Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-14

1t was destined from the ITSt Ind
Justice. belated but irresistible In the
end. was at last to overtake them.
+. j. n. Wilkerson. Burns detective, who
was employed to solve the ak murder
mystery, learned, he says, that certain
persons in Villisca had the strongest
possible motive for wishing Joe Moore's
death. That motive was jealousy. There
was q witness who if she could be
found and induced to talk would throw
flood of light on the mystery.
1t was the task of months to locate
this witnes-the one human being. ex-
cepting the conspirators themselves,
who was present but hidden. when the
murder plot was Matched and its price
agreed upon.
what know has made me an old
woman when l should be young one,
she said. God knows 1 would tell you
everything and rid my heart and soui
of this terrible burden, but l dare not.
must carry it to my grave My hus-
band would kill me as slept If he even
Suspected me of talking to you. de-
tectiye." sAAa.0
Fear Sealed Her Lips.
And then when his hopes of securing
to nothing, that strange, sinister power
which from the first worked with him
against the murderers stepped into the
breach and gave him what he sought.
The power chose travelling fortune
teller who happened into the town just
then as the medium thru which to
work.
"A man will come to you." the fort
une-teller said. and ask you to tell
him the truth. Do so. 1t is your only
hope. You can trust him. He Will
keep faith. If you do not You are lost.
The witness left the fortune teller's
room with eyes that seemed starting
from her head. The first person she
met on the street was the Burns detec-
tive. az
Il want to talk to you," she cried,
catching him by the arm. "A fortune
teller has told me terrible truths. She
told me my only hope is in you. Meet
me in the cemetery in an hour. I'm go
ing to tell you the truth about the VII
lisca ak murders and may God have
mercy on me and protect me"
Tells Story in Graveyard.
That evening, sitting on a secluded
tombstone, the woman told her story
a story that for the first time gave the
direct and positive knowledge of how
and by whom the mureer of Joe Moore
and his family was planned and ex-
ecuted.
She and ner husband, and also her
brother and his wife. were living in
camp wagon on the banks Of the Nod
away river in October preceding the
Moore murder. Kindling wood was
scarce and the women had located a
number of old packing boxes that lay
beside the abandoned slaughter house
located in the center of an acre Of will
lows so thick as to be almost impene-
trable.
One night the two women started
for the spot TO bring home supply or
kindling. The distance from their
camp was a quarter Of mile. On the
way the little barefoot girl Of the wit
ness ster-in-law stubbed her toe and
ran a thorn into her foot. She cried
with pain, and her mother not being
able to take the thorn out, turned back
with her, leaving the witness to go on
after the kindiDg alone.
Recognizes Voice Of Plotter.
She at once recognized the voice OF
one Of the speakers. He was a pro-
fessional criminal from Chicago, who
often had had secret business with her
husband She knew his reputation and
she feared him. In consequence, being
afraid to retreat for fear Of betraying
her presence. She stood silent and sun
scarcely daring to breathe.
For a half hour she heard @the
three men talk
They were plotting murder-the
murder OF Joe Moore.
The professional criminal whom the
woman knew we'll agreed TO have the
job done-for. a price. The other two
agreed to pay the price. They settled
where the payment was to be made
sum as the agreed price from bank
after the murder had been done. The
elder man of the trio who was to pro-