The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-02-13

The Circleville Union Of last week
relates the particulars Of very
singular affair, as follows:
A BRUTAL OUTRAGE.-On. Of the
most dastardly and diabolical acts
OF fendish brutality. Of which we
ever heard, was reported 10 US
few days age. 1t WAS committed
by couple Of Missouri rufiiuns,
the object Of their cruelty being
Mr.. John Z. Taylor, former res.
ldcnt of this county. Mr.. Taylor
is well known TO many of our citi.
zens, having lived for number OF
years near McLane's mill, some
i've miles north west of this place.
lie left this county in March last
for Missouri and took up his abode
in Grundy county, twenty miles
northwest Of ChilIicothe. The
story. MS told us by himself, is as
follows: Two weeks ago last Non.
day he left home iur Chiliieot.s,e
for n load Of lumber. On arriving
here he put up his team and about
midnight walked to the depot
The ears were in and he was
standing on the platform near the
engine. Ho says be thinks lie
heard the whistle of the engine,
when suddenly he became lost to
everything around him and knew
nothing for several hours. When
he came 10 himself, he found that
he was on the cars at Quincy, I'll !
distant from Chillicothc about 40
miles, strongly hand cutfed and in
charge Of two men. How oil this
came about he has not the remot-
est ;dca. How he was rendered
unconscious and taken at the
Chillieothe depot; how he was got
into the cars and keptln an uncon.
scious state so long surpasses his
comprehension. He only knows
that when he camo to himself he
was Il, Quincy, I'll rendered help
less by having his arms pinioned,
and guarded by a couple of men
He at once demanded an oxplana.
tion OF his guards f2r this brutal
treatment. They replied that some
depreciation had been committed
in Southern Illinois and that he
had beea arrested on suspicion
Finding that all his money had
been taken from him, he enqui.cd
tho reason for it. They said that
the law required it and that the
money and all other things, which
they had taken from him, should
be restored to him, whom they
reached their destination. From
Quincy they took the road to Do
catur, thence down the Central
road TO Cairo. Here they made no
stop, but Immediately procured u !
skilf and crossed the Mississippi
river to the Missouri side. 1t was
now Wednesday morning. They |
wandered about in the cypress
swamps and canebrakcs until Sun.
day morning, at which timo, be
thinks, they must have been forty
or fiity miles from the river. Here
they halted and the handouts were
taken of. Watching his opportuni.
ity, along in the afternoon he found |
his captors off their guard and !
succeeded in making his escape. y
He made his way at onco to Cairo,
which place he reached at nino
o'clock on Monday morning
Thence, through the kindness Of
railroad men, he was forwarded to
this place, where he found friends.
Mr. Taylor says that he csnnot
imagine what object these rufians
had in view by such proceedings.
He is not aware Of having any
enemies in Missouri, and thinks
that these men could not have had |
any hostile feelings toward him.
They took his money and some
other things be had about his per-
son, but they could have obtained
those without putting him on the
cars at all. The whole thing is
wrapped in mystery and will prob
ably always remain so,
7h