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The building where Coronor Dr W W. Billings had his office is still standing on Main Street in Downtown Troy next to the Tro Librarvbanker and packer. Coroner Billings stated that he heard of an old grudge held against Nelson Voss among the people of Pin Oak. The following day, men, women and children visited the murder site as many attempted to find clues.Nelson Voss's body was prepared for burial and taken to his home in Leclaire to lie overnight in preparation for the funeral July 17th 1933. After a private service at home, he was taken to Jmmanuel M E. Church where Voss had been baptized and confirmed An estimated 1,200 mourners attended the funeral of the postal worker whose death was reported across the country under the headline Death for Kiss.Two days later, a long .22 caliber shell was found at the site of Voss' death. Meanwhile, an investigation into the owner of the pocket knife found near the creek revealed it was the same ilk given to Sylvan Hall School student for Christmas 1932 by teacher Mary Kranz. The only student who could not produce his or her pocket knife was George Christoff.Consequently, a search warrant was issued to search the Christoff house and Christ, George, Stella, and Steve Petroff (a cousin living with the family) were taken to the State' s Attorney's office in Edwardsville Stella was questioned, but she denied any know ledge of the incident and was released The three men were initially charged with murder although no direct evidence was found against them. Circumstantial evidence proved sufficient to hold themme. 1 got mad and 1 shot him The newspaper also reported that she did not break down and cry and evidenced no sign of emotion. Other members of the Christoff family were releasedThe Intelligencer also published Stella's written confession, which prompted newspaper staff to write the August 3rd article An Expression of Sympathy, which articulated, ... Mr. Voss led an exemplary life prior to the day upon which he met his death under circumstances which have been explained only by those seeking to present their own actions in the best light.Stella Christoff was held in theChristoff's jury after twenty four hours of debating over whether to convict her of murder or manslaughter, found her guilty of manslaugh ter. She was sentenced to a term of one to fourteen years at the Dwight Prison for Women.Stella's first day in prison was December 7, 1933. She shared the prison walls with 250 other women where she was the \oungest of the prison population to be convicted of manslaughter It is unknown ex actly how many years she served, but in 1937 she was denied parole for a minimum of five yearsThe parents of Nelson Voss re mained Leclaire residents the rest of
Newspaper Details
Times-Tribune
Troy, Illinois, US
Thu, Jun 04, 2015
Page 20
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 05 Nov 2024
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