Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-08-11
JUST RETRIBUTION.
Beck, the Favorite Island Monster,
Taken from Jail and Hanged.
His Execution Near the Scene Of His
Va TO- Atrocities. al
The Third Tragedy ON that Bloody
Island.

Inc reauers OF the iIEDGEh were au-
vised few days since of the passage
through the city Of Beck, the murderer
of Mr.. and Mrs. Goode, two aged persons
living on Favorite Island, in charge of
Sheriff Belcher, Of ,Tunica county, Missis-
sippi. The circumstances attending the
horrible murder were also given by the
LEDGER on the day after the crime had
been committed, and were substantially
as follows:
Needing assistance to work his land,
Mr.. Goode had written to a firm in this
city to secure for him laborer. Beck,
who was then laying about the
city, was employed and sent down
on one Of the steamers plying in the
Helena and Friar's Point trade, and
after several days stay worked himself
into the good graces Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Goode to such an extent that they
treated. him in every. respect more like
son than an employee. Having implicit
confidence in him, Mr.. Goode on the
evening previous to the murder, counted
over a large sum Of money in the pres
ence of Beck, who that night murdered
both Mr.. and Mrs. Goode, dragging the
body of the latter to the lower end of
the island, where it was covered with
sand; the head, having been severed
from the body, was also covered with
sand, and when found was about fifty
feet from the body. n
Before daylight the murderer had ran
sackedth house, and taking everything
of value, he placed the stolen articles in
trunk, and, putting that into skiff,
hailed the first upward bound boat, upon
which he took passage, and, coming to
this city, made good his escape. He was
subsequently arrested in Southwestern
Indiana for horse stealing, and afterward
taken in charge by an officer from Mis-
sissippi, who, as before stated, passed
through here several days since. Taking
the steamer Gen. Anderson he conveyed
the prisoner to Austin, Mississippi, where
he was confined in jail to await his trial
before the next term of the Criminal
Court-an indictment for murder having
been found against him by the grand jury.
About two o'clock yesterday morning
party of bet xeen thirty and forty men
surrounded the jail and demanded ad-
mittance, which was refused by the
taller, who was then induced TO come out
under the pretense that several prisoners
were in the custody of those outside.
Not being able to tell the number on the
outside, the jailer opened the front door,
when he was quickly seized and bound.
The keys of the inner portion of the Jail
were then occurred and Beck taken from
his cell and conveyed to the river bank,
where, it seems, the party had skifs in
readiness, and with their prisoner the
entire party then embarked and rowed
up to Favorite Island. After a full
confession from Beck, he was pinioned
and hanged to a large tree near the spot
where he few weeks previous had buried
the remains of one Of his victims.
The officers of the steamer George W
Cheek, from whom we learned the above |
particulars, also state that as they passed
down yesterday morning, just before
daylight several skiffs containing men
we're seen below Fayorite Island, but no
attention was paid to the matter, as the
negroes in that vicinity were in the habit |
of crossing from shore to shore to go to
their work.
Beck's case has gone into higher
court, and he will never be tried for
demonstrating in Indiana.