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Murder mystery resolved: it was his son...
Murder mystery resolved: it was his son...
Item # 683224
February 04, 1880
THE MISSOURI REPUBLICAN, St. Louis, Feb. 4, 1880
* A professional butcher slaughters his family
* John L. Soper - Kearney, Clay County, Missouri
The top of the front page has a column headed: "Criminal Matters" Theories as to the Recent Assassination Near Kearney, Mo."
The assassination of farmer John Soper was an interesting case. They had opinions on who the killer was bot no one was charged. Some believed that the outlaw gang of Jesse James had a part in the murder. The articles mentions that with: "...Opinions are divided as to the motive that caused the murderer to fire the fatal shot...He never was remarkably friends with the James boys nor their friends...Soper was a man who minded his own business...The James boys or their friends are associated in the minds of many in connection with this murder...".
Some 17 years later Soper's son was arrested for the axe murder of his wife and 2 children. Before he went to the gallows he confessed to murdering his father.
Also on the front page: "The Bigamous Mormons", with details.
Eight pages, irregular at the margins with some margin tears, generally good condition.
AI notes: In 1880 near Kearney, Missouri, farmer John Lewis Soper was mysteriously shot and killed on his farm, a crime that remained unsolved for 17 years. The truth emerged when his son, Edward Bates Soper—later convicted for the axe murder of his own wife and children—confessed to killing his father, revealing deep-seated resentment as his motive. This chilling family tragedy exposed a long pattern of violence and underscored the difficulties faced by law enforcement in solving such crimes at the time.
Category: The Old West
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