The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-08-30
been drinking and driving slowly un-

III arrested.
The coroner's jury found in tn
wagon, besides the dead bodies, tw,
rcyolvers, an ak covered with blood
o bloody knife, a piece of fence.fai
with blood, hair and brains upon it
and another club. From letters anu
Iiaries found OIL the persons Of tn,
slain, it seems that the Armes family
consisting of father, mother and twt
children. left Minnesota some tim,
this summer and Travelled to southern
Kansas, where Mrs. Armes had 1
cousin residing by the name Of Dick
insOn. That from there they started
back with young Dickinson will
them, aud got as far as HOlton
where the diary suddenly ends. There
they we're met by the bloodthirst,
wretch or wretches, for if this mai
| Osborn tells the truth, he is as guilty
as the one who did the deed.
The Sheriff Of Jackson county, Kan.
sas, has been telegraphed to arrest
Williams, and our sheriff has gone to
Clearmont to take possession Of o..
born. As we 60 to press Immediately
we can give no further particulars oil
this bloody affair until our next, by
which time we hope to be able to lay
before Il readers all Of interest in
the case.
LATER.-Sherif Wray returned
last evening without the man Osborn.
Those who arrested him refusing to
give him up until they heard from
Kansas.
Last Thursday, a confession was
made by the inhuman monster, which
was in the main as follows: My name
is Alexander Tansey wife and chill
dren live near Mount Aver, Ring0ld
county, Iowa; left home last March to
hunt work, borrowing my brother-in-
laws horse ; traded the horse of. and
kept trading till / found myself desti-
tute and in Kansas; fell in with the
murdered family, who we're returning
to Minnesota, who asked me to travel
with them as far as my home in Iowa;
l accepted, and from this on l Travelled
with them crossing the Missouri River
at White Cloud, SO OH to the camp 8
miles west of Quitman where the
murder was committed. After sup
per we went to bed, Dickinson and l
sleeping in the front, and Arms and
family in the hind part of the wagon.
After we had laid down, the thought
of the suffering condition of my fami-
~ and of my brOther-in-law whom l
had wronged by borrowing his horse
for one week to go to Council Bluffs ;
when there l got OH a drunken spree
and traded of his horse and spending
the money until nothing was left.
While these thoughts were in my
mind I thought 1 would take the
train and dispose Of it, and take the
money and leave it where my wife
could get it, then l would cross the
Mountains to San Francisco and then
sail for the Friendly Islands and never
see my family again. While the evil
spirit was working on me, l raised up
asked me what l saw-I
told him l saw a strange dog, and he
told me to shoot it if I saw it again.
I then laid down and lay still for some
time. l then raised up and looked
around; these thoughts still followed
me. l laid down and rose up again,
and reached and took Dickenson's re-
volver and laid down again. After
some time l raised up and pointed my
revolver ut Dickinson. holding it for
some time still the demon followed
me- fired he was dead. Arms
cried out Good !" (supposing l had
shot the strange dog.) Arms raised
up-I fired at him-he said Il am q
dead man." He came toward me; /
jumped from the wagon and thought
| would hy, but l thought l would be
found out if l did not complete the
work. I went toward him and do
not know whether I jerkcd him of, or
him with the AK. The woman
and children were screaming, and l
the woman, 1 think, with the
and then cut her throat. The
children were screaming, and caught
them By the throat, one in each hand,
and tried to stranglc them, but had
not the strength; l then cut their
throats. Arms being out of the way
when he was killed, l tired to put
him in the wagon, but could not. l
then cut him in two parts, with the
knife aud Ak. / then put him in the
and covered them up with the
bed clothes. At daylight: l took straw
from the bed and spread it over the
blood spots on the ground and set fire
to the straw. / cut q sod near by and
scattered it over the blood. / wiped
off all the blood that had run through
the wagon-bed. l further state that l
was not drunk. l had a dram about
one hour before l committed the
After / got to Quitman l got
whishey and kept drunk until south
# Clearmont, where / broke
a, AgckyOke and went to ClearmOnt,
| got more whiskey, and was
cap tUied north of town. l had no
assistance, but done the decd alone.
/ ieaFe it in the hands Of GUd.
This was confessed about six hours
before he was hung, and it is believed
he told the truth, for while he conf
ies Sod the tears rolled down his cheeks.
u aon he was brought to the tree he
said he had confessed the TRUTH /
Tansey was a man about 5 feet Vi
high, thick set, with u very /
thick. coarse neck, and we'll muscled.
He was i'm fact a we'll built man. His
hair was black and whiskers faded.
The shape of his head and forehead
was good, and no man would have
Judged him capable of such a deed as
that for which he lost his life.
At about seven O'Clock, Thursday
evening, August %, Tansey was taken
to q tree and hanged. There were
some five hundred witnesses of the
all Of whom, except one.
voted for the hanging.
Missouri University.
BY request of the genial County Clerk, We pub