The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-01-01
Admits She Promised AS
sassin 5000.
HER TORTURED CONSCIENCE
Would Not let Her Keep 81.
lent The Slayer Ad.
rnits His Part.
FRIaHrFULLY BRUTAL MURDER


Macon, Ca. Dec. 27.-Mrs
James King, widow OF the promi.
nent Round Oak. Ca, planter, who
was killed near here December IL
tonight confessed that she plotted
with Nicholas Wilburn. a farm
hand, to kill her husband SO that
she might marry Wilburn and Sc
cure $4,000 life insurance carried
by her husband.
Mrs. King was arrested at her
home near Round Oak. Wilbur
admitted that he killed Mrs. Kings
husband because she offered him
5000 to commit the crime. and
promised to marry him after t had
been perpetrated.
For more than two hours after
her arrest the woman refused to
discuss the tragedy. DetectiAas re-
lated to her details of Wilburn's
confession and finally she collapsed
. crying:
do you think God will forgive
me? Then, with God as my help, I
will tell you all. for cannot meet
my, God with a lie on my lips. Ask
the people to have mercy on me,
not for myself but for my child
rem" ~
Last Af4fcfr.' added Mrs. King,
!. ''Nick wilburn and myself were sit
ting alone in my dining room. Nick
told me that ne didn't have a
friend in the world and patting him
on the back, told him | would be
his friend. From that time on our
relations were most intimate. We
met. at frequent intervals and had
signals so that could let Nick
know when my husband was away
from home.
Had 1t not been for the $4,000
Insurance We would never have
planned to kill my husband. My
first attempt was to kill him with
strychnine. Nick bought the strych-
nine and We put it in my husband
whiskey& When he became deathly
sick. he took an antidote and recov-
cred"
Mr.. King disappeared December
H. His body was found witf a
bullet wound In the heart in a
woods lot where he had gone hunt
ing. His birddog was keeping
watch over the body. indications
were at the time that King waA re-
sponsible for his own death. Inves-
tigation led to the arrest yesterday
of Wilburn and James Barber, a
negro. Continuing. Mrs. King said:
1T was then that we planned to
shoot him. Nick told me that we
could catch him out hunting and
kill him with his own gun. The
day of the killing Mr.. King was
sick. The doctor told him that he
should not eat pork. so he took his
gun and went into the woods to
kill some birds.
He left home about S:sOdn the
afternoon and when he had beer
gone about an hour. Nick came.
told him my husband had xone
hunting. and he said Now is\our
time and l said. Yes M
"When my husband didn't te-
turn knew he was dead and sent
Johnny Gordon and Frank WV
burn, my son-in-law. to hunt I'd
him. After they had gone Mel
told me that 1t was all over. wd
didn't discuss the killing until De-
csmber IT when Detective Moore
called to talk with me. After
Moore left, Nick told me he knew
they suspected him, but | told him
to brace up and give nothing away
even II he was on scaffold with q
rope around his mock. I didn't be-
lieye he would give me away. when
Nick was arrested I made up my
mind would 80 to the gallows be-
fore would tell word.
Later cane to the conclusion
that ] could not meet my God with
I lie on my lips
II was good Christian woman
before ! met Nick wilburn and had
never done wrong In my life. 1
have been . member Of the church
four years, am IS Year, old ana