Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-10-16
s @briIIine 1arratibe.
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BLOODY BURTON.
A Horrible Reminiscence OF the
War of the Rebellion in Missouri-
The Butcher of $50 Men.
IFrom the st Louis Democrat. I

tFrom the st Louis Democrat
During the ar hundreds of scoun-
drcls took advantage of the sit iation
10 plumber the defenseless in the dis
tricts ovrrrun and laid waste by
armies. They robbed and murdered
without hesitation or regard TO senii-
ment. Their hands were against
every man, and every mans lmnd was
against them. One Of the most
Ierocious and horrible creatures of
tins class was known to live in the
Ozark Mountains, near the Arkunsas
and Missouri State line, and in very
shot time he WAS spoken Of and
feared III that region, both by citizens
and suldIcry. The name of the rut-
ian, rUUber and r.d-hanued murderer
was Frank Burton, and he was Or
iginallv II hUrsr-thief in Arkansas.
but was so closely pursued into
Texas, by crowd bent on lynching
him, thai he concluded to seek past
VI INV, hhA louiit auIih III tuC
Ozark Mountains. Forsyth, Mlssou-
II and CarrUiituu, Arkansas, arc about
forty miles apart, and ut the side OF
the ROAD between them Burton Sc
lccted his place OF abode. lie built
Il hail hut at the mouth OF Il natural
cave in the side Uf the mountain.
about 400 1cct above the road, ami
there lived alone. Few people saw
him and lived 10 relate it lftcrward.
He always carried Il long rifle and
heavy side arms, and would
SHOOT DOWN ANDRo
any one unfortunate enough to come
within range OF hls gun. After his
deeds began 10 he known Il de,ach-
ment OF Federal soldiers WAS sent
after hImi ut Il half IL dozen different
, nr half Il dozen men short. Burton
wore an old Duttcruul suit, u.uch til.
color Ul the trees and rocks on the
! mouniaiii-siGr, and was an adept al
| ui,inS himself and Shipping from
bush 10 busi, without being seen. On
one OCCASION u company OF twenty OF
thirty men hunted INN ior week
and at last got him Oh Il mountain
which they surrounded. They thei
started up the slope, but had pro.
| .teucd but Il few PAGES when Il puff
Oi sniukc issued from behind Il rOvk
| Il coupe oi hundred Yard, away AND
the foremost iran 1cli with Il bullet.
hole through his chest. Before lii,
others hai recovered from their sur.
prise another puu vi smoke was seeI
amu another man iell. The survivor,
m..nc Il rush ior TIA" rock, firing Il.
they ran, but ere They reached 1t an.
other ShOt from
| THE DEADLY RIFLE OF THE RoBBEl
! brought down Il thiru man. The
party i,t last reached the rock only Il
lnd that the a>sar>iu had Disappeared
! without leaving Il trace. While look.
ing for his lracN they again heard the
crack ol his rIilr, and another OF thcil
nuinbcr dropped dead. This wa.
continued until terror took posses
sion of the party, and they beat 4
hasiy retreat, hearty onc-half Of thO>t
| remaining being convinced that tht
object OF their search was something
! more than mortal. The General il
command Of that district ut last OF;
ferCd Il large reward for the head Y.
the scuundrel, and the reward wa.
increased when it was found that h,
continued to rob and kill unmolestci
Five thou and dollars was ut last Of
icred for him dead or alive, and ,
description OF him was printed ant
circulated among the troops. lie wa!
described as short and heuvy-set
with. immense and muscular hand,
and arms. His hair and rough un
kenpt beard We're black as III,
plumage of Il crow, aud he was ut
tcrly filthy and disgusting in up
pcarance, ns he sometimes did no
wash his face OF hands in weeks. Th
neighbors living too near lin h.
killed or drove away, and it is said
and probably with truth, that Ia
murdered 10 less than one hundrc,
aud eighty pc: sons while in tha
region. One family living within
couple of miles Of his cave he sparc'
tor his own convenience. The famil
sconsistcd of the father,
HALF-wIrTED PUNY CREATURE,
the wife aud one cniiu, y 10y ten o
twelve years old. Burton, when il
The neigliborhoo occasionally visite
the liouse aud forced them to furmis
him with provisions. He thrcatene
thc,n with death ifthey ever udmitte
that they knew him, or that he cam
to the house. and as they knew thn
he would keep his word, they ~
swerc.l all inquiries by denying tiIa
they knew or had ever seen hin
The hut In which the family live
was at the base of the mountain, an
stood in the center of n cleared sIop,
about three hundred yards acrvsl
Burton, when coming TO the hous,
would stop Mt the edge of the cieai
lug aud carefully Inspect the premise
Ito sutiof,, h;nenlf that M o,,nrvn;<