Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-05-15
REGARDED AS QUEER.
Skeiiy Early Under Suspicion Of Moore
Crimes at Vi!isea.

| Red Oak May l5.-The grand jury
(which com pleted the indictment against
tKelly completed its work about 1t
to'ciock on the night of April 20. There
,was a crowd of people in the court
room expecting to hear something OF
t3ts work but were disappointed.
1t was thought that if no Indictment
was returned the public would be tod
and as nothing was made public and
even the report of the grand jury was
locked up. II became evident an indict-
iment was returned, but against whom
The indictment and arrest OF Kelly
comes after more than five years OF un-
certainty and more or less III feeling
1T comes as a surprise aitho there haV"
been rum0rs that Kelly was the man
manned by the grand jury.
The evidence against Kelly Is not
publicly known. out there II mucn con-
tiecture since his alleged conduct while
An the state mas been more or less Of
a matter Of public discussion, attic un-
IN only in recent months mas his name
figured very largely in the case. This
il due, perha ps. as much 70 the fact
THAT the public mind has been diverted
in other directions.
fE Was IN Ne6r5sSa
Il is matter Ut considerable inter
est that Kelly was II NAlisca the
might Of the murder and left town the
next morning on the early train west
However, he came back and preached
In that vicinity during the remainder
of that summer Later he Tas located
lat Sutton. $eb., where he was pastor
OF the Eongr egstIDnaI church
II ss reported that persons wn" came
81 contact with Kelly at Sutton were
important witnesses before the grand
jury in Red Oak.
A story In circulation Is that Kelly
while in Sutton, called upon a doctor
to whom ne said:
We'll, doctor. I had another one Of
my Spells last night. TIE officers weTE
after me again for the VIiiiaca murders,
but they didn't get me. had all the
windows and doors locked and they
couldn't get in. You don't think / com =
mitted that crime do you, doctor be-
cause the ak hit the ceiling and ]
couldn't have reached the ceiling win
an ak. They said that there was blood
.en my shirt at the laundry. but that
twas not blood; it was nair tonic"
A Theological Student.
Kelly was a theological student a.
the time u the Villisca murders. He
had just completed mis- school year at
4 the Presbyterian Theological Seminary
z at Omaha. and like many seminary STU
Clients followed the practice OF preach =
Ing during the summer at small
scnarges in hiE denomination. lie mad
5nade arrangements to preach during
the summer OF 1912 at Macedonia, Iowt-
in the Council Bluffs presbytery, and
intended TO move his family there.
ABOUT the time he, completed his
4 school year at the Omaha seminary
KS the committee Of home missions OF the
Corning presbytery had a meeting to
Il consider having Kelly go TO the Pilot
Grove and Arlington charges near Vii
1isca Rev. r. 3. West, then Of NAL
3 vern, Rev. A. z. Kiser, Of Creston, and
Rev. w. J. Ewing, of this city, were
the ministers CT t!:st committee Ehe
4 met to take up such matters Of bust
Il ness for the presbytery. II was agreed
70 make an effort to secure the sery-
q Ice OF Kelly. and Rev. West, Of Mall
Il vern did the corresponding for the
4 0pGaMittee. Rev. Kelly agreed to ac-
Il rept the offer to come to the viilisca
~ charges at Pilot Grove and Arlington
II and arrived In villisca June 5, 1912, on
= The 40 train to take oyer h!a ne.
Il duties.
), He was met at the train by viiiisca
rs oorties and taken to the Henry Enar.