The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-24
He CONFESSESAL ALL
PierSOI Bares Story of Keet
Baby Kidnapping.
Baby Died From Laudanum
Sleeping Potion.
duplicates DOZEN OTHERS
Riley, Ringleader, Plotted
100000 ExtOrtiOns.
He Stole Baby From Home,
Later Disposed of Body.

Springfield. NO. Dec. 24.-Claude
Ptersol, convicted of kidnapping Baby
Ii pyd Keet, has confessed.
The Keet baby. he said, was poison
ed by laudanum. administered to
quiet it.
The laudanum, Piersol said, was
given the baby by Riley" This Riley
is not the one known as "'Scarface
Riley" who recently was arrested in
Philadelphia, Piersol says.
Piersors confession was made to
Sheriff Mackey of Webster county,
December 3. 1t implicated a number
of persons in the Keet and other kid
naping plots and for that reason was
withheld Until these persons could be
arrested.
duplicates the Adamses.
All those now under arrest-Taylor
Adams, his two sons, Cletus and Make,
and Sam McGinnis-are implicated in
the statements of PiersoL Seven 9TH
o-s not under arrest are named.
Altho he did not mention Mrs.
Adams, wife of Taylor, in the con-
fession, he has since said to the
sheriff:
She's as guilty as hell
The confession to Sheriff Mackey in
the presence of his deputy, Harold
Tunnel, was made of Piersors own
vNlition, without any promises of
benefits and fo- the sole purpose of
giving the truth that justice may be
done a d that others more guilty than
myself may be brought to justice" the
appendix of the statement recites.
Riley, the mystery man. in the
Keet case, is named as the leader of
the band. Piersol says he (PiersoD
was taken into the scheme by Taylor
Adams.
PiersoI says it was Riley who went
into the Keet home and took the baby
from it's bed in the nursery. He adj
mits that he was present when this
was done. Piersol duplicates Dick
Carter, the man who turned state s
evidence and testified against Piersol
at his trial in October. He says Riley
handed the baby out of the window to
Carter.
Piersol said that after Riley, accord
ing to Piersol, who climbed into the
window of the Keet home and took
the baby, he handed it to Dick Carter,
carried it to a waiting car. when it was
handed to a woman-a member of the
band.
PiersoI took an active part in the
abduction, but said that at no time
did he ever touch the child. He was
stationed, he says, at the Keet home
with Cletus Adams, Make Adams,
Dick Carter and others, whom he
names, but who have not yet been ar
rested.
A Springfield man, according to the
confession, mapped out the route
which Keet was to take in his attempt
to ransom the baby. Piersol, in his
statement, said he had no knowledge
of the death of the baby until after
he was arrested. In his confession he
says that on Friday following his ar
rest, a member of the band, who was
not in custody, called on him at the
county Jail. He says that the man
told him of giving the medicine to
Baby Lloyd to keep the infant quiet,
and of the subsequent end of the
baby's life.
Reilly is going to throw it in the
well at the Crenshaw place." he says
the visitor told him.
Make Adams also is charged with
the attempt to kidnap c. A Clement,
a jeweler here.
PiersoPs confession also touches on
this and bares other abduction plots
1t was the plan of the gang at the
time they kidnapped Baby LLOYD to
kidnap ]. Holland Keet, the baby
father, when he paid the $4,000 ran
som.
Ed L Sanford, vice president of the
Holland Banking company and chair
man of the state highway commission,
also was marked for abduction, ac-
cording to the confession. Sanford
was to be held for 100000