Mexico weekly ledger., 1916-09-28
ORA LEWIS TELLS OF WIRE
.THEFTS HERE N CONFESSION
kansas City Starr

He is 90 years old, slender, light
haired, blue eyed. He speaks little Of
the argot Of the tough, though he has
been thrown among the underworld
characters for a half dozen years but
until two days ago the police have
sought him in every village, hamlet an
city in America. His name is Ora Otis
Lewis, alias Fred Rogers, alias Mutt
In the Office Of Larry Client, chief Of
the Kansas City detectives, Sunday
afternoon Ora related the incidents Of
his life that caused him to be a fugi-
tive from justice; how be and two
brothers, Frank and Roy Lewis, had
stolen more than fifty motor cars from
St Louis; how they had stolen load
after load Of expensive copper and
other metals; now he fired the shot
that killed oficcr John F. McKenna;
how their career 81 thieying was halt
ed temporarily when they fled from
the city after killing MeKenns and
William A. Dllca. policemen.
Big Business in Copper.
Gimme a cigar, somebody" he de-
manded Of the crowd Of detectives
that nearly filled the small room.
~Fair enough. Now throw in a
match Then when the cigar was
drawing to Ais satisfaction, he tilt
back in his chair and resumed in
a calm voice the words that were
leading him to prison. if not to the
scaffold,
my brothers, Frank and Roy, and I
left St Louis in two motor cars one
day early last April, intending to go
to some small towns and steal copper
wire. We drove TO Mexico, Mo. Got
Their the next day and went to the
south west part Of the town. Look
at the wire up there says Frank. l
There it was right over a
street a track. This trolley wire will
some good dough- says Roy.
So we tossed a rope over the wire,
it down near TO the ground,
cut it with bolt cutters. We kept
on taking this wire - must have been
about two tons. Back to ST. Louis
drove, getting there the next
day. The wire we had put in both
our cars.
Tells of the Killing.
Il drove up to a garage on Whittier
street and a motor cycle policeman
met me and said / was pinched. There
was ONE shooting" Ora paused.
did you shoot Officer McKenna ?"
Chief Client pressed.
Yes. l fired the shot that killed
the prisoner replied. Lewis
made the admission after several
hours of questioning by local and st.
detectives. When Roy Lewis
was arrested the day after the Nc
kenna killing he said his brother Ora
did the shooting.
Frank, Roy and me drove to nv
home after the trouble at the gar
age" Ora resumed quietly. 81 lived
at 1858 Athlone avenue. We put our
in the garage. About that time
a policeman came through the door.
Wen, he started to question us and
later was found buried by the road
side"
The Second Murder.
The confession Of Roy Lewis tells
that Ora and Frank then murdered
the policeman, Who was William Dill
Ion. The death instruments were n
Ratchet and shovel. Ora and Frank.
according to Roy's confession, plac-
ed the body in one of their stolen mo-
tor ears, first wrapped it in a lap robe.
and buried it on the side of a road
several blocks from the scene of the
crime.
We came to Kansas City early last
June" Ora continued.
Frank and l found it pretty safe
mere IN Kansas City. People are SO
careless with their extra tires and the
junk dealers ask few questions"
Lewis said he and his brother had
stolen five motor cars here.
When was the first time o ever
stole?" Chief Client inquired.
That's easy. 1t was in Chetopa.
Kan, my home town. When | was 8
years Old COPIED a tricycle. from a
kid I played with"