William Kelly

Serial Killer

William Kelly and the Kelly Family Murders

Overview

William Kelly was the patriarch of a frontier family accused of murdering and robbing travelers during the final months of 1887. Kelly, who was approximately 55 years old at the time, operated with his wife, Kate Kelly, their 20-year-old son, Bill or "Billy" Kelly, and their 18-year-old daughter, Kit Kelly. The family became known as the Kelly Gang, the Kelly Friends, or simply the Kelly Family. The Kellys lived in an isolated area near Oak City in the lawless territory commonly called "No Man's Land." The region later became part of the Oklahoma Panhandle, although nineteenth-century newspaper accounts sometimes described the location as being in Kansas. Their property stood near a road traveled by cattlemen, merchants, salesmen and other people crossing the frontier. The family maintained a small cattle operation and a roadside tavern where travelers could obtain food or shelter. According to contemporary reports, this ordinary appearance concealed a carefully organized robbery and murder operation. Between approximately August and December 1887, at least eleven people reportedly disappeared after traveling through the area around the Kelly residence.

The Kelly Family's Murder Method

The Kellys allegedly selected victims who appeared to possess money, valuable merchandise, horses or other property. A traveler arriving at the tavern would be welcomed inside and questioned during conversation. William, Bill or Kit might speak with the visitor while Kate prepared a meal. This allowed the family to determine whether the guest carried anything worth stealing. Accounts of the case claimed that the tavern contained an ingeniously constructed trapdoor. The victim's chair was positioned over or near the concealed opening. Once the family gave a signal, the trapdoor was released, causing the unsuspecting traveler to fall into the cellar beneath the building. Some victims may have died from injuries suffered in the fall. Those who survived were reportedly struck with an axe or another heavy weapon. The bodies were then concealed beneath the tavern or buried around the barn and stable. The victims' money, horses, watches and other possessions were taken by the family. The method closely resembled the crimes attributed to the Bloody Benders, another frontier family accused of killing travelers in Kansas during the 1870s. The similarities were so striking that some nineteenth-century observers speculated that the Kellys and the Benders were connected or possibly even the same people living under different names. No reliable evidence established that theory. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

William M. Kelly