The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-03
Admits Committing Vellis-
ca Axe Murders and then
Repudiates Statement
AUTHORITIES DENY
ANY THIRD DEGREE
Sermon on "Slay Utterly"
Given as Cause of the
Terrible Crime
CRv Associated Press.l

Logan, Ia, Sept. Son the eve Of
his trial for completely in the famous
Villisc axe murders of 1912, Rev.
Lynn G.. ]. Kelly, itinerant preacher,
it was announced Saturday by ]. E.
Risden, state agent, signed a con-
fession that he had slain eight per-
sons with an ak and then, through
his counsel, made a complete repu-
diation. Kelly's reputed confession,
It is said. was made early Friday
morning in the presence of Attorney
General H. NJ. Havner, Sheriff NJ. d.
Meyers of Harrison county, Deputy
Charlie Atkins, j. E. Risden, state
agent, and j. j. Hess, Council Bluffs
attorney. In his statement Kelly is
said to have admitted that a sermon
''Slay utterly caused him to kill,
and that a voice which he believed
to be that of God led him and guided
him in the crime. a..
Later in the day Friday, ]. A. Nc
Kenzie of the legal firm representing
Kelly, visited the prisoner in his cell
and then said Kelly completely re-
pudiated the confession. Judge A.
L. Sutton of Omaha, OF Kelly's coun-
sci. says the confession lis worthless
as drastic third degree methods were
used by state authorities. On the
other hand, those present when the
confession was secured absolutely
deny using any force or coercion.
History of Kelly Case.
Kelly was arrested May IA, 1917, on
an indictment charging him with
having killed l1-year- Lena Still
niger, one az the eight victims OF the
gruesome Vnlisca, Ia, axe murders
OF 1912.
Kelly pleaded not guilty at his ar
raignment in the district court of
MONTGOMERY county. May is, and was
removed shortly after to the county
jail at Logan, in H2"5@s IN county,
where he had been confined since.
The arrest Of the clergyman
marked the most startling OF SER
les of sensations growing out of the
murders at Villisca, among which
were an unsuccessful $4,000 SANDER
suit, q grand jury exoneration Of a
former state senator and his son, and
a bitter controversy between the
state department of justice and a
private detective investigating the
case.
It was on Monday morning, June
10, 1912, that Villisca, a city of 1000
population in the southwest corner
of Montgomery county. awoke TO
find one of it's homes a shambles, a
family of six and two girls visiting
it the mutilated victims of an axe
The axe, covered with
blood, was found in one of the rooms.
The crime was committed In the
home of Joe B. Moore, an implement
dealer, and the. victims, slain as they
slept, were Moore. 43 years old; his
wife, 80; their four children. Herman,
IL; Katherine, 10; Boyd, z; and Paul,
S, and two neighborhood children,
Lena Stillinger, IL, and her sister,
Ina. aged 5. daughters Of Joe Stilling-
er.
unrivaIled in the criminal annals
OF the state, the brutal murders
struck terror to the city and coun-
trystide for miles around, while the
authorities vainly CROPPED for some
clew to the assassin. One man was
taken into custody, but was released
at his preliminary hearing because OF
insufficient evidence.
r. N. Wilkerson, detective of
Kansas City, became associated with
the investigation almost Immediately
and in the spring Of 1916, a William
Mansfield was arrested at Kansas
city, Mo-, at the instigation OF Wiki
erson Mansfield waived extradition
and returned here to face q grand
jury investigation, which ended with
the refusal Of that body to indict
him.
Suit For sIander.
WiIkerson began holding public !
mass meetings, and it was as the |
result Of certain utterances he Is al
legged to have made that F. +. Jones, |
4 merchant Of Villisca and a former
state senator, brought suit against
he detective for $4,000 damages, |
charging the detective with slander. ]
After a sensational trial in Novem- |
Der, 1916, Wilkerson won. The de- /
tense introduced evidence intended |
% show Implication Of Jones and his |
son, Albert. in the axe murders. In /
January, 1917. grand jury was sum- |
noned in Montgomery county to con-
Sider the status of Jones and his son, !
H. M. Havner had assumed the Of |
Ice of attorney general of Iowa the /
irst Of the year, and he, with a spec /
al assistant appointed for the case. /
appeared before the grand jury with /
in their possession and with /
he announced intention Of refuting /
he charges against Jones.
Wilkerson, the detective, declared /
hat Kelly had no connection with /
he crime. and the controversy be-
ween Kelly and the state department
Il justice became bitter Attorney 1
General Havner finally obtained q
injunction restraining
from holding further pub
ic meetings in Iowa or seeking TO
influence witnesses or officials con-
lected with the trial Of Kelly.
Kelly IS married and came 70 the
United states from ENGLAND about
en- years ago. He graduated from q
seminary III Omaha in 1912. and has
erved q number Of congregations
ince then At the time Of the axe
murders. he was a student at the
but preached at Mace
|onia, Ia. and Villisca on alternate
sundays. He was at Villisca June
!, 1912, but is said to have been at
ia an adjoining county,
he next day at about the time the
murders were discovered.