Omaha daily bee., 1917-07-06
|0WA'S WORST
CRIME TO BE
aired HERE
StiI|inger and Relatives of the
Moore Family Will Relate at
Unusual Gathering How y
Eight Were Slain. =

On the stage of the Boyd hheater
Saturday afternoon will sit up
of Red Oak and Villisca citizens who
are closely identified with the Villisca
One will be Joe Stillinger, father of
ak murder case,
two girls who were among the eight
persons murdered at the home of
Joseph Moore, June 9, 1912. Another
will be Ross Moore, brother of Joseph
Moore, who was killed with his wife
and four children. Relatives of the
Moore and Stillinger families will oc-
cupy seats on the stage.
II is expected that Joe Stillinger
will preside. Attorney A. L. Sutton,
who represents Rev. Lyn G. ]. Kelly,
has been asked to preside, but de-
clared il would be better if Stillinger
would serve as chairman.
COMING BY SPECIAL TRAIN.
A special train will arrive here from
Red Oak and Villisca shortly after the
noon hour and the meeting will be
called at 8 o'clock. A section will
be reserved for the Montgomery
county contingent who are coming to
Omaha to hold a public meeting,
right denied them in their own county.
Attorney General Havner of Iowa
invoked the Thompson law, which
prohibits public meetings which may
influence witnesses or jurors. In this
instance it is contended that the Rev,
Mr.. Kelly is awaiting trial, under
grand jury Indictment, on charge of
being the ak murderer, and that the
meeting would prejudice the case.
Detective ]. N. Wilkerson, in the
employ of Montgomery county citi-
zens, will return to Omaha Friday
morning. He win be the principal
speaker Saturday afternoon He at
tempted TO speak at Red Oak last
week, but was prevented by an in
junction issued on the prayer of the
attorney general. The citizens inn
mediately raised fund of $500 to
dcfray the expenses Of Wilkerson.
rent of the Boyd theater and the spe-
cial train.
Say Kelly Is Innocent.
In Montgomery county many sub
stantial citizens do not believe that
Rev. Mr.. Kelly was in any way con-
nected with the ak murders, and they
further declare and will reiterate Sat-
urday that Kelly is being made the
scapegoat merely to get the case
closed. They contend that an effort
is being made to have Kelly adjudged
insane and thus bolster up theory
that he was the ak murderer.
Ross Moore, brother of Joe Moore.
who was one of the ak victims, scout
ed the theory of Kelly's guilt to
Bee representative. Moore visited
Kelly at the time the minister was
brought from Illinois by Attorney
Sutton and could not restrain smile
when asked if he thought Kelly was
the murderer.
Montgomery county citizens who
will meet here Saturday contend that
Kelly had no motive and that his
movements on the night of the MUIR
der have been accounted for. They
have contended and will contend Sat
urday that evidence which might have
yielded results was not followed up
with zeal by the authorities at the
time of the murder.
L. ]. Longnecker, an Omaha detec-
tive, who was one of the first men to
the case, alleges there was
gross negligence on the part of Off
cials in failing to take up the trail of
the case as soon as the murders were
discovered. Mr.. Longnecker will at
tend the Omaha meeting.