Date of Death: 25 Sep
1904
Subject: William A.
Simerly
Source: Holt County Sentinel, 21 Oct 1904, p. 8
The murder of William A. Simerly on his farm near Fillmore, September 25th, 1904, was committed by Joseph Simerly, his 19 year old cousin, who is now in jail in Savannah. The murderer has made a written confession of the deed and it is now in the hands of the prosecuting attorney of that county. In his story of the crime, there is said to be a notable similarity with the evidence before the coroner's jury.
Source: Holt County Sentinel, 25 Nov 1904, p. 5
Joseph Simerly pleaded guilty in the Savannah circuit court, Thursday of last week, to the charge of having killed his cousin, William A. Simerly, and was sentenced to 40 years in the penitentiary. The murderer is 17 years old, and the crime was committed near Fillmore some two months ago, and was one of the most astrocious [sic] in the criminal annuals of Andrew county. They were cousins and the murdered man was waylaid in a pasture and shot. The crime was committed because the murdered man had ordered the young man to stay away from the home of the murdered man.