Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-09-06
REV. KELLY coNFEssEs
TO BE vlLLlscA mURpERER
Makes Confession A. Looan.

Yesterday morning, about 8
O'Clock, he called Sheriff M. d.
3 Myers of Harrison county, State
Agent Risden and County Attor-
ney p. d. Roadifer to his cell and
asked to make confession. Mr..
Roadifer typed the. confession
which Kelly signed. 1t is COM
plete and unqualified admission
OF killing Joe Moore, his wife,
their four children, Herman,
Katherine, Boyd and Paul, and
Lena and Ina Stillinger on the
night of June 8, 1912, with an ak.
!, Sheriff Myers early this morn.
! ing by phone denied the reports
that third degree" methods had
| been used by the officials in Sc
4 touring the confession from Kelly.
He also denied that number of
i deputies were with him and Kelly
In the cell. But four men were
present, according to the sheriff.
Reports. early in the evening
had it that the confession had
| been made to Attorney General
Havner, and that it had come aft
er grilling from about 8 O'Clock
!, Thursday night to O'Clock yes
terday morning. These reports
also said that the preacher had
been read the testimony eighty
five Witnesses would give against
|! hlm at his trial, which begins
tuesday, on the Indictment
against him for the murder of
Lena Stillinger 'sand seven 9TH
] ers.''
Other reports said Kelly had
I been told that mob of Montgom-
1 cry county citizens was waiting
at Red Oak to lynch him when he
was brought there, and that if he
4 would sign the confession the
Y state would send 10000 soldiers
to dispel the people.
Still others had it that the
Estate promised the clergyman he
would be sent to an insane asy-
: lum for: six months and then
3 freed III he would admit the crime.
4 All these reports were set at
pest by Sheriff Myers by phone
early this morning.
Trial Starts Tuesday.
i Des Moines, Aug. 31.-H. M.
4 Havner, attorney general of Iowa.
late tonight announced that he
khad received verification of the
report that Lynn George J. Kelly.
an itinerant clergyman, had con-
Efessed to the murder of eight per-
sons at Villisca, Ia, in 1912, in
connection with which he has
been under Indictment since last
i>spring.
Rev. Kelly is said to have
signed the confession early today
in the presence of the Harriion
4 county attorney and sheriff in the
)jail at Logan, Ia, where he has
been confined since last Nav.
bafter his arrest on grand Jury
Vindictment charging him with
sJhaving killed 11-year-old Lena
1Stillinger, one of the ak MURDER
Z er's victims.
N Trial on this Indictment was to
start in the court at Red Oak, Ia,
f1ext Tuesday and Mr.. Havncr
ksaid tonight he did not know what
perfect the alleged confession
y would have on the case in this re-
fgard.
y Mr.. Havner said Sheriff M. D.
Myers OF Logan had informed him
sRf the confession while the for
'ner was in Council Bluffs on
state business today. The attor-
key general said he was not in
/ f.ogan When the statement was
sgElgned. The confession, he said.
Eas made entirely at Kelly's own
I tolition
1t was at the home of Joe b.
II Moore, an implement dealer of
aWillisca, that the eight persons
EYere slain the night of June 9.
H9f2. The victims, slain as thew
Elept, were Moore, l3 years old:
his wife, SO years: 'hcir four chill
kiren, Herman, IL; Katherine, 40;
Eoyd, q; and Paul, 5, and two
heighbor children, Lena Stillin-
Ger, II, and her sister, Ina
Rged 8.
! Kelly is married. He graduated
from a seminary i'm Omaha in
\ lf9f2, and at the time of the ak
9murders, while still student, he
8Preached at Macedonia, Ia, and
MFlllisca on alternate Sundays. He
was in Villisca June 9, 1912.
81 The Misses Opal and Irene.
'amisiea are the guests of Oma-
Friends for few days.
III Fifteen carloads of Hudson Six
j fafs passed through the Valley
asst night for TT. Omaha.
v