Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-14
Detectives AZ ,heriff Claim
to Have { entitled Muir.
de, Of Moores.
MANsWHO KILLED
EIGHT IS KNOWN
Warrant Issusd For Arrest Of William
Mansfield. Ex-convies and Dope Fisnd
known to Officers 40 ~insans
eiaokis"-MansfieId Also Accused Of
Similar Grimes at Blue island, IlI,
and Paoia, Kan.

Kansas City, Mo. June 1.-THE au-
thorities today were awaiting the ar
Iival OF officers from Red Oak. Iowa.
, to take back william Mansfield, Is
years old, arrested yesterday in KAN
sas City, Kan. on suspicion Of COM
pllcty in the murder of the Moore
family at Viliisca, Iowa.
He was captured at the Cochrane
packing plant by J. N. wilkerson, 4
/, private detective. and Capt Thomas
Fleming. head OF the Kansas City,
Kan. detective force.
1t was thru a story ard photograpn
Of the ak murder suspect published in
Kansas City paper that the man was
taken. An official Of the packing COM
pany recognized In the photograph tho
likeness Of William Mansfield, a former
employe. This tip led to the arrest.
O. T. Gillett, prosecuting attorney OF
Montgomery county. Iowa, where the
Moore murders occurred. arrived In
Kansas City this morning to arranEs
extradtion for Mansfield. Sheriff Jack
son will arrive here late this afternoon
with the warrant.
Blue Island, III. authorities also have
fled claim for the long sought sus-
pect.
In the search for Mansfield the de.
tectives stumbled on ths fact that the
Blue Island ak victims were his WIFE, ,
his baby ana his father In law ana
mother -in-law. It is aaid that Manssl
field had admitted tho relationship but
| denies the crime. Further lnvsetssa-
! tion disclosed he had been In Pnola,
! Kan. and Aurora, I'LL. whom AZ mur>t
| ders were committed there.
According to Detectives information
leading to Mansfields arrest was al. /
tained from woman who IL said to |
have heard the Moore murder planned
Special to Times-Republican.
Kansas City, Juno 1.-THE mystery
Of the Villisca ak murders four years
ago last Friday may have been solved, ,
with the declaration of J. n. Wilkar-
son Of the Burns detective agency
here that William Mansfield, alias
Insane Blackie." x-soldier, ex-con-
vict and dope fend, was the man re.
sponsible not only for the villisca !
murders, but likewise for those mt !
Paola, Kan. four days before the
Moore family was wiped out of exist
ence at Villisca, and the horrible
murders at Blue Island, H.. as we'll
Acting upon the information fur I
nished by the Burns detective. n war
rant was issued yesterday at Red Oak,
Iowa. the county seat of Montgomery
county in which Villisca Is situated,
charging Mansfield with the Moore
murders This action was taken upon
the initiative Of Sheriff O. f. Jackson
and Attorney o. r. Gillett, of Red Oak.
In connection with the sensational
developments of the famous ax-mur-
ders, the Post here publishes story
as coming from Detective Wilkerson,
in which there are, Il is said By per-
sons here in a position to know. some
points that Will require careful check
ms before they can be believed liter
ally. The Post story follows:
The Kansas City Story.
The order for the arrest of Insane
9lackie" as the AK murderer is the re-
suit Of months of work by ]. N. Will
kerson, of the Burns agency here. Ho
was employed to find the man who.
on the morning of June .. 1912. killed
Joe Moore, his wife, his four children. Z
and two young girls, daughters OF .
neighbor. IN Villisca, Iowa.
These are the results Of Wilkerson's
investigations. as he states them:
!. The murder Of Joe Moore and
the seven other occupants of his home /
in Villisca, Iowa. was committed by
Mansfield, alias Blackie, for hire.
2. The victims OF the Blue Island.
H., ax-murders until now an unsolved
mystery. were the wife the infant
child and the father and mother-in- I
law OF Mansfield. He was in Blue
Island on the night Of the murders.
The motive attributed is that Mrs.
Mansfield rad obtained a felony war
rant for her husband charging aban-
donment,
8. Insane Blackie" was in Paola,
Kan, on the night OF the ax-murders
there. This was four days before the
Moore murders. -
4. He was In a notorious Joint" in
Aurora Immediately after the murders
OF Jennie Peterson and Jennie Miller
and was seeking to buy cocaine.
5. All OF these murders were COM
mitted in precisely the same manner.
indicating strongly that they were the
work Of the same man.
For months secret hunt for the
man now named as the ax-murderer
has been prosecuted quietly by the
Burns agency But a few days ago /,
political circular spread thru Viiiisoa
containing picture of the AK mnr-
derer and the charge that he was paid
for thu murder OF the Moore family
All by Same Man.
The manner in which each OF the
ak murders vas committed has Ia ai-
ways been regarded by detectives A.
: