Evening star., 1921-03-19
INSPIRED BY BIBLE,
ADMITS HE SLEW
Young Decker, 18, Says Devil
Prompted Killing OF
Leroy Lovett.
BY the Associated Press.


WARSAW, Ind. March 19.-Memories
of his early religion revived by a let
ter urging him to confess his sins
and seek forgiveness, combined with
the softening influence of motherly
advice given by Mrs. c. B. Moon. wife
of the sheriff of Kosciusko county,
have resulted in a confession from
Virgil Decker. eighteen years old. in
which he declares that he alone was
responsible for the death of Leroy
Lovett, a nineteen-year-ol youth of
Elkhart. Ind, with whom he had
chummed. Decker signed the con-
fession early today in the presence
of Mrs. Moon. her husband. three de-
tectives and two Warsaw citizens.
Since his arrest Tuesday at Marion,
Ind. on the charge Of numbering
Lovett, the Decker boy has insisted
that he had no part in the Lovett
lads death. Almost constant ques-
tioning by officers failed to bring any
admissions from him except he had
spent some time Friday and Saturday.
March II and 12, with Lovett. Yester-
day he received in letter from Mrs.
George Walker of Nappanee, woman
wholly unknown to him. a deeply re-
ligious appeal that he confess every
thing to the man you have harmed"
and imploring him to lean on Jesus"
Finds Comfort in Bible.
During his incarceration Mrs. Moon
also has talked with him. Late yes
terday Decker requested a Bible.
Later Mrs. Moon heard him talking
as he walked his cell. She listened
and heard him quoting the Scriptures.
fSn1 inr t0 fnr
you?" she asked.
The boy said he had found some
thing very comforting.
Are you familiar with the Bible?"
asked Mrs. Moon.
Decker replied he could recite many
of earlier days when he attended
church regularly.
MY favorite verse is John, chap
ter 3, verse 49, said he, and quoted.
I" For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son that
whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish. but have everlasting life"
isn't that good?" he shputed. "It'
makes me feel better already"
But, Virgil, II you keep on telling
lies, don't you know that you will
only make your case worse" sug-
gested Mrs. Moon.
"Yes. 1 know it. but l have made
tell ALL" declared the boy.
He then gave a complete account
of his trip from Elkhart, Ind. with
Leroy Lovett, which started Friday
night, March II. and which. accord
ing to the confession. ended Saturday
Tippecanoe river with an attack on
the Lovett boy. The story was later
repeated in the presence of Sheriff
Moon and others and incorporated in
the signed confession.
No motive for the attack was CIV
en-, except the brief statement that
1.-The devil told me to do it and l just
did 1t"
Story Of Attack.
The attack, with a heavy iron bar.
was made. according to the confess
sion given out by the officers. shortly
before noon Saturday and was not
fatal. but, fearing the consequences
Virgil. the confession revealed,
changed some of Lovett's clothes for
his own. obtained a horse and buggy
and drove with the injured lad to a
railroad crossing.
There he released the horse. leaving
the buggy with Lovett seated in it
unconscious. expecting that a train
would come along. demolish the buggy
and leave a body so badly mangled
that Identification would be impossible
except by bits of clothing These bits
would be those of the Decker boys
clothing, and he planned to disappear,
leaving the impression that he had
met his death in the accident
The buggy was hit by slow freight
train, however, and the body tossed
aside and not mutilated. Later it was
claimed by both Samuel Lovett of Elk
hart, father of Leroy Lovett, and MEM
bers of the Decker family.
With the confession given by Virgil
Decker, declaring that he was the only
one implicated in the mystery of the
Lovett lads death. authorities are now
to establish a more definite
motive than that ascribed by the boy
that the devil told me to do it."
According to Mrs. Moon. the boy in
his talk with her denied that there
was an insurance plot to obtain pay
ments of policies aggregating $4,000