Sell, John (Jacob) W.

Notes:

This is on page 102 in the book "History of Neosho and Wilson Counties"

"The Sells family, consisting of J. W. Sells, his wife, two boys, aged about eighteen and sixteen, respectively, and a girl about 2 years old, resided on a farm about four miles northwest of Erie. On the 8th of March, 1886, in the night, Willie Sells went to a neighbors house and informed him that his folks were all being killed. Immediately the neighbor started for the house, alarming others as he went, so that
there was soon gathered a number of persons at the Sells house. A horrible scene was presented to their view. There on the floor of the main room lay the body of J. W. Sells, its throat cut and head showing blows of some blunt instrument. On the bed in the same room was the little girl, her head bruised and broken, her little hands bruised, cut and broken in an evident effort to ward off the blows of the murderer, dead. In the boys' room where the two boys slept together, on the bed, was the body of the boy, its throat cut and head bruised, dead.

Blood was everywhere. The instruments used, a butcher knife and hatchet, were found there. Blood was found on Willie's clothes and upon his wrists. He had evidently washed his hands. Upon investigation by a coroner's jury the evidence pointed conclusively to Willie as the perpetrator of the terrible crime that he was held and after-being tried at the July term, 1886, of the district court, was found guilty of the murder of J. W. Sells in the first degree. "History of Neosho and Wilson Counties" published in 1902 by L. Wallace Duncan. The gentlemen that compiled the info: was T. F. Rager of Neosho Co., and John S. Gilmore of Wilson County.
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This was in the book "Annals of St. Paul (1895-1935) compiled by W. W. Graves published by the The Journal Press, St. Paul, KS 1942

Journal, January 9, 1896.
"The Kansas City World is promoting the effort to get a pardon for Willie Sells from the Kansas Penitentiary."

Journal, December 24, 1896
"A member of the Kansas City W. C. T. U., is circulating a petition in this county for the pardon of Willie Sell who was sent to the Kansas penitentiary on the charge of murdering his parents, brother and
sister."

Journal, July 15, 1897
"The State board of pardons has recommended an unconditional pardon for Willie Sell. The people of Erie held an indignation meeting Monday and hanged Sell and C. A. Cox, his attorney in effigy."

Journal, June 1, 1905
"Gov. Hoch has refused to grant a pardon to Willie Sells."

Journal, April 11, 1907
"Willie Sell was pardoned from the Kansas Penitentiary April 9, by Gov. E. W. Hoch. He had served 21 years of a life sentence on the charge of killing his father mother, brother and sister."
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John married Murry, Susan F. on 8 Nov 1866 in McDonough Co., Illinois, USA. Susan died on 8 Mar 1886 in Erie, Neosho Co., KS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

This is on page 102 in the book "History of Neosho and Wilson Counties"

"The Sells family, consisting of J. W. Sells, his wife, two boys, aged about eighteen and sixteen, respectively, and a girl about 2 years old, resided on a farm about four miles northwest of Erie. On the 8th of March, 1886, in the night, Willie Sells went to a neighbors house and informed him that his folks were all being killed. Immediately the neighbor started for the house, alarming others as he went, so that
there was soon gathered a number of persons at the Sells house. A horrible scene was presented to their view. There on the floor of the main room lay the body of J. W. Sells, its throat cut and head showing blows of some blunt instrument. On the bed in the same room was the little girl, her head bruised and broken, her little hands bruised, cut and broken in an evident effort to ward off the blows of the murderer, dead. In the boys' room where the two boys slept together, on the bed, was the body of the boy, its throat cut and head bruised, dead.

Blood was everywhere. The instruments used, a butcher knife and hatchet, were found there. Blood was found on Willie's clothes and upon his wrists. He had evidently washed his hands. Upon investigation by a coroner's jury the evidence pointed conclusively to Willie as the perpetrator of the terrible crime that he was held and after-being tried at the July term, 1886, of the district court, was found guilty of the murder of J. W. Sells in the first degree. "History of Neosho and Wilson Counties" published in 1902 by L. Wallace Duncan. The gentlemen that compiled the info: was T. F. Rager of Neosho Co., and John S. Gilmore of Wilson County.
__________________________________________________________________________
This was in the book "Annals of St. Paul (1895-1935) compiled by W. W. Graves published by the The Journal Press, St. Paul, KS 1942

Journal, January 9, 1896.
"The Kansas City World is promoting the effort to get a pardon for Willie Sells from the Kansas Penitentiary."

Journal, December 24, 1896
"A member of the Kansas City W. C. T. U., is circulating a petition in this county for the pardon of Willie Sell who was sent to the Kansas penitentiary on the charge of murdering his parents, brother and
sister."

Journal, July 15, 1897
"The State board of pardons has recommended an unconditional pardon for Willie Sell. The people of Erie held an indignation meeting Monday and hanged Sell and C. A. Cox, his attorney in effigy."

Journal, June 1, 1905
"Gov. Hoch has refused to grant a pardon to Willie Sells."

Journal, April 11, 1907
"Willie Sell was pardoned from the Kansas Penitentiary April 9, by Gov. E. W. Hoch. He had served 21 years of a life sentence on the charge of killing his father mother, brother and sister."
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