The New York herald., 1921-06-10
MACHINE GUN FIRE
TURNED ON INSANE
SLAYER OF 2 COPS
Maniac in Attic of Toledo
Home Fights 2 Hour Bat
tie With Police.
DEFIES SMOKE BOMBS
PatrOlmap Is Shot as He
Enters Room Through
a Skylight.
SECOND FALLS IN STREET
Rain Of Bullets From Roof
and Suicide End Duel Wit
messed by Big Crowd.

Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
TOLEDO, Ohio, June 9.-James Il.
Kelley, violently insane through a too
intense study of religion, and ap-
parently imagining himself a divine
agent of destruction, killed two police
men this morning from the windows
of an attic room in which he had bar
ricaded himself. He then shot him
self through the heart. after bones in
his arms and legs had been shattered
and the woodwork and furniture In his
room ripped into pieces by bullets from
two Browning machine guns operated
by the police and mounted on an adj
joining roof.
Several thousand persons, attracted
by the sound of the revolver shots
and the riveter-like rattle of the
machine guns, surrounded the house
where Kelley fought the police, and
had he fired into the mass he could
have killed many. But he shot only
at the uniformed men.
time had occupied the attic room in the
house of Mrs. Nellie Key, at 613 Walnut
street He had been mentally unbal-
anced for several years over religion.
and his recent remarks indicated that
he had worked himself up to such y
pitch that he believed he had a mission
to kill. He talked occasionally of start
ing a religious war, and for several
months had been IN correspondence with
an arms company about rifles he said
he contemplated purchasing. He had
stored a trunkful of ammunition in tire
room.
Found Him Reading Bible.
| To-day Mrs. Key went into the attic
room. where Kelley sat brooding over
| Bible opened at that part Of the Book
OF Judges which described the exploits
of Samson She asked for his overdtie
rent. He said he wouldn't pay it. and
Mrs. Key said she would call the police
"I'll kill any man who comes after
me-" said Kelley.
He followed Mrs. Key to the ground
floor. and watched her while she tele-
phoned to the Third precinct police sta
ton. He stood In the hallway when Pa
trolman Harold Mossburger and an
other policeman came to the house. but
as the officers entered Kelley ran up the
stairs to his room. pistol In his hand.
He barricaded his door and the police
men climbed to the roof.
They approached the skyllght which
opened into Kelley's room and called on
him to surrender. There was no reply.
and Mossburger kicked open ths sky
light and swung downward from the
skylight ledge. The other policeman
on the roof heard a shot, and several
hours afterward. when Kelley had died
and his room was examined, the body Of
Nfossburger was found lying on the
floor He had apparently been shot a.
he dropped to the floor from the open
skyfght.
As soon az he had killed Mossburger
Kelley began to shoot through the sky
light at the other officer, who retreated
TO the street and summoned help. Sew
eral score OF police answered and az
they came into view Kelley fred at them
from his windows. He was using two
weapons. his own As calibre automatic
pistol and Mossburger's revolver. The
policemen returned the fire, the bullets
from their guns ripping through the
windows and burying themselves in the
walls Of the attic room. Others fired
into the room from the roof; but In
spite of the number of their shots no
harm came to Kelley. He walked back
and forth in his room smoking his
pipe and firing from the windows.
Falls. shot Through the Heart.
Meanwhile crowd was gathering
and policemen and detectives we're re-
spending from every precinct in the city.
The crowd was in plain view OF the In
sane man. who appeared from time 20
time at his window. but he directed all
his fire at the police. who were COM
PEELED to keep In the shelter OF the 1ear-
by buildings "a they returned his fire.
From this shelter. finally, walked Pa
trolman Harry Dowell. He went straight
toward The house. firing at the attic
windows. while his comrades supported
him with voliey from their rifles and
revolvers. Dowell reached a poin. within
fifty feet OF the house. when Kelley, un-
mindful OF the shower OF bullets that
whined about his ears. looked out or the
window and then fired one shot.
The bullet struck Dowell squarely In
the heart and killed him instantly. He
fell 20 the pavement. and for two hours
his body remained there. the police be-
ing unable TO recover n because OF the
accurate shooting OF the man IN the
barricaded room Finally Inspector
Delehanty obtained large piece OF
sheet steel. and. crawling slowly across
the street behind II. he tied n rope about
the feet of the dead man and dragged
him behind another building While he
did this Kelley fired at the sheet iron
which had the marks OF at least half