The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-06-07
UNCLE Of THE
ACCUSED BOY
CAUSED ARREST
MORE TESTIMONY ON
ALLEGED MURDER PLOT
Mother of Defendant, Under
Arrest, Found on Floor
OF Cell, III

warsaw, mo-, June D. lie SN''e ~
dag continued the presentation n eNi-
drnco in It's EFFORT 10 establish N" SA''
OF Virgil Decker. farmer boy. on 'F1H'
here charged with the murder OIL MS
associate Leroy Lovctt
MANY witnesses were called In an At
tempt to show tho existence or an AZ
legged conspiracy by the Decker tamlF
TO murder Lovett. claim his body as that
OF Virgil Decker and collect S-h"op III
III. insurance taken out by Virgil l"cS-
or and made payable ~ his brother Fed
Ono Of the principal witnesses today
was Sam INecker OF Marion Indiana.
uncle Of the defendant. who told Of the
circumstances Of his nephrWS visit 10
his homo on Monday following the hnd-
:ng Of Ioyctt's body on Saturday. AFTER
reading IN 4 newspaper that virgil DECK
or was wanted for Loretts murder the
witness testified that ne had called
sheriff Albert Fowler OF Grant county.
who arrested Decker
According 10 tho testimony OF tho
uncle. he had asked the hoy concerning
his mother and family. and Virgil had
declared he knew nothing Of them or
where they were. He had been in the
west he said.
When no read tina, he was wanted for
the murder OF T.ovett he had asserted
his innocence and declared he was not
going e stand for that.
Testimony OF Mildred Decker and Will
liam Decker also of Marion. was similar
10 that Of their father Srmuel Decker.
rnxurancs Mans Testimony
Another witness was Cal A. Ferguson.
an insurance agent Of Atwood who tes-
tilted that Decker had taken out life
insurance policy for $1,000 in the com
cany nc represents. making his brother
Fred Decker. tho beneficiary OF this
poiic:-, which he said was issued Janu-
airy 7. 1871.
Sheriff Albert Fowler and Chief OF
Po.:ce Ren Phillips Of Marion. Indiana
who rGada the arrest Of Virgil Decker at
Marion also testified for the state. Sh"r-
- Fowler testified that Decker. when
told Of the alleged murder. had denied
that he ever knew Leroy Lovett. Later
the witness said Decker told him that in
company with I-ovctt he had left Fix
hart In n rented automobile the night Of
March II. had met stranger on the
way out OF the city and invited him to
accompany them. later It was decided
according to the witness version Of
Decker's story. that the party would go
to the cabin on Tippecanoe river and
have . chicken roast. On arriving there
Decker related, he had left the stranger
with lroyett and had gone to the home
Of Fred Decker. assisting him with ths
morning chores. Later he returned 10
the vicinity Of the cabin but did not
see Lovett.
Bound for south America
He then said that he had gone away.
leaving tho stranger and had taken up
his journey to Marion ION his way to
South America"
Chief of police Philips corroborated
the testimony OF Sheriff Fowler.
Raymond Cleary. Pennsylvania rail-
road brakeman. and Homer Summerlin.
, track foreman. told Of circumstances
surrounding the finding Of Lovett's body
at the railroad crossing.
Mrs. Lydie Decker, mother Of Virgil
, who with two other sons. Fred and Cal
vim Is in Jail here charged with murder,
was found III on the floor OF her cell to-
day. according to Sheriff G. Il. Moon.
hut her condition Is not regarded as
serious.
Interest IN the trial continues una
hated. Crowds assembled this morning
to rush into the court house before
$50. and It was necessary to lock the
outer doors.