, Mrs.
|lKnisely went TO the barn and told her
lEhusband she would not permit him to
take Ella alone. she evidently fearing
Ikhe girl would be forced by the inhu-
||tman father to submit to his lustful
|Edesires. This protest incensed Knise-
||hy. He Immediately unhitched the
Elhorses. returned to the house, secured
||his shotgun. and declared:
\ "Im going to see how many rabbits
E)1 can kill"
Slaughter Begins.
\ He first attempted to brain his elder
! daughter Ella by striking her with the
gun, but she made her escape. The
other children were seated In a room
together and Knisely turned the
weapon on his little son Ralph, 8 years
old. who was sitting in q chair. He
fred charge Of shot into the breast
OF the little one. the charge hitting the
boy in the heart and killing him in
stantly. Next he fired at his 15-year-
old daughter Cora. the first charge al
most tearing her right arm of and
wounding her in the breast. The. girl
ran screaming into tho yard and the
road. where another charge in the back
killed her instantly.
ne 0nOL 11OIn 6uVIACA 0uCAA WOuuOSO
the daughter Agnes IN the hip. Knisely
sposseessd but six shells, and he ran
10 the road where ono daughter was
lying dead, and fred one shot into his
side. This was not fatal. and he dis
schafesd the remaining charge into the
I hack Of his head, blowing away the
hack part Of the skull. He fell dead in
the roaA. ana there the bodies were
picked up by Dr.. Kaufman. Of Conrad
no haa been summoned. and neigh
bors who arrived on the scene.
Tears Tslsphons From Wall.
Mrs. Knisely. when the shooting be.
3 xan, rushed to the telephone and at
! tempted to call help, but Knisely tore
the instrument from the wall The
wife and the two daughters who
& escaped death or injury thereupG., ran
to tho nearest neiEhbor's home for
I safe4y and to summon aid.
The shells used by the double mur-
/ aerer ands suicide were loaded with No.
NJ and IA u shot. and the gun was nrcd
= : s. =; S;1 1le .ss.xe n ooh caae.
81 Ss