One of the most disturbing crimes in Iowa history took place in rural Clayton County during the early morning hours of July 17, 1889. A 12-year-old boy, overwhelmed by anger and frustration, admitted to killing both of his parents in a case that shocked the state and remains one of Iowa’s most infamous historical crimes.
According to historical accounts, John Wesley “Wesley” Elkins had become increasingly unhappy in the months leading up to the murders. After the birth of his infant half-sister, much of the responsibility for caring for the baby reportedly fell on him. He had even tried running away from home, but his father found him and brought him back.
On the night of July 17, Wesley paced outside the family barn before entering the house. He took an old muzzle-loading rifle from the wall and went into the bedroom where his parents and infant half-sister were sleeping. He shot his father as he slept. Unable to reload the single-shot rifle, Wesley then fatally beat his mother with a piece of wood.
He spared the infant, cleaned and dressed her, then carried her to a nearby neighbor’s home. There, he claimed an intruder had broken into the house and murdered his parents. Investigators quickly became suspicious of the young boy’s story, and after questioning, Wesley confessed.
In his statement, he explained that he had long wanted to leave home and live on his own.
“I had wanted to leave home and be at liberty to do for myself for a long time. I once ran away but father brought me home.”
He also described caring for his baby half-sister after the killings.
“After I was sure they were dead I lit the lamp and took it to my room and then went back and took the baby from their bed, and took off its bloody clothes and dressed it and quieted it.”
Because he was only 12 years old, Wesley Elkins was spared the death penalty. In 1890, he was sentenced to life in prison at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Anamosa. During his incarceration, he worked in the prison library and chapel, where he educated himself and reportedly became a model prisoner.
After serving 12 years, Elkins successfully petitioned for a pardon from Iowa Governor Albert B. Cummins, arguing that he had been a child at the time of the murders and had demonstrated genuine rehabilitation.
Following his release, Elkins attended the University of Minnesota and later found work with the railroad. Historical records indicate he lived the remainder of his life without committing another crime.
More than 135 years later, the case remains one of the earliest and most remarkable examples in Iowa history of the debate over juvenile crime, punishment, and the possibility of rehabilitation.
Source: Historical accounts of the Wesley Elkins case, Clayton County history, and Iowa prison records.
