New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
Boy Admits He
Killed Double
10 Feign Death
Youth Says He Hit
Chum With Bar, Changed
Clothes and Put Body in
Buggy ON Railroad Tracks
Devil Only Explanation
Planned to Disappear, He
Asserts; Denies $25, 600
Insurance Was Motive

WARSAW. Ind, March 1s (By The
Associated Press).--virgil Decker,
eighteen years old, who was arrested
Tuesday In Marion, Ind, signed a con-
fession hero to-day that he alone was
responsible for the death Of Leroy
Lcvett, nineteen years old, Of Elkhart.
who was found mortally wounded
March ~ at railroad crossing near
Elkhart. The two boys were chums,
and their physical resemblance TO each
other was so great that when Lovett
died his body, which was dressed in
Decker's clothes, was claimed by the
parents of both.
Religious memories stirred in Deck
er's mind by letter from q stranger
urging him to confess his sins and
seek forgiveness, combined with the
softening influence Of motherly advice
given him by Mrs. G. B. Moon, wife Of
the Sheriff Of Kosciusko County,
wrung the confession from the boy.
He signed the statement in the pres
cnce Of Mrs. Moon, the Sheriff, three
detectives and two other persons.
According to the confession, Decker
struck Lcvett with an iron bar while
he was asleep, and then placed his un-
conscious chum in > buggy on rail-
road crossing IN front Of an approach
ing train. The only motive that Decker
would give for the crime was that "the
devil told me to do it and I just did
it," He had changed clothes with
Lovett, he said, because he wanted it
believed that he (Decker) had been
killed accidentally. Meanwhile, Decker
said, he had planned to disappear.
Denies Plan to Get Insurance
The boy denied that the transfer of
clothing had been part of plan to
collect insurance amounting to about
$4,000, payable to Fred Decker,
brother, in the event of the death by
accident Of Virgil Decker.
Mrs. Lydia Decker, the boys mother,
was permitted to-day to visit her son
for the first time since his arrest. She
was accompanied to the cell by Mrs.
Moon.
The boy met his mother with no dis
play Of emotion.
"Don't worry, mother" he said. "It's
done, and don't know why did it."
The confession related that on March
II Decker and Lcvett set out from Elk
hart for summer cottage on the Tip
pecanoe River. Decker said that about
10 q. m. on March IL he and Lovett
arrived at the cottage. and shortly lay
confession said. and "the piece of iron
you have shown me is the piece which
used to strike Leroy on the head"
Thinking him head, Decker said, he
went to the home Of his brother and
returned about p. m.
The attack, according TO the confess
sion, had not proved fatal, but. fearing
the consequences that might result,
Virgil says he changed some of Lovett's
clothes for his own and then obtained a
horse and buggy.
He said he found Lovett on the floor
and he gifted him, led him out of the
cottage door and helped him into the
buggy" Driving to the crossing, Deck
or said, he crossed several times, trying
to make up his mind to leave Lovett
on the tracks.
Buggy Hit by Slow Freight
ssFinally I saw train coming from
the east" he confessed, "and drove
down on the railroad track, unhitched
the horse, leaving the buggy with
Leroy lying in the seat on the track,
and ran down the road south in the
direction the horse went"
Decker said he had expected that the
train would demolish the buggy and
leave body 80 badly mangled that
identification would be impossible ex-
cept by bits of clothing. These bits
would be those of the Decker boys
clothing, and he planned to disappear.
The buggy was hit by "a slow freight
train, however, and the body tossed
aside and not mutiiated.
Lovett died later from the injuries
which it was at first believed he sus-
tained only in the railroad crossing
accident.
Police Seek Other Motives
With the confession by Virgil Decker