Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-22
WOMAN ASSERTS
HUSBAND KILLED
TWO Gallup MEN
Mrs. Alice Katonka De-
scribes Alleged Murder OF
Taxi Drivers, Groy and
Kelly Last August.

That It was Steve F. Katonka
and Alice Katonka who killed ooth
Sam Groy and William Kelly OF
Gallup on August 1 last Is the
statement in what purports TO De
Mrs. Katonka's confession, copy
Of which has been received by red
oral authorities here. katohKa
and his wife are under arrest az
Pittsburgh, Pa, in connection wlth
the murder. ,,.
Groy and Kelly, Gallup taxi driv-
ers were hired to drive a party
OF tourists to Pennington August
/. last, The taximen haven't been
seen since. Some weeks ago the
SAN Juan county officers, in which
county the alleged crime is sup
nosed to have occurred. received
a letter signed F. Katonka, which
gave the officers their first clew IN
1.-THE case. The latter told now
the crime was committed, de-
scribed how the bodies were dis
posed of by being thrown into an
arroyo and blamed Mrs. katonKl
for the double murder. The letter
also gave information which LED u
location of her whereabouts and
subsequent arrest. Katonka was
arrested O. few days after his wire
was taken into custody.
According to the alleged state
ment or confession of Mrs. Katon-
ka she and her husband were rid
ing along the road in the auto OF
| the taximen, when Katonka held
n AS caliber revolver against her
ears and ordered her to shoot OFT
the 22 caliber revolver she held
in one hand. She had been forced
to take the small revolver, she
says.
/ One of the men in the front
seat Of the car was asleep when
the shooting occurred, she says
When ordered to shoot, she says
she closed her eyes and fired. Then
she heard two shots from the 40
The auto stopped, she knows not
how: and the two men in the from;
seat were dead. Her husband told
her, according to the statement
that her bullet had missed and
that he had to shoot both men
with his As.
The statement says that Katon'
kal pulled the bodfss of both mer
near an arroyo. =,
| After the shooting, according tc
her story. Katonka took off MS
trousers and put on the trousers
of Kelly. He also put on the watcl
that belonged to one of the deao
men, she writes. Mrs. Katonkt
saws she noticed a Moose charm
on It and said to her husband
"You have killed a brother Moose,
Katonka tore off the charm and
according to her statement replied
"Im no Moose"
Her statement says that they
drove in the taximen's car TO New
Carlisle, Ind, where their car
crashed into another car. Boil
Katonka and his wife were IN
jured in the auto accident, sh'
says, and were taken to hospita
at south Bend, Ind. This was OF
August 10, she writes.
They hit boy at COLORADO
Springs also, she writes, and too'
| the boy to his home in their auto
Once at Altoona, Pa, they stoo'
beside the chief of police on.
street car, she says, and that he
husband remarked:
"If that chief knew what | di'
there would be h to pay
She later had Katonka ARRESTED
at Dorry, Pa. for assaultlng her
she says, but the court dismisse'
him with $50 fine.
| sr, n II,ty rta and I
35 years old, according to he
! statement.
) Information from Greenvillr
: is that each claims the other di'
the killing and the cause of Ka
tonka writing the letter to the Sal
Juan county officials was the re
| suit of beating he is alleged Z
| have given her and she Is said Z
have threatened to tell OF the XIII
ing. Katonka was the first OF tn
two to inform the authorities.
1t is possible that Katonka ma
be held In Pennsylvania for tria
| in connection with the murder 0
a man whose body was found nea
Altoona some weeks ago. He
now being held as suspect in tina
case.
II It is also charged that they wer
residents of Lathorpe, Colo, be
fore coming to Gallup and tina
while there their house was burned
they collected the insurance and lei
| town. They are suspected or SCI
| ting fire to the house in order
| collect the insurance.
II According to the alleged comics
| sion, Groy and Kelly were slain
| Katonka and his wife could 81
| the automobile In which they WEI
y CONTINUED on Page Two.)