Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-08
WOMAN ADMITS
TAKING PART IN
DOUBLE MURDE R
Confesses to Shooting How
ard Kelly in New Mexico
on August |; Husband
Tips Off Officers.

Alice Katonka, in the custody of
federal officers at Pittsburgh, Pa
has confessed to the murder OF
Howard Kelly of Gallup, near
Shiprock, N. NJ, on August /, ac-
cording to word received yesterday
by A. r. Gere, special agent of the
department of justice. The woman
alleges that her husband, S. +. Ka-
tonka, killed Sam Gray, another
Gallup man who disappeared at
the time the murder was said to
have been committed.
A complaint was filed against
Mrs. Katonka by the state authori-
ties of Mckinley county at Gallup
yesterday and warrant issued for
the arrest of the woman. EXtradl-
ton proceedings will be started by
the state at once. The fedora
agents began the investigation Of
the case when 1t was claimed that
the murder was committed on thu
government reservation near Ship
rock.
The first hint Of the supposedly
double murder came from a lette
which was written by Katonka t.
the sheriff of Mckinley county
from Cornellsville, Pa, on Novem-
Der s. The letter stated that Ka,
tonka's wife had killed the twe
men and had forced him under
penalty Of death to hide their bod
les under a certain bridge on the
reservation.
The plan had been for Katonka
to shoot Gray and for his wife to
shoot Kelly, according to the let
ter written to the sheriff, while the
four were out riding in an auto
mobile together. Mrs. Katonka
promptly performed her part OF
the murder but her husband was
overcome with a "chilP' that pre-
vented him from pulling the trig-
ger on his gun, he wrote. Mrs.
Katonka then finished up the JOB,
doused her laggard mate with
canteen Of water and forced him
to bury the bodies In the arroyo
under a bridge. No motive was
given for the murder.
Katonka charges his wife with
perjury and bigamy as well as
murder. He gave the name ana
address of his sister in Altoona,
Pa, through whom the woman
was traced. He intimated that he
greatly feared for his life in her
presence and would give himself
up when he learned that she had
been arrested. Mrs. katonka
claims that the murder was COM
mitted on the road between Albu-
querque and Colorado Springs,
whereas her husband says it hap
pened near the Shiprock agency.
The disappearance of both Gray
and Kelly from Gallup at the time
of the alleged murder gave some
to Katonka's story. KEEL
", who was a service car driver
is reported to have left his room III
Gallup, leaving all of his posses
slons there. His parents live II
Gallup. Gray had lived in Gallup
for about three years No trace Of
the bodies was found by San Juan
county officers.
Copy of the letter received by
the Mckinley county sheriff fol-
lows:
This is to inform you that on
/, 1921, a double murder
was committed in your county on
the Gallup armington road below
the Shiprock Navajo Indian agency I
by Mrs. -, who before that lived I
near the Coal Basin mines, near I
Gallup.
"She shot and killed Billy. Kelly /
with .32 pistol, and l was to have
done the same to Sam Grey, but got
n chill at the last minute. She took
hold Of my hand and pulled the
trigger of gun, AS Colt.
"She then fired another shot at
Kelly, after which she threw cam /
zen OF water at me and forced mo
lnder pain of death, to throw their
bodies under the arroyo bridge, d.
'ectly opposite the river bridge at
Shiprock.
"This is my first opportunity for
the information as she has
vached me too close and threat
med to kill me II | squealed. But |
low / have left her and am In hid
ng. My life is in danger until she
$ caught will give myself |
Up when I learn of her arrest"