Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-17
OKLAHOMA MINISTER AT RED
OAK TO TELL OF DYING STATE
MENT OF BLACKSMITH.
VICTIM OF TREMENS
SAYS HE KILLED MOORES
Minister TO Tell His Story to Grand
Jury at Red Oak-Does Not Know
Name Of Alleged Confessen-Story
Discredited by Both Detective VIII
kerson and Younger Jones.

Red Oak, March 1.-THE Rev. j. J.
Burris, Of Terrillton, Okla. has ar
rived in Red Oak with a subpoena
from the Montgomery county grand
jury, which, for the past ten days has
been investigating the Villisca murder
mystery.
The minister. who IS pastor of the
Church Of Christ in the Oklahoma city.
declared that a man, whose name he
was unable to recall, on his death bed
confessed TO him of having committed
the murders which shocked the entire
state. and which for four and a half
years have baffled detectives and coun-
ty and state officers.
Mr. Burris is expected TO tell his
story TO the grand jury
He said the confession was made to
him in hotel at Radersburg. Mont.
July. 1918. about a year after the
crime.
When arrived at the bedside saw
at a glance he was at deaths door
He was in torment and lived only
short time after arrived. Death was
said to have been due to delirium
tremens'
Confesses to Murder.
Mr.. Burris said the man began to
talk Immediately upon his entering the
room. He said he had been guilty OF
many wrongs continued the minister,
and wanted TO make clean breast
before he died.
He seemed to know that he had
but a short while to live. His life was
passing rapidly and it was with great
difficulty that he spoke. He was
physically unable to dwell much on de-
tails.
The man sank back among the pill
lows great load seemed to have
been lifted from his mind. In few
minutes he breathed his last"
Mr.. Burris said the body was buried in
Radersburg. The clergyman said that
the man told him that he was living in
Villisca at the time Of the murder and
that formerly he had been engaged in
the blacksmith business there. He Is
said TO have been part owner OF
bla cksmith shop in Radersburg at the
time Of his death.
Il should judge he was a man about
% years old at the time OF his death"
said Mr.. Burris.
He has relatives in Villisca, l was
years ago married physician and ieft
her home in villisca to live in the
| west
Never Saw Man Before.
Nh Burris said he did not remember
ever having seen the man before ne
was called to the bedside. He said the
man claimed to have known him when
he lived in Iowa years ago.
Asked II he had ever heard the story
told by Mr.. Burris. Albert Jones who
with his father, F. F. Jones, of Villisca,
are being investigated in connection
with the ak murder mystery, declared
that he had and that he did not at
| tach much Importance to it.
Detective J. \. Wilkerson, who Is
seeking indictments against half
dozen residents OF Montgomery county,
declared that he had investigated the
story and found that it would not
stand up.
Mr.. Burris said he had been in COM
munication with Attorney General
Havner in regard to the story he said
was told him by the dying man, and
that the attorney general had the
money with which to pay the expense
Of his trip to Red Oak.
| Mr.. Havner Is expected to arrive
in Red Oak from Des Moines. F. F,
Faville, who Is conducting the grand
Jury investigation refused to comment
on Burris' story.