Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-05-24

down and got Lucy and the Kids.
Fisher says, did you? Emery says,
them to bed too. Fisher says we'll
lin Fishers car the rest of the night.
Sunday morning and got my gun and
before l would give them up alive.
to Emery's house. l asked Emery
that day. He said no, ii we would
not leave the house.
Describes Murder.
Emery's wife and children went to
church and Emery was out in the cOun-
try working on u ear. We were all
in Lucy's bed room. They were sitting
on the edge of the bed. The head of
the bed was towards the south. They
were facing west. Lucy next to the
head Of the he'd. Leland next to her
and Cecil next. l was standing in
front of them begging her to go. She
finally said, Harley ! will not CO., I
had my gun in my right hand front
pocket, ana my hand on it. She had
her head down. l turned my left
side to her, took the gun from my
poker, ana turning facing her again.
She looked up at me and ! thrOwed
the gun on her. At sight Of the gun
she started to say something. but l
fired TOO quick: turned gun to Le-
land, he looked up and l fired. Cecil
Twas saying, lin forever blowing
bubbles lad his head down. The
reports of the gun didn't draw his
attention. l don't know whether he
heard it or not. The gr%aphOphone
was playing. l didn't wait for him to
raise his head. fired just behind
his cap bill. All three shots were
fired in about three seconds. Lucy
and Leland fell backward on the bed.
Cecil, having his head down, fell for
ward on to the floor. Lucy had
started to speak when she saw the
gun, and had her sweet little mouth
open.
| walked ont and closed the bed
room door, started to go out the front
way and saw Lutte Meyers coming on
the porch. turned and went back
toward the back door. AS l passed
the bed room l heard Lucy moan, that
awful death moan, O-o-o-O-o-o-O-o. l
stoned, opened the door and went
back in to be sure she was dying. /
saw l had done a good job, so l kissed
Lucy, then Leland, then Cecil, my
darlings, all, farewell forever.
Oh, God forgive me. l love them so
dear. l went out, closed the door, went
to the back door, went out, closed it
and walked to Fishers. l looked back
and saw Lutte Meyers leave the front
porch. l heard him knocking while
l was kissing them.
The Escape.
got to Fishers and told him to take
me to Harrisburg. We got in his Nit
,chell six and went south, and passed
Emery working on a car. We went
south across the river and turned east
and went two miles east of VIII
'liams to Harvard Jennings. ! left my
suit cases and coat there. Fisher did
not know what l had done or he
wouldn't have taken me. ! paid him
and he started back and l took suit
leases and coat to Jennings house.
Nobody there. opened door and went
I'm and found paper and pencil and
wrote note like this: Take care Of
these suitcases and coat; will he at
ter them before long. A friend" l
reloaded my gun and started on east.
IL walked about one mile and got in
la Ford with four boys and rode to Iowa
Falls; went east from here. and
was o%vcrtaken by n Dodge. Got in
and rode to Steamboat Rock, went
north out OF there, got in aOnther
Dodge and rode two miles with him,
! GOT out and Went east three or four
miles and got in a Ford and rode to
Wellsburg. and walked east out OF
there about two miles and got In a
Paige and rode four miles east with
him. l got out and went on east till !
give out. ! lay down by the side Of
the road and went to sleep. Don't
know how long ! slept but awOke
and went on two OF three miles and
took a Ford out OF some farmers
garage. ! missed all large towns l
IcOuld. Crossed river at Clinton :
bought gas and oil Of the farmers.
II drove this car to about ten miles
east of Sheffield, ILL.,. about 0ne mile
from Rock Island railroad track and
left it, walked to railroad and started
west. Thought ! was going east. A
freigh: came along. l caught 1t and
rode to Sheffield. and found out | was
going west. | got off and caught fast
train to LaSalle, caught freight there
to Oglesby. caught through freight
there to Ramsey, caught milk train
there to Fillmore. Walked south out Of
Fillmore, a guy caught me and asked
me to ride. I didn't know him. |
got ont before l got to Van Burens6urg
and went across the field to mothers.
where l had started.
Ready 10 Die.
''The sheriffS around here think
they have got me but they haven't.
l could get away if | wanted to but
l don't want to. All l came back
here for was to save mother expense.
| am ready to go. | don't want to live,
that's the reason ! have done this. l
didn't kill them because l disliked
them, It was because | love them all
and I always believed that Lucy
would have stayed with me If her folks
would have stayed away from us. We
never had any trouble as long as they
let us alone. Some of them were al
ways trying to bust us. joined the
army because she had left me and they
came and got me Out. and Captain
yesterday knows that l didn't want