14 Feb 1912 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin)
Vol. 22 - No. 98 Page 1, Column 1
Full particulars relating to the deaths of the four Mailahns recently were learned through an interview with Edward Mailahn who was in Appleton yesterday. Edward said in part to a Crescent representative:
"William had no quarrel with father while he was at home, in fact he treated him better than I have ever known him to do, during the few days before the murder, and he had no hard words whatever while at home. I was working our last summer and used to come home Sundays and William asked me to come home and let him go away, saying he did not like it at home anymore.
I did not mind him but later in the fall he left home without giving any reasons whatever. He was always a great favorite of my mother and was strongly devoted to sister Dora, in fact he almost worshipped her. I think he did not like to do the house-work, pre-ferring to be out in the open air and that is why he left. All the extra money that he could spare he sent to Dora.
When I got him home the Sunday before the crime, he remarked that he did not feel like taking hold of anything and said he felt rather queer but he gave no reasons for feeling that way. I think that when he got home and saw that conditions for a bright future were impossible he planned on this murder every day that he was there.
"He said to me Thursday, I may appear all right outwardly but you don't know how I feel inwardly. He called me into the kitchen Thursday morning and closed the door so no one could hear us and said, what do you think will become of us anyway? I might as well do away with all of you as to take poison from day to day (meaning the work of tuberculosis) and die anyway.
"Thursday night Father, Will and I were in the kitchen and Will opened the conversation by talking about selling the place. I told Father that no good would come of it by keeping Will at home because he did not like it. Will went into the other room later and talked to Dora about going to a sanatarium and Dora expressed her willingness to go. Father said it was not an easy matter to sell the place as no one would like to buy it. I told Father if he would get some one to do the cooking I would work the farm.
"We then went to bed but I passed an awful night. Will did not sleep much that night and got up realy early. I think he was afraid of me because he told me that if he could get me and Father out of the way the rest would be easy. Friday at noon he asked me if I wasn't going to take the wood to the school and told me to get ready because it would take me a quite a while to get started.
When we got back from the school I think he had John in the smoke house because Will was not in the wood-shed when I went into the house. He must have killed himself while we were looking for little John. We looked for John for a half hour and he must have killed himself while we were going through the house because he was still alive when we came down stairs. I also think that he was perfectly sane or he would not have taken the looking glass to make sure of his fate.
"When I got Will home the man at Hortonville told me that Will was a real good boy and that he would like to keep him. The man said he spent all of his spare time in studying the books he had received from a certain party residing at Binghamton and that he often went to hear the speeches that were given in the church at Hortonville. One peculiar thing about him was that when anything would go wrong with him he would never give vent to his feelings but would brood over them inwardly. The last few days he would often sit alone and cry and he would partake of very little of the meals. Evenings he would talk to his younger brother of religion and of the speeches he had heard."
When Edward was asked as to his future plans he said, "I am at present giving the premises a general cleaning and will close and disinfect the house for a week or more. If I can get the price that he place is worth, I will sell and if not I will tear down the old house and build up a new one. Father left no will but told me if anything happneed I should take the place."