(6-25-24) 100 years ago in 1924 a high profile Mercer County murder case came to a conclusion when four area men were found guilty during a trial…with one of them being accused of 2nd degree murder and being sentenced to life in prison.

The murder happened on August 23, 1922 in Blackcreek Township when a local farmer, Edward Moyer, was gunned down with his own gun on his farm by a group of four men George, Jim and Dick Fetters and Jesse Smelzer.

Moyer had stayed home that night while his family went into Rockford. Moyer, who was sleeping in the barn, was protecting his farm since there had been numerous cases of ‘chicken thieves‘ in the area.

Later on they would all confess to the murder and give the details of how it happened.

George Fetters was sentenced to life for murder in the 2nd degree….he was also ordered to be placed in solitary confinement every August 23rd, the day Moyer was murdered.

James Fetters was found guilty in a jury trial for manslaughter in late December of 1924. Dick Fetters and Jesse Smelzer had both earlier had pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.

But in June of 1925 in an Auglaize County jury trial George Fetters conviction was overturned.

In 1926 James Fetters was denied parole.