The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-10-03
C0NFESSES HE
KILLED MAN TO
GET INSURANCE
California Butcher Declares
He Wanted Insurance to
Aid Wife Pay Bills
THEN DISAPPEARED
Captured as He was Trying to
Commit Suicide Leads to
Confession of Kels

Eureka, CALI, Oct. 3.-Alex A.
Kels, wealthy butcher until recently
believed to have been murdered on
his ranch near Lodi. California, con-
fessed early today to Sheriff w. F.
Reicks Of Stockton that he hired
stranger from an employment agency
September IL, killed him, burned the
body and arranged for it to be iden-.
titled as Kels so that the supposed
widow Of Kels could collect insurance
approximatine 100000.
II don't know who it was l killed.
he said. "He was q perfect stranger
to me. I got him in Lodi for the
purpose"
The confession came a. the de-.
nouement of q sensational murder
hoax nearly two weeks after elabor-.
ate funeral services had been held at
Lodi supposedly for Kels and "a
hours after Kels' arrest at Eureka a.
the climax Of Z man hunt: Of nearly
week throughout the, state for the
murderer. .e,
Kels was arrested in q box car
Monday night as he was attempting
to commit suicide by diseharging q.
rifle with his toes. He readily ad-
mitted his identity but persisted in
denial that he had slain his COM
panion and burned his body until he
broke down under, last nights grill
ing. Kels asked what would happen
to his wife II he confessed. He said
she soon would give birth to a baby
and would like to have the news kept
from her. He was promised that
everything would be done to protect
his wife.
Always Came Clean
II have always paid my bills and
come clean and will come clean
now," he commenced, Reicks said.
"You fellows have got it all fig
ured out pretty we'll. was heavily
insured and I thought that was the
best way to clean up. figured my
wife would get the insurance and
would never see her again. I figured
she would get over the shock, be
comfortably fixed and I planned to
60 to Mexico.
"The man killed was q perfect
stranger to me. I got him in Lodi
for that purpose. ! took him over to
my ranch and made . pretext that
the windmill was out Of order and
got him out of the car. Then shot
him in the back with a 32-calibre
revolver.
"He groaned but didn't fall and
I shot him again. Figuring that he
might still be alive I got a heavy
iron bar and hit him over the head
couple of times"
All the time Keis was driving with
the body hardly yet cold he kept it in
the automobile under the lap robe, he
said. When the gasoline tank of his
car was filled at little village the
body was lying in the back seat of
thee car under the robe.
"Then I went back to the ranch,'
Kels continued, "and after dark l
drove to a point about Is miles
away: a..
It was at the latter place that the
body and machine were burned.
PIT Body ia Hsystack
Kels told how he placed the body in
the car, against hay-stack and in
the darkness piled hay all around it.
He told how-he used candle to time
himself so that he would have ample
time to get away before the flames
started.
After arranging, the hay around
the machine and the body of the
stranger he told Of hiding the candle
in such . way that whom It burned
out it would set the hay afire. Then
he set out afoot and walked to Sac
ramento.
+ His story at this point In the mar
rative recounted his wanderings since
the murder, told Of his triD to Texas
and back to San Francisco before he
came here. Kels maintained that he
never expected to collect any oflthe
insurance money himself but wanted
his wife to get It to pay his business
obligations.
Kels was kept under guard during
the night.