Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-10-03

Tragedy in Morgan County, Mo.--A
Horrible Murder---The Perpetrn.
tor shot!
From tho Morgan County Banner. Sept. 81
As we stated in our last weeks issue
this community was startled by the repor
that Elijah Slocum, living on the Osag,
river, in this County, had been cruelty
murdered at his home on Wednesday
morning Of last week by an old mar
named Ewing Tucker.
Our readers will remember an account
we gave some months since Of rather q
mixed marriage in Buffalo township
Tucker having entered the rebel service
nothing was heard Of him for several
years-then a rumor Of his death-then
the disconsolate widow marrying a wealthy
and respected citizen named Slocum-Iu
the course of time a cry-sis- another
crisis in the appearance Of Tucker, not
dead but very much alive-a settlement,
Of the affair, by which Mr.. Tucker 60,
the wife, baby. a certain amount Of bacon
and other eatables. We stated these facts
in full at the time.
After all this, the fuckers seemed to
live quite unhappily, and Mrs. Tucker
was compelled to leave her home; she
went to live with Mr.. Slocum, her former
second love, and who, it seems, treated her
very well. Tucker threatened Sloeum's
life, and, it is somewhat singular that he
(Slocum) fearing Tucker, and guarding
against danger, should not have a frearm
in his house.
The testimony Of Mrs. Tucker is that on
the morning in question, a little after day
break, Slocum, who had gone to milk his
cows, came running and said, "They are
coming ; they have shot at me-" That he
told her TO take the butcher-knife and a
club and run up stairs and guard the loft
window ; that while there she heard con-
siderable confusion below, and Tucker
assembled half way up the ladder, intend
ing to kill her, but by her entreaties she
prevailed on him to desist. When she
came down Slocum was lying on the floor
dead. Nothing else was disturbed. and
his pockets were not searched.
She Immediately gave the alarm. but
the country being thinly inhabited, 1t was
quite a considerable time before the neigh
bors collected. They then tracked Tuck
er, by a peculiar mark Of his shoe sole,
almost to his house.
Constable Shockley at once went TO
Tucker TO arrest him. and found him cool
" at work q short distance from the
house. He denied his guilt, but the state
men,s he made as to his whereabouts the
night before were fatty contradicted,
He was then taken to Slocum's, where, in
the presence Of the victim OF his insatiate
revenge, his wife gave the testimony above
stated.
The day being now far advanced, Con-
stable Shockley took to his (~Shockley's
residence, preparatory to bringing him to
this place to hand him over to the Sher-
if. and for greater security, he employed
Geo. Moon to assist in guarding him.
Some time near midnight he heard a noise
on the outside OF his house, and upon 60
ing out TO ascertain the cause, was halted
BY some one unknown to him, and asked
if Ewing Tucker was in the house. He
now saw some fifteen or tweaty men, all
blacked up and disguised. He attempt
ed TO reason with the crowd, but was cut
short by being told to shut up or his brains
would be ventilated with a bullet. At
this he started to run around the house,
bu, the mob had forced the front door
and taken Tucker out.
When the mob had got a short distance
from the house he heard several shots
fred, and next morning found Tucker
dead, being shot in almost the identical
spot where his victim was the morning
before.
Thus ended the career Of a bad man,
and it is only to be deplored that the civil
law was not allowed to take its course,
and tina, mob law prevailed. Bad as the
man was, he had q right to a trial by a
jury, and a legal conviction. No clue has
as yet been obtained to any Of the perpe-
traitors of this act, but Constable Shock
ley is making every eFor, in his power.