Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-05-11
KILLING 1 HABIT
IN BEASLEY FAMILY
MAN WHO MURDERED WIFE
AND TWO CHILDREN PAR.
TicIPANT IN FEUps.
sHooTINes COMMON
AMONG RELATIVES
Murder Sunday Fourth In Which
Family Has Been involvsd-Fsuds
Of Long Standing Among esaslsys
and Their Kin at Old Homo In
Southern Illinois.

Webster city. May 1l.-Harley
Beasley. who on Sunday deliberately
shot to death his Wife and two small
children In this CITY. comes of =
family Of feudists and murdsrers.
Sundays murder was the fourth in
his family which 10 known to people
in Webster City.
The home Of the family 10 in the
extreme eastern part OF Bond county.
Illinois, at Mulberry Grove about
seventy miles northeast Of st. Louis.
Near relatives also live just across
the east line In Fayette county. This
part OF illinois. like parts Of Ken
lucky. II the home Of msn who are
feudists. From early boyhood they
are trained to shoot and feuds oc-
casionally keep the countryside In a
state Of terror. Gerrit Beasley,
father Of Harley Bessley. died Of the
influenza In March. His mother IL
stu living in Bond county. Mrs.
Harley Bsasley's parents Mr.. and
Mrs. j. II. Koonce. also live In Bond
county. They have been notified OF
the murder Of their daughter and It
Is expected that tho body Of Mrs.
Beasley and her two murdered boys
will be taken back to Mulberry Grove
for burial.
Father Sheets Man.
Tho Beaslsy family back in Bond
county and the Jake Smith family,
who live In the same neighborhood,
are deadly enemies. The elder Beas-
ley one time shot or Smiths ear in
a murdsrous attempt upon his life.
A short time later Robert Beasley. an
uncle OF Harley Beasley. killed VIII
Smith. 20-ycar-oid son of Jake
Smith. at the Van Burenburg church.
He shot him on sight without APP
parently the slightest provocation.
he was sent to the penitentiary for
the crime. but was later pardoned.
Two More Murders.
Another relative OF Harley Beasley,
Dan Nethertng. who also lives In the
same neighborhood, shot and killed q
man by the name Of Jim Mcintosh.
As told BY e. F. kooncs, or this city,
. brother Of Mrs. Beaslsy, Nstherins
hred upon Mcintosh ~ the latter
was passing along the road unarmed.
Another OF the Nethsriue family.
Charles. also killed Curtis Kirk ii
the Xarpor church In FAyette county.
Tho family has furnished = num-
Der OF criminals and human .ufe in
the community vhsrs they W. i
hsld lightly BY them and the horrible
act Of Harley Beasley in prsmedi-
tatcdly killing his wife ana two little
boys appears to be in keeping with
the record Of the family.
The hunted man 10 described al
about % years Of age. feet 10
inches in height weight 100 pounds.
sandy complexion. with stubby red
mustache. He wore when he left
Webster City, Z dark green coat and
vest, blue serge pants. with KHAKI,
covsraAs over his clothes. He Il
said 70 bs dope t,end.
Was 0rutai Crime.
The murder OF Mrs. Beasley and
her two small sons. aged ana q;
was the most horrifytng committed
II the state for several Year,.
BsAslsy has not been living with
his family since last fall, whom he
left Webster City. He was known
- b dope edict and abusive to
his wife and little ones. It was later
reported that he Was living with
another woman in Illinois. and had
had trouble with the authorities. A
few days ago. b. +. Koonce. brother
in.law to the slain woman learned
in some manner that Beasley was
coming back to Webster City.
Find Dodiss in Bed.
Fearing violence, he had Mrs.
Deaslsy and her children come to his
homo Tor protection. Sunday morn
Ing he and Nrs. Koonces went to
church. leaving the sistsr and her
Children alone. When they returned
they were Mortified to nnd the dead
bodies in Q bedroom Of the house.
The woman lay on the bad with
the older boy In her arms and the
younger boy lay upon the floor close
by. All three haA bean shot thru tho
head. with q calioer revolver and
must have died instantly.
Tho sheriff soon had . posse upon
the track Of the murderer and had
no difAculty in tracing him to Iowa
Falls, thirty-nve miles east OF
Webster City. The man ESCAPED by