Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 29, Number 31, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 31 March 1921 — Page 12

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1921

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DECKER CONFESSES " KILLING LOVETT Expect Startling Developments in Tragedy Recently Enacted - Near Atwood. Memories of his early religious 1 raining reviewed by a letter urging him to confess his sins and seek forgiveness and the softening influence of motherly advice given by Mrs. C. B. Moon, wife of 'the sheriff of Kosciusko county, has resulted in a confession from 1$ yearold Virgil Decker in which he declares -that he alone was responsible for the death of Leroy Lovett, i 9 yelir old youth of Elkhart with whom *ho had chummed. Decker signed the confession early I Saturday in the presence of Mrs. I Moon, her husband, three- detectives, and two Warsaw citizens. -Sujee his- arrest Tuesday at Marion 1 IncT; on the charge of murdering Lovett, the Decker boy has iisistedthat ire had no part in the Lovett lad’s death. Almost constant Questioning by officers failed to bring any admission from. _ him except that he had spent some time Friday and Saturday, Mh'reh H and 12, with Lovett. Friday he received in a letter from Mrs. George Walker of Nappa nee, a woman wholly unknown to him, a religious appeal that he -Confess everything to the jnen you have harmed” and imploring hint to "lean on Jesus.” During his incarceration Mrs. Moon has also talked with him • discussing his predicament and giving him the tender advice that’is exchanged between mother and son. While officers gave him a respite late Friday the Decker lad- requested a Bible. Later Mrs. Moon heard him talking as he walked around in his cell. She listened and heard him quoting scripture.— ‘‘Did you find something to comfort you?” she asked. The boy said he had found something v?ry comforting. ‘‘Are you familiar with the Bible?” Mrs. Moon asked. The lad said he could recite many -passages and he told her of easier days when he had attended church regularly. “My favorite verse is John 3:16," he saitl, and he quoted, ‘‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that he who believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” “Isn’t that good,” he shouted. "It makes me feel better already.”

“But Virgil; If you keep on telling lies don’t j»>u know you will only make -your* case worse?” suggested Mrs. Moon, “Yes, I know it.. But I’ve made my peace with God and I’m ready to tell all,” tjie boy declared. He then gave a complete account of his trip from Elkhart, lnd.„ with Leroy .Lovett, which started Friday night, March 11 and which, according to bis confession, ended Saturday morning in a summer cottage on the Tippecanoe river with—an attack on the Lovett boy. The story was later repeated in the presence of Sheriff Moon and others. No motive-for the attack was given except the‘brief statement that ’’The devil told me to do it, and 1 just did It.” / Foil Text of Virgil Deck'er’s Midnight Confession bf Murder Following’ is the full text of the •statement signed by Virgil Decker admitting the murder of Leroy Lovett, as given qst by authorities at Warsaw: "My name is Jamb'S. Virgil Decker, age 18 years. I have been residing with my brother, Fred Decker about two miles from Atwood, Ind., since I was nine' years of age, and. with reference to statements I made and signed in Kosciusko county jail, which were, .dated March 16, 17, and IS, relative to the death of Leroy Lovett, I virish to state now that the 6toi*y in-mi’ other statement about a man named Guy being with Ler.oy Lovett and myself in the automobile from Elkhart. Ind., or at the cottage on the Tippocanoe river, is untrue. 1 wish to say now in this statement that I myself, James Virgil Decker, killed Leroy Lovett and no one else assisted me. About 10 a. March 12, 1921, I left Fred’s house and walked down to the: cottage, and oh arriving these I fouhd Leroy awaiting me. •• Strikes Sleeping Boy “We went out and got some wood and put it in the fireplace and then' laid down, Leroy laying on the couch and I laid on the straw tick On the floor, and Leroy and I both went to sleep, and after a while I woke up ajid Leroy was still sleeping on the of iron which you haVe just shown me is the piece of iron which I used to strike Leroy on the head with. I don’t know just exaitly how I got hold of this, piece of iron, but I do know that I had it and that I struck Leroy on the head with it. And then I left the cottagg shortly after I thought he was dead. I left the cottage and went to where I had left the automobile that we had driven.fwtm Elkhart, Ind,; and while trying to start the automobile Lawrence Bollinger came to where I was and tried to assist me. , Drove To Atwood '‘As I have said Id my olher s*ate-

ments, we could not get the automobile started, and I took the horse and went back to the house. I also drove to Atwood. Between 5 and 6 p. m. I did the chores and then went down' to the cottage and on arriving there I found the door open and on looking inside the cottage I saw Leroy Lovett lying bn the floor, just east of the fire-place, partly leaning against the wall with his head. I then went back to Fred Decker's barn and got the horse and buggy which 1 had left in the barn and had not unhitched. I drove- this, horse and buggy down to the cottage and then i went to the cottage door where I stood’for a little While and then I went into the cottage. Takes Victim to Railroad I took hold of Leroy’s arm and lifted Him up and he —tried to walk. Holding his - arm I led him out of the cottage door to the buggy and got into the buggy beside him and we drove away, going to the Robinson road crossing and Pennsylvania railroad -track and I , drove - back and forth across these tracks and I saw two or three trains pass while, doing this. The reason for driving back and forth go many times was that I was trying to make up my mind to put the buggy and Leroy on the railroad track for the purpose of having the buggy and the body of Leroy Lovett hit toy a train. ’.Finally I saw a train coming from she east and I drove down the railroad track and unhitched the horse and let him go down the road towards home, leaving the buggy with Leroy Lovett lying in the seat, on the track, and 1 ran down the road south in the same direction that the horse went. Burned Lovett’s Clothes "Prior to the time that I placed

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Leroy Lovett into the buggy at the cottage I dressed him in a Suit of my overclothes and put his shoes on my feet and my shoes on Leroy’s feet. I also took a suit of overclothes off Leroy and threw them down on the floor near the fireplace and they caught fire, and I kicked them into thq fire and I noticed when I took Leroy out of the cottage nis clothes were very wet. “The reason I plac'd my suit of overalls and-shoes on Leroy and put him in the buggy and leit the buggy stand, on the track to bo .struek-by i train was that I thought when the train struck the buggy it would be-, niolish the .buggy and .'-hat Leroy would be cut up so bad he could not be identified, and some of my clothes would be found on him and they would think that -ft was' me, and wrculd not be looking for me, and T would have a chance to get away. , (Signed) “JAMES VIRGIL DECKER." MRS. WALKER'S LEITER Nappanee, Ind. March 17, 1921. Virgil Decker, .. . - Dear, Dear Boy-How my heart goesout to.,you aml.how, I breathed a pray, er to the God of Heaven and Earth who is all power in your and quick, as a flash the thought j -ame back to me —do your duty. Gjoi is on the giving hand and so verjr anxious to help all who are in trouble, no matter what kind of trouble. The Bible says, "Where sin abounds his grace does much more abound.”" O," how he loves to show to the w'ond how he can make a clean pure man out of humanity if we just let him.

Be assured you have a friend in Jesus if the Whole world is against you. ll,e is looking at youth this- very moment with sympathy, longing to help von, dear boy. But the only way is the right way no matter what follows. Be sure anti pray to God in Jesus’ name. - For God gave his son ta- redeem us from our sins. And Jesus came and way back at the cross he died with all our sins loaded on him so we can be set free in God through Him. That is why you want to pray in Jesus' name. ( is a friend of sinners and died for them so the Bible says and no matter what kind of sin. All of us have sinned and come short of being perfect. Some sin one way and some another way but Jesus is so willing to abundantly pardon. God say's, "As high as the Heaven is above the earth so great are His mercies,” to those that fear Him. For He says He remembers we are nothing but dust! Our precious God, the Father, asks us to visit those in prison. He knows you are there and knows you need Him. He will or does know every thought that goes through your mind. And ii does not make any difference how faint your if you are in earnest and mean every word' you Utter to Him, He will hear you. Let’s thank. Him that . He knows how (shrewd the devil is and that men in their strength can not resist the temptation he puts before men if they have not Jesus in their heart to fight the old devil away for us. Had it not been for the devil there wouldnever have .been a thief, robber, murderer, no-sickness, no-sorrow, no doctors, no ffffrses, Uo hospitals, no ptisons. The devil is the cause of all the troubles on earth but you see God gave us our will to choose whom we will serve. And we as Christian people are so. slack to do our duty to get men and women, boys and girls to see the devil as he is. And we must answer for it, too. Jesus .is so anxious to have you that he says, “Go and compel you to come in.” That is in Jesus. The way to come is to confess gour sins to Jesus first and ask Him to take you in His care and forgive you.. Then confess everything to men whom you have harmed. You may think it hard but lean on Jesus and let come what will. I confessed to people that 1 thought I sinned when I was a girl but 12 years of age. Gel-everything out of the way bv confessing so everything will be clear between you and God_ And Jesus says he is preparing a place for you in the glorious Heaven- of rest where there is no sorrow known, where the buildings of the City are of pure gold and the walks are transparent' gold. Do not miss that place for it lg for you to do Jesus’ will. If we will not have Jesus and take hie says there‘is uidu.tl sorrow in

this world and 'a thousand times worse in the world to comb. How I long to have a long talk with you but can not come at this time so I will keep on praying for you. And be bold in Jesus for Jesus says, “He that is ashamed of Me will I also be ashamed of before his father who is God,-but he that is not ashamed of Me to confess Me (Jesus) before men, I, (Jesus) will not be ashamed to confess him (you! before My Father (God) who is in heaven." Be a brave boy for Jesus’^.sake and let all that are in trouble read this letter. I do not know you but I know Jesus by faith and am in hopes to seeMlim face to face. And this same Jesus is the one that wants you as His veryown. Please accept Him and throw all your troubles on to Him for He

Are you waiting for rents to come down? Are you one of the millions who are patiently paying rents that are from 20 per cent to 50 per cent too high? \ : If you are, do you know the facts? Do you know that Nappanee is short 50 to 75 homes; that experts estimate 'the United States to be four years behind in building requirements? The law of supply and demand always fixes prices. So long as there is a home shortage, landlords will demand high rents and tenants will be forced to pay them. The one way out is to BECOME A HOME OWNER YOURSELF. You can build now cheaper than at any time in the past five years, and almost as cheaply, we believe, as at any time in the next five years. Lumber and building materials have taken a tremendous drop. The complete cessation of building has caught manufacturers with big stocks which they have been forced to sell almost at cost. If you buy now you can take advantage of their situation. If you wait, you will buy when everyone else is buying, and you will find the increasing demand forcing prices upward. In our opinion, RIGHT NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO BUILD. You owe it to yourself to investigate thoroughly. Call and see us, or a letter or phone call will bring us to you at once. - 1 • Miller Lumber and Coal Co. Nappanee Phone 137 •

knows just what, to do 'with tinea.. ...Yours in the b:eased Jesus’ rrxsutt (Signed) .—> ’ MRS GEO. M'ALKEJt P. S. I have ;■ boy 16 years tC age and how my heart aches for "V young people. . PETITION FOR RECEIVER A petition for an ancillary reef -«ir to take of the stores at Pnemen and I-raPaz. Ind., owned by tfc. Universal Stores Corporation,-Of Or. cago. has been filed in the fetanC court, Indianapolis,-hy John ,T. Fish— _ of Michigan: The ' petitioner is * stockholder in the company. lie ha*■ the company has admitted insolvency in the federal court of Michigan, as>* that stores" in that state are in the. hands of the Grand Kapids Trust cmv pany as receiver. .