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MTJSCATINE JOURNAL AND NESordid StoryofLIFEINPRISON TOFACE 47 YEAR OLD WOOER0114YEAR ORPHAN GIRLKF.MJMS AHISFD OF RAPE BYlt; . It. ST A F KOIC V TODAY.I; county attorney indignantly asked the reason for Klein's refusal.HOME SPURNS CHILDcurred while they lived in Minneapolis.Was To He I Ms charged.For the past 14 months he had been employed as farm foreman at the Lutheran home. “They had told me T was to he fired and that’s whenGladys said bhe would go with me,” ' he asserted.A representative of the Journal later asked the Her. Mr. Klc.m whether Heliums had been given notice | of his discharge.I1]Preacher-^ui^rinlendent of LutheranOrphanage Refuses to Ghe Girl „ . , , , . . , . ..... -----...0.. The minister re-li 1; , EU''h plie,| in ,he affirmative.;a spoiled girl like rhat. into our1 k somethinK was wrong hehome, was the ministers reply. | tween this man and Gladys and II warned them manv times.’’ the Rev. !‘ m • -__.:Home Pten lor Day.JaiK c 1! u nrape oLit! herteneed itbn Pnrt»l(lurged with girl of thegirl into the streets? do with her?” the countyI questioned.‘ Keep her in Jail.” was the unhesitating suggestion of Klein.a 14 year an orphans’ home, was sen-to life imprisonment at Madison state penitentiary by Judge 1). V. Jackson in the district court this afternoon. He entered a plea of guiltythroner Attorney W. D. Randall,appointed by the court to act as hi lt;am el. The prisoner was arraigned on an information ofCourTI drcDo you want me to turn this little| Mr. Klein told the newspaper man in ja ornev presence 0f tjie county attorneyand shejriff.“And you kept this man in your ein-... , ,, ... . Pl°y regardless of your warnings?”!1 'el jou right henj that tll(. newspaper man then asked., I wouldnt, keep this child in jail over| night if it were the last act of mylife” the head of the Lutheran insti-1 nather^to’“aiadyr'and did everythingI tution was informed by the prosecutor. “I ll provide for her if I have I to takq her into my own home.”‘‘Yes.” was the answer, “but he had been given notice. T talked like a!i In reply to a question of the county;attorney if the big buildings of theinstitution did not contain at least one room where the child might bepossible to keep Her away from that man.”In Burlington a Week.The flight of Kellums and the girl was begun in a taxicab from the \ home Jan. 14. lie said, she meeting him j at a gate. The automobile conveyed% An:1HpanyAttorney (\ R. Stafford.eruting attorney, in ad-g the court, said the pris-a riHon .» letter to the* their elope-threatened tohe did not accom-I I Iw Ibefor in which heselfhim.•*\ A AThe fOf 8tollt;and the the elopen io with aunfolded, he-o-----iid story of an illicit love, moments At an orphanage lt;ircumst tm es surroundingkf pt over night and not he required to them to Burlington, where he saidrung e Wih the othe.r c hildren, the j tliev remained a week, living in onereply was a terse, no.”Then Stafford immediately pot intoj touch with the Welfare associationand the Public Health Bureau, who j ! promptly procured a temporary home for the child. Through Charles Kern.! superintendent of the lormor. Miss Margaret Matheson, city visitingnurse, and Mrs. Daisie Carnes, countv Iroom. Subsequently they went to Galesburg, posing as father and daughter under the name of Brown.Upon completing his story. Kellums stated that he didn't want to “put All the blame’’ on the girl. “I guess we were both to blame,” he wound up with.To Be Married in 4 Years.nt ofi 47 vear old Lothar- i j.r old orphan, was jJames K principalHuminthat had itsmccterday afternoon by ml Gladys Steckyr. sensational episode at tho* GermanRed ( ross nurse, a suitable place rtas | The orphan, when questioned, plain-found within less than a half hour. Iv indicated she was just beginning tojapprec iate her predicament. That she was the guileless victim of cirmum-a nair hour, ern hurried to the jail and impressed upon the girl that she still ptionLutheran orphan The two were burg. 111., this week detective work on the part of Police Chief Sam B un r, Deputy Sheriffhad friends interested in her welfare, stances was evident in her story. This; The child sobbed at this unexpected jwas much along the same lines of \ expression of good will and poured J Kellums.p out her heart to the county attorneyirrested in G.iles-| and thc Wclfarp official in trying tofter some clever ~ ~There are no charges against thegirl. She has clone nothing to violateEd. Sami, r and Countv Attorney C. R. ; the law or offend the statutes in any• t *! r ♦ U ^ T ____ Y' I * .* * I,..Stallpplt;Cl IKe\frIjpit-ft1111 III xi?jr a lthe poll it was t Quincy, chief goi tfon« cR. ,T. W1lt;L tO tand the girl chs--r local institutionphs of the i• jir were : ent out broadcast bvdenartment. At one time4 errhoughtthe derne to tli:the couple was in itv sheriff and policewise, the Rev. Mr. Klein was told by the county attorney*.Wliat Klein WantsThe Roy. Mr Klein asked the county attorney if he could place some question to Kelbnns. The response wasHe promised to marry her in four years, she said, or when she attained the age of 18. She will be 15 in March.“What did you think about his wife and children?” the county attorney inquired of her. j“Well, he told me he didn't love them and w*as going to get a divorce in two years anyhow, so I thought itwas all right,” she asserted.It that he could ask the prisoner anvitv tinder instruc. th- hp desired_ -1HIn*v at!ornev. Sheriff. -ftft *■ * *»• ^ • •ought the mis-mateditv vestcrday.S« rious ( barge Preferred.Regardless of the fact that the bodv of a 14 vear old ward of his had been stolen from himbv the man before him. this is the first anil onlv o leshon thft the'iKellums. a manand father of\AT’fom a vo marrielt; t oi his life in r* of Ins fliptrane wf; ilt;him today by Co ford, carrying w the penitentiary.A previous eh;p i hillt;L tinini',f 41 years. :m- *children, three of may spend theprison as a conse-t with the girl. Apreferred againsttv Attorney Staf-it i life term intarried I clerevman addressed to the prisoner: !irei-v #1natef *I A .' tIkmaxiyeprga a Kvi *» »IntVs■ JL itv\\♦latPf t witIs * havit* Ith«e laib'iithe offvti(IT lt;ho toldt)n tli*ratifl 1.A I11pien suit tenti€ I\ ♦*(rai*a raenticing awaypenalty for; ind steel bars,; more serious1 Atornev after nnsoner. Kel-eny his im-h the girl, al-* his interview-appreciate theigainst society.. I never was the countv at-ot a newspaper ivas appar-first offense” rime and re-short sen-“Have von got that flashlight vet ; v n charged to the ] ■ at the Me-1 Question hardware store? .Then tlie sunerir.umdent of the in I stitution irforn-^d Kellums that lie1 : would jirefer a charge of theft against j lt;him. bv re: s n of t :e f..ci that he had lt;to paw the account.A few in nate.- later the Rev. Mr. K!*in houc'.t !c -• ‘ f!m S?k- r cirl. t 1 The countv attornev informed himshe had expressed a wish nut to secIher former sunerintenderInasmuchnotunder arrest, that nofi1as she wascharge had been filed against her and thiU none was centnirplat'd, accord; ing to the explanation given tin* pr* u • er i- Staffoi ,i. k* (ccl.ned 'o'] i grant the reo iested interview*. Klein (Util Itfrir! isi iI • A*Titta• mightwashis fat ^pH 1innho ci Vlt;' ufI *Iit hSiltilt;clU•t}witI11 Vi* 1 %iio term firoppV ATent for aflong per- j rt breaths through:*d been brought :he full realization Idid not see the child.Kclluni' In Rcle OfKThe story of Kellums ruts him in j ‘ the role of tine rroveroial Adam. The! 1to blame, was the tenor of hisplaint. I 1‘The girl loved me. 1 loved herand still do.” he told the county at- c torney. “She did not like the home'and when 1 knew 1 \va going to leave, she told me she'd follow me if {1 didn't take her with me. Because of} a that we went away together. 1 have j a loved her since last May.”t♦PreacherAim orself, the• *orif t1%11r* um^l St oi k superiwhereighvolt;eris’ory iwas tl (llady.Klein, home,inmate sinceterms emphat the prlt; achei blank refused uge for a fewcould be made for a singb nat the orpk:** home the of her life.Respond Attorney Staffordwent to the jail w ing quizzed. Ahis arrival bvda\1L(l11KtoQ4.-*iV Xx % *S t a ffic fi1 i ' r A » I * - -Wf-decision cou best coursethe clergy to take t! - “ so i fit* rea ** \v. . The girl also readily admitted herui« ^ it j love for the man old enough to be* herlt; luld. jfathqr. She told of having receivedcrime it-; notes from Kellums, which the latterlikewise admitted having written. 1 hey met clandestinely, they said when questioned, although each was quizzed separately and at different times. She forced her attentions on him at the outset, he said in trying to shield himself from all the respon-sibilit v.ei -Kellums, after stating he was bornas doing nowrong in making love to the child or in taking her away with him. “Still.” he declared, I guess it was wrong, although I am innocent and I am readyto pay the penalty. When I get out I'll marry her and make a good home for her. You see. 1 was going to get a divorce in two years from my wife, w ho deserted me same months ago.” In this connection Kellumg stated it was the second estrangement with liis wife,, the first having oc-'Ispurnsershadowiog theest of the elopers and thet through two states o 1 spurning of little ’ th«' Rev. William ent of the Lutheran child had been an I wi! years of age. In * in their positiveness,! -supi rintenileut point-,to give the days untilof her future. Not evenght would he house her me. virtually the only ,1 has known for halfhi Id a ref-j jn 1S76. said he felt he w dispositionberequest of Countythe Rev. Mr. Kleinre Kellums was be-ioment or so after nan was asked e child to the until a deflnitejne-i - - tc the -f*r :'■;lt; *:rU welfare.“Impossible!” was the reply of theLutheran superintendent.Melfare (dnieu'To Aid.Taken aback b the answer, the
Newspaper Details
Muscatine Journal and News Tribune
Muscatine, Iowa, US
Fri, Feb 09, 1923
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Anne C.
NA, 09 Feb 2023
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