Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-06
KELLY WAS QUEER
WHILE IN IOWA
PECULIAR ANTICS RECALLED BY
RESIDENTS OF TOWN OF
MACEDONIA.
so POOR HE POSSESSED
ONLY TWO WHITE COLLARS
Newspaper Files Show Kelly Did Not
Preach From Text He Alleges He
Used in Sermon on Ak Murders
Spent SieepIess Nights and Ran
Wildly About His Home.


pie here heard that Rev. Lyn G. }.
Kelly had confessed the F!llisca aN
murders it aroused two comments.
One was, 1T !snt so. or II il -, he
made it under pressure; the other,
"Well, we suspected 1t all the time.
Each remark Is typical OF kelly's
"oddness." He was minister OF the
Presbyterian church and lived in
Macedonia at the time of the murders.
He came to this place when he caught
the early train out of Ftllsca IN"
morning the bodies were found. Al
ways he was doing something which
caused comment.
A search thru the files Of the news
paper here shows that he did not
preach from the text which he says
he followed during the AK numbering,
tho he used the words quite often
Rev. Mr.. Kelly rarely used a definite
text. He would name his sermon some
catchy phrase and draw from the bible
a number OF places for his lessons
These were some OF the titles Of his
a:scour~es in the summer OF the muir
NeTS. TISHl VI DSSGI3Fr -'DS ~"
Destiny" "An Old Mans Confession
and AN Awful Night"
Spsn. slseSiess Nights.
This last subject recalls to many o.
the residents Of the south end of town
the awful nights the minister put In
He told neighbors that many nights
he did not sleep at all because they
were after him" and that he locked
the doors and barred the windows
Neighbors heard him running about
the house at all hours after darkness
The Kelly home was practically des-
titute. He and Mrs. Kelly were child
less. Their home had but few pieces
Of furniture, and they lived a good
part of the time with the netghbors.
He told two young men one evening
that he had but two white collars and
that he had 70 save them for sunday
wear, that was why he went coilarless
so much during the week The boys
socks at the time.
During his stay here the minister
put on a revival meeting. He original
" scheduled It for two weeks but dur
ing the time he asserted ne got a let
ter signed by number CT leading
young people of the town threatening
his life If he continued the meetings.
This caused him to extend his schedule
another fortnight. He maintained 10
one young man that he would be
United States president some time be-
cause he hadn't signed the papers
His sermons were replete with men
ton Ct the Moore murders He often
spoke Of the sacrifices Of blood made
now rs IN the days Of Abraham and
isaac. bot the blood Of today Tas OF
man One sermon is remembered in
which he n4d occasion 70 tell OF the
pltler II rain drops on the roof. Il
went something Ike this: ''Thud. thud,
thud, on the roof ike the ak into the
heads Of the M0ores at Vilisca II
seemed TO be a part of his religious be-
lief that John Jacob Aston, who went
down on the Titantic-keIIy pro-
nounced il with the "a" long-was !r-
detrievabIy doomed TO nell and that
the Mooree and Stillinger children
we're sacrificed to gone good for God.
An incident Is recalled BY those that
made up the younger set" Of the
town at that time that now makes
them sF1iver a little when they rem en-
Der how Kelly used TO go about at
night pecklng on windows. They were
at a party enc evening when il vas
suggested that each girl tell what she
would do II the VIlIiGca ak murderer
should come at night and peck on her
window. The girl whose solution was
called best decided she would throw
a pillow ard scream This girl lived
within twenty-five yards Of the Kelly
home, and windows Of her room faced
the residence Of the preacher.
There ar" a number OF other Incl
dents recalled but because they may
be used as evidence IN Kellys trial
which begun Tuesday II was thought
best not TO publish them.
There are persons in Macedonia who
would ne convinced that Kelly COM
mitte6 the murders against ali argu-