Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-09
FIENDlSH.
A Kansas Physician Hacks and Cuts his
Wife, and TOrturss her Al
most to Death.

We learn the particulars Of a savage
and brutal affair which occurred al
Medoc, a small town in Jasper county,
Missouri, from a correspondent of the
Kansas City Journal. The mans
name who perpetrated the crime Is a.
ID, TAYLOR. He was taken from the
custody Of the constable by the citi-
zens of MedOc, and hung, about ten
O'Clock on the evening of the 18th Of
May. The following are the facts as
stated by this correspondent.
For some months past Taylor has
been almost daily in the habit OF
whipping and otherwise abusing his
wife, who is said to be a most estima-
BILE lady. His abuse OF his wife has
been growing more and rasfe aggra-
waited and severe, until Friday night
last, when it seems he turned a fiend,
and began to abuse her in a most
brutal and outrageous manner-hrst,
by kicking and cutting; then he struck
her to the floor, and stamped her with
his heels.
"After Furnishing her in this way
until he was tired, he took a butcher
knife and cut her hair short. Still
growing more and more devilish, he
broke a grid-irOn TO pieces over her
head. Then, with a knife, he began
TO torture her by hacking her in the
face and on the breast until he had
literally cut her breast and face into
slices, and to make the torture more
severe, stabbed her in different parts
of the body with an old pair Of scis-
sOrs.
"He seemed to want to kill her by
degrees. During all this time he kept
up his kicking, cutting and stamping,
and by the time his fury had abatt d
he had inflicted such horrible wounds
that life was almost extinct.
Several Of the citizens hearing the
cries of the woman, were attracted TO
the place. On finding that they had
discovered what he had been doing,
and fearing that they would take
measures to punish him, he fled to
the woods near by, where he kept
himself concealed until Sunday morn
ing. when he called at Mr.. Robert
Wallace's farm house and asked for
some breakfast. Mr.. Wallace, having
heard what had occurred on Friday
night, and knowing that there was a
writ in the hands of the constable for
his arrest, took it upon himself to al
rest him, took him TO town and deliv-
cred him into the hands Of the cOnsta-
BILE, from whom, as above, he was
taken and hung.
"On inquiring what could have in-
duced him to abuse his wife in such a
horrible manner, / was told that there
was nothing the matter but his own
vicious nature"
How Three Children we're Burned TO DestF.
From the Clinton Henry Co, Mo- Ad-
vOcate, June 2
Last Tuesday, about four O'Clock
in the morning, the house of Elijah
George, about twelve miles northwest
of Clinton, was discovered to be on
fire near the roof, in the second story.
In fact, the roof was falling in when
the family first noticed it. Up stairs
were Mr.. Charles Ely and three chill
dren. OF the latter, one was about
ten years old, and two were twins
several years younger. These three
were burned to death; the heads of
two of them were nearly. burned
from their bodies. As the roof fell in
it made hole through the floor and
AIr. Ely went through the hole and
lit on feather bed where two other
children were sleeping. He gathered
the bed and children and carried then
out of doors. He is a weakly man,
and it is said he could scarcely lift it
at any other time. Mr.. George had
his hands and arm burned while try
ing to rescue his children, his wife al
SO received several wounds. Every
thing in the house was consumed,
and even a wagon sixty feet distant
was burned. Thus the whole family
were left with nothing but their night
clothes.