The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-29
An MURDER JURY
FAILS IN VERDICT
Review Of Noted Case When Eight
Lose Lives.

Lose Lives.
Red Oak, Iowa, Sept. 29.-The jury
the trial Of Rev. Lyn George j. Kelly.
charged with murder in connection with
the Villisca axe slayings, was discharg.
ed by Judge Boies yesterday afternoon
for failure 10 agree on verdict, after
having deliberated since Wednesday.
It was learned that twenty-five bal.
lots were taken by the jury and that
a number Of the latter ballots even
voted for acquittal and one for mot
guilty because Of insanity"
Kelly, il was stated. will be returned
at once to the county jail at Logan.
Iowa, where he will be held without bail.
pending further action in the case.
II. NJ. Havner. attorney general OF
Iowa, who was in personal charge Of
the' prosecution, said the state had no
intention Of requesting dismissal Of the
indictment against Kelly
Were Eight Victims.
Trial of the Rev. Lyn George J. Kelly
on an indictment charging him with
the murder OF ll.yearold Lena Stnlin-
ger one Of the eight victims OF the
Nillisca, Ia. axe slayings Of 1912. be-
gan In the district court here Septem.
her 4.
Figuring prominently In the states
case were "a number OF confessions OF
guilt the clergyman was alleged TO have
made. while Of the latter's main defcn-
ses was that he was mentally irrospon-
sible when he made statements impli.
eating himself
Forty.seyen witnesses. including many
former parishioners. were used by the
state iu presenting los case and It's nu-
merous exhibits admitted as evidence
included "a signed statement OF guilt
the defendant was purported TO have
made while la jail at Logan. Iowa, a
few days before the trial opened.
In their effort 20 rcfute the charges
Of the prosecution, counsel for the de.
feuse called nfty.hve witnesses, among
them the clergyman's wife Several
alienists and others testified Kelly was
the victim of paranoia and Of "un.
sound mind" when he made statements
involving himself in the crime.
Alleged Convincing Evidence.
Testimony OF witnesses for the state
was intended 10 show that Kelly had
talked OF the murders ON "a train and
In his home town Of Macedonia. Iowa,
more than thirty minutes 10 an hour
before the crime is generally known TO
have been discovered
State witnesses also testified that he
had directly implicated himself In the
crime ON several different occasions; that
he spoke on intimate details of the crime
not generally known. The state also
sought TO show that he left a bloody
shirt at a Council Bluffs, Iowa, laundry
shortly after tho murders
ln reference TO the confession Kelly
IS alleged To have signed in the Logan
jail around o'clock the morning Of
August 81. last the defense introduced
as evidence the stenographic accounts
OF a conversation between Kelly and
state counsel, including Attorney Gen.
eUl Hayner. which occurred between
midnight and o'clock that morning.
This conversation. which included nu.
merous questions by two prosecution
attorneys, one Of them Mr. Havnor.
took place in the sherin's office Kelly
was quoted as acknowledging guilt OF
the murders In manner somewhat
similar to that In his alleged dictated
statement of a few hours later.
In this latter statement Kelly was
quoted az saying that "a voice" directed
his actions In killing the eight persons,
while his mind played ever on "Slay
Utterly" "a text OF sermons he had heard
and read.
The eight axe victims were found
about $50 o'clock on the morning OF
June ., 1919, In the home OF Joe II.
Moore, an implement dealer The first