And the Welcome to another episode of American Haunting's, the podcast dedicated to the history,

hauntings, legends, and lore of America's past. The murdered in their beds. If you're tuning in the podcast to the first time, we

recommend going back to episode 36 and start the season from there. It's the

first part in the series and marks the beginning of the transient butcher's reign of terror in the Midwest of the early

1900s.

Each episode not only explores the killer's horrific crimes, but will explore the effect

that he had on the small railroad towns of the region, especially the town of the Liska, Iowa,

a town that I don't think we will ever leave.

So be sure to keep all of your slanderous remarks out of the newspapers as you prepare for the next installment of

murdered in their beds. The primary elections of 1916 wreaked havoc among the cast of characters in the

Voliska murders investigation. George Kosen failed in his bid for the

governor's nomination, Horace Havner, a lawyer from Iowa City, became the next attorney general in November.

County Attorney Gillette lost his job to Oscar Winstrand, a young lawyer from Red Oak who was soon going to need all the courtroom

experience that he had. But no one was more embarrassed or humiliated by the

election than Frank Jones. He lost by a wide margin and he blamed it on James Wilkerson and he was determined

to do something about it. Jones had already announced that if any man publicly accused him

of the murders he'd take him to court. He was now ready to follow through

on that threat. He hired his own detectives including Thomas O'Leary who had been

part of the initial investigation into the murders to start digging up dirt on Wilkerson.

He picked two attorneys to handle his lawsuit.

R. W. Bieson and Ralph Pringle, both from Red Oak.

Both men were battle-hardened veterans of the courts

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