Barton County democrat., 1914-10-23
McCURLEY DENIES GUILT.

VIII Dc COllllIleu u1lll Tie case
comes up in the district court.
No preliminary trial has been held
as yet. McCurley strongly denies
his guilt or his completely in the
crime and claims that he can
prove his innocence. 1t is said
that some of the best legal talent
in the state has been secured for
his defense and the case will be
StubbOrnly fought in the courts.
The following article regarding
McCurley is taken from the
Hutchinson News:
Although Lou McCurley, who
was brought to the Reno county
jail last night, charged with COM
plicity in the murder of the three
Barton county people denies hav-
ing anything to do with the crime,
ne did make damaging admissions
today.
Tommy White, who is also in
the Jail here, for the murder, had
some time ago confessed that he
and McCurley committed the
crime. White said he killed Clar-
ence McGugin, a farm hand, while
McCurley shot and killed Lee Nor
gan and Mayme McQuillan, Nor
gan'S hOuSekeeper.
To reporter for the News, at
the county Jail this forenoon, Nc
Curley admitted that Tommy
White had talked matters over
with him the afternoon of the ira
gedy, told him he was going to
kill Lee Morgan and asked him
to help him, and that he also told
him the day after that he had
committed the deed.
And that same night McCurley
admits that he and White left
Great Bend, coming as far as
Hutchinson together, White then
going back to the Bend to '"Iay
low" as he put it, while McCurley
went on to Iowa.
Did Tommy White tell you
that he was going to kill Lee Nor.
gan?' McCurley was asked.
"YeS, he told me that he was
going to do it, and wanted me to
go along" he replied.
why didn't you tell the au.
thorities, or do something to pre-.
vent it?"
Because didn't believe that hi
meant it," McCurley declared. %
thought he was just kidding.
don't believe he'd do it. The mex
day when he came to me and tolC
me that he had done it, didn't say
just what had happened"
But you understood him tC
mean that he had killed Morgan? p
II understood that was what h,
meant, but | didn't believe him
and didn't pay any attention to it.
Then why did you leave Grea
Bend that night with White?"
: well, not because of any muir
der" insisted McCurley. "The rea
son | left was because a bootleg
ger had been arrested that | hat
bought stuff from and didn'
want to get mixed up in that boot
logger case. | was planning to g
l to Iowa anyway to work, and de
clded TO 80 that night"
McCurley is not a bad lookin
! youth. He is % years of age, an
|; unmarried. His home is in Free
dom, Okla, and he says he ha
been working in the vicinity @
Great Bend, engaged in harvesting
He had worked in Hutchinson
couple of years ago, being employ
ed as laborer on the conStruC
tiOn of the First National Ban
building, by the SwenSon Cor
Struction Co. He also worked fC
Earl Sapp in building some house
in the east end of the city.
McCurley'S father, a farmer {
4 Freedom, Okla, has been here fC
: several days, awaiting the arriv;
; of his son from Iowa. He viSite
= him at the county Jail this after
:. noon.
= The father declared that th
. family would spend every doll;
3 they had defending the your
e e man. The youth declares that
i :; is the victim of false accusation
!, by Tommy White.
+ McCurley was located on
farm near AIgona, Kossuth coul
,f ty, Iowa, in the extreme nOrthel
- - part of that state.
as Sheriff w. NJ. Brown, of Bartt
e. county, who had gone there fro
Great Bend after him, arrived Ia