Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 105, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1911 — JOHN POOLE ARRESTED FOR KEMPER MURDER [ARTICLE]

JOHN POOLE ARRESTED FOR KEMPER MURDER

Swanington Farmer Arrested by Sheriff Hoover After Ghastly Discovery T f By Poole’s Son.

DECOMPOSED OODY FOUND While Poole Visited His Farm Tenant North of Rensselaer Search Was Made at His Benton County . Home. Sheriff Hoover and A C. Robinson, the latter acting as a special deputy, arrested John W. Poole, the Swanington farmer, Tuesday night at. a farm owned by Poole north of this city. The farm is in Union township and is tenanted by a man named Cloudy. Poole came over from' his farm In Benton county about a week ago, bringing some cattle with him and be has been working at the farm since that time. During his absence from his home his 18-year-oid son, Emery Poole, has been digging up every soft place on the farm, trying to find some evidence of the murder of Joseph Kemper, the farm hand for. whose murder Poole was arrested and held in jail several weeks ago. Tuesday afternoon the decomposed body of a man Was found on the farm and Poole’s arrest was ordered. Sheriff Hoover lost no time in getting started for the Poole'farm and A, C. Robinson accompanied hina as special deputy. The Poole farm is about 11 jniles north and the trip was made in an automobile. When the officers arrived at the farm they found that the Cloudy family had retired. They rapped at the door and Cloudy responded. At the same time a window was opened from upstairs and Poole’s head emerged from it The men asked Cloudy if Poole was there and were told that he was and he asked 'what was wanted. They told him they wanted him to go to' Rensselaer with them and he asked if they had a warrant. Sheriff Hoover replied that he had not, but that he was the sheriff.; Poole said be would go and he went back upstairs after his clothing. All this took place in the dark. It was about a quarter after 9 o’clock. When Poole went upstairs the officers thought they had better have a light and Robinson struck a match and lighted a lamp. Poole soon came down, bringing his clothes and he dressed before them as he gave some orders to Cloudy about the care of the stock. Nothing was said about what the arrest was for. Poole did not ask and the officers did not state. They started for town in the automobile and when about five miles from Rensselaer they met Sheriff Shackleton, of Benton county, and Marshal John Bowman, of Fowler, who had come over after the prisoner. He was transferred to the Fowler machine and Sheriff Hoover accompanied that car to town. The Benton county officers hastened on to Fowler with their prisoner. Poole’s various erratic actions in this county have made him a much talked of man, and many have feared him. The Republican related some of his performances two or three years ago. His kidnaping of the little son of John Poole, his advances toward Mrs. Haynes, the wife of a tenant and her fright; his trouble about stock and the charge that he bad stolen various small articles Because of the fact that this paper had related these things be made threats about what he would do. The following article is taken from the Indianapolis Star and was sent in from Fowler: Following the finding of the partially decomposed body of a man buried on the farm of John Poole, a wealthy farmer, fonr miles southeast of here, today, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Poole on a charge of murder. Sheriff Shackleton and Marshal John Bowman at once started in search of Poole, and he was arrested tonight at the home of one of his tenants on a farm near Rensselaer. The body Is believed to be tluff ol Joseph Kemper, a farm hand, formerly employed by Poole, who disappeared Dec. 12 last, under circumstances which led Emory Poole, son

of John Poole, to the belief that his father had madef away with the man and had buried the body somewhere on the farm. A few weeks ago young Poole visited Indianapolis and confided his suspicions to a detective agency there, and on March 16 officers and a posse of Fowler citizens visited the farm, where the elder Poole was placed under arrest and a midnight search for the body of Kemper was conducted. The work of excavation was continued throughout the greater past of the following day, but revealed no traces of the crftne, and Poole was released.

Young Poole was not daunted by this failure, and has Conducted a quiet investigation during the absence of his father. Today he found the body, which was buried in a corn field about a quarter of a mile from the house; where it had been secreted and covered with the offal of several hogs which were butchered the day following Kemper’s disappearance. Positive identification of the body was not made today because of the manner in which the corpse had been mutilated. One arm and both legs had beep , severed and the skull hacked to pieces, as though a hatchet had been used. Portions of the skull also bore evidence that a load of shot, fired at close range, had bored its way through the forehead. It is the supposition of the authorities that the man was first shot and then set upon his slayer, who used a hatchet or an ax. The murder of Kemper is supposed, to have taken place in the Poole home during the absence of other members of that family on Sunday, Dec. 12, 1910. At that time blood was splattered on the walls, and a piece of carpet was saturated with blood, but Poole explained the circumstances by saying that he had been dressing rab* bits in the bouse.

The body was brought to a morgue in this city and Coroner Arthur Lesage will hold an inquest at once. Mrs. Poole denies that she knows anything about the matter, but Emory Poole insists that she may be restrained from telling all she knows through fear of her husband, who, it is said, has frequently threatened her. The boy, who is 18 years old, says that his sister, - Grace, also knows something of the circumstances and has shared his suspicions in regard to his father. Grace Poole is attending a college in Chicago at present. John Poole was once tried for shooting a neighbor, and is said to have escaped the penitentiary through a plea of insanity. He is the owner of several hundred acres of land in Benton and adjoining counties and was at work on a farm near Rensselaer when the body was found near here today. SherifT Shackleton and Town Marshal John Bowman left immediately for Rensselaer to make the arrest Other hired men, including Charles Clark and Charles Mack, are alleged to have disappeared suddenly while in the employ of Poole, and further search''of the premiseh wilUbe prosecuted in an effort to locate their bodies. The feeling of horror which mpept over the community following the discovery is giving way to rage tonight and there is heard a suggestion of violence. This feeling is intensified by the belief that, in case of conviction, the only punishment which can be meted is Poole’s return to the lnBane asylum, as he has never been discharged, but has been at liberty on parole a number of years. Sheriff Shackleton is taking every precaution to guard his prisoner as soon as he is placed in jail here. The following article also appeared in the Star: , ■ * Former Judge Thomas C. Whallon, of this city, who accompanied an operative of the Perkins detective agency to Fowler, March 1J last, when it was first suspected that John Poole haJ murdered and concealed the body of Joseph Kemper, a farm hand, mime place about his farm, expressed no surprise last night when information reached the city that the body had been found and that Poole was arrested charged with murder. The

Perkins agency took up the case at the solicitation of Poole’s son, who suspected foul play. Judge Whdllon as legal adviser to 'the detective, assisted in a search of the Poole farm. Judge Whallon said -lpst night that, although there was insufficient evidence at hand in March, when the case was first brought to light, to hold Poole for any offense, that he had been convinced that a murder had been committed. “From what eveidence I was able to obtain there was no doubt left in my mind but that Kemper had been murdered and his body concealed some place about that farm. I now believe that if a careful inspection of those premises are made revelations similar to those in the sensational Gunness case at Laporte will be brought out and at least three more bodies will be found bn that farm,” said Judge Whallon.