The Mankato free press., 1921-12-30
LOCAL OFFICERS
HIGHLY PRAISED
Sheriff Earle Brown Speaks
Of Their Good Work
EFFECT SLATER TAKING
Murderer of Kelley To Receive
Attention of Grand Jury
At Once


County Attorney c. (. Phillips
reeeiYed word today that a spec
ial s:ss,on Of the Anoka county
Grand Jury is called for ten
O'clock tomorrow morning to
consider the case of Earl Slater.
William claybrook of this city
will appear as a witness before
the jury.
Minneapolis, December 28.-
County Attorney w. A. Blanchard
of Anoka county, today was ar
ranging to call a special session OF
the grand jury to present the case
of Earl Slater, who yesterday con-
of Hennepin and Anoka counties,
he said, that he had killed Frank
L. Kelley, sformer state represen
tative from Mankato in school
house near Dayton station early
Thursday. "There is no doubt
that the grand jury will return
an indictment against Slater for
murder in the first degree" he
said. "Slater told me yesterday
he would not demand trial, but
would plead guilty on court to the
charge, which he may do under the
law. The case probably will be
disposed Of within a week."
Every point in the confession of
Earl Slater, slayer of Frank l.. Kelley
of this city, checks absolutely with
the facts already in possession of the
authorities who conducted the man
hunt, according to County Attorney
c. Z. Phillips who was one of the
men who took the statement from
Slater. The account published in The
Free Press was the statement as it
was taken and is correct in every de-
tail
The reason that the rosary bearing
Keley's name was not more badly
burned or melted as was the gold
watch and the knife was because
Slater found it in his search of the
dead mans clothing. After he ex-
amined the article he placed it in the
right hand coat pocket Of Kelley and
tuned Kelley on his right side. The
Weight of the body kept the hottest
pait of the fire from the crucifiX and
left il in an excellent state OF preser-
lation.
II. c. Krause and Mike Kelley of
sCCre of the murder also found a key
10 the Simonettt garage which was
known to be the property OF Frank
Kelley
May Have Had Gun.
County Attorney Phillips also said
that it may be possible that Kelley
had gun. Before leaving here Slater
says he asked Kelley if he had gun
and that Kelley answered that he did
not Nothing more was said but it is
probable that the slain man may have
debated the question in his mind until
he was satisfied that the booze run
promised enough danger to warrant
his procuring some kind OF flrearm
for his own protection against inter
ference of the law when they got the
expected cargo of whiskey. There is
nothing to show that he ever mis-
trusted the motives Of Slater until he
was covered with a gun in the school
house in which his body was burned.
The gun Slater used was a wicked
piece Of ordinance. 1t was thirty
eight calibre mounted On a forty five
frame and the bullet hole is clean in
the middle of the back OF w. H. An
dersen's coat which the victim of the
attack was wearing when he met his
death.
Signature Was WobbIy.
Endorsement on the cashiers check
for $3.50 was undoubtedly that of kel-
ley himself as stated by Slater in his
confession. 1t has the appearance of
having been written while the check
lay on a smooth hard surface such as
the top of a desk or table and eX-
cent for the fact that it was slightly
.-;l fah - u
when covered with a gun in the hands
of a man whose face bore all the
marks of desperation, it was exactly
as Kelley always wrote his name.
Slater said that after he dragged
the body into the school house 1t
was getting light and he realized the
necessity of disposing of the body i'm
mediately He had taken the dead
man to Elk River and back trying to
decide what should be his next move.
When he got to the building he found
that there was a quantity of waste
paper in the basket by the teachers
desk. He used that with a bundle of
papers he took from the same desk
for kindling the blaze. He said that
at this point it occurred to him that
it was customary for country schools
to have a quantity of kerosene for
lighting fires and he found after a
lJIIl6 ScdICu IhdL "do "A
bottle of the fluid in the building. He
sprinkled all there was On the floor
around the body and touched the
match.
HOW he watched the blaze while
driving by is a matter of common
knowledge at this time.
Had Consummate Nerve.
Tracks in the snow on the road
near the school house puzzled the Of
q
spot where a body had evidently lain
and many foot prints near 1t. Slater
stated that at the time he came up 20
the man whom he had shot he heard
the noises and saw lights in a farm
house and that it was necessary that
he maintain a discreet silence. He
said that he stood still near the body
and that the tracks were the results
of his stamping in an effort to warm
his feet.
Another piece of his cold blooded
self, was the fact that he felt hungry