The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-01-29

.uAs nUnpnnsD RoesH Psn.
The Crises 81 aho 1aoasie Fiesa. Rob. |
ers Turner, - Pososi. Wis.-A Man |
Whsae Assasoa b q ExserDinase she |
R00p10.
We CLEAN the following facts from the
Grant Herald, (Wis.) relative to the |
Turner tragedy, ct Potod. Wis.,, togeth- |
or with the further Development con-
corning the career of Robert Turner, the |
lunatic, who seems to have peen pos.
sessed with . hendish penchant for
blood:
Saturday, December the 6, one
Robert Turner was..afrested and lodged
in jail ct this place for the murder OF
his brother Albert, near Potosi. The
murdered man WAS struck with An AZ in
the hands of Bob, the blow nearly sever
ing the head from the body. The MUIR
dered man fell into Q mineral hole where
he was ct work. Another brother, New
ton, was in an adjoining shaft, when
Bob called to him, II have killed Al,
come up." Newton started to climb
out, bat discovered his brother with .
drawn AZ, who proposed to kill him
(Newton) unless he consented to assist
in hiding the body of Alfred and prom
Using secrecy. To all of which Newton
of course sssented. Bob said that he
had ''killed Alfred because there are too
many in the family to support; let us
cover him ND and tell the folks he has
gone off," Newton readily consented,
and persuaded Bob to throw away the
AZ. On getting out of the hole, Newton
started on Q run for Potosi, closely fol-
owed BY his infatuated brother. Seeing
THAT pursuit was useless, the murderer
turned and fled toward this place. New
ton fastened TO Potosi, alarmed the
people. and Officer Wllmot was sent to
capture Bob. The officer mounted on
. horse, overhauled his man about six
miles from Potosi, but having no weap-
ons, he passed him and called ct farm.
house where he procured . revolver.
Returned, he confronted the murderer
and told him 70 surrender.
Turner placed himself In . defeneive
attitude and prepared to fight, but the
open countenance Of the officers revolver
soon brought him to terms. He was
taken back to Potosi, had his exsmina-
ton, and ordered to jail. His actions in
jail eince his capture, his murder0us as
ssult on fellow prisoner named Skel-
linger, has already been Published in
these columns.
During the latter part of November
and the first. of December, Bob Turner
was In the employment ct Mr.. X. Baily,
in tho town of Clifton, engaged in cut
ting hoop-poles. Living with Mr.. X.
Bell. in the town of Ellenboro. was
boy named Olney Medley. Tuesday.
December 2, the boy Medley started
from Bells to visit his mother, who re-
sided in New California. His road lay
through the timber belonging to Bailey,
where Turner Was at work. That was
the last seen Of young Medley until the
9th of January.
The people residing in the neighbor-
hood having heard of Turner'S muir
derous propensity, and knowing that
Young Medley had to pass near where he
was 1t work, turned out on Fridayiast to
hunt for his remains. Eight men start
ed from Bells and searched the ground
each side of the road. When they ar
rived upon the premises where Turner
had been chepping, they found the body,
which lay 90 it had fallen over six weeks
before.
The indication shows that Turner had
commenced to cut down . sapling,
having struck two blows on the left side
and one on the right. The second blow
evidently was the ono that Killed
the boy. The position in which :the
boy lay, the course the blow from the
AZ had taken-all indicated it. The
boys head was nearly cut from the body
only hanging by . small piece Of the
skin on the back and front of the neck,
the Ak having gone clear through the
neck. When found, young Medley had
Q paper parcel under his arm, just as he
was Carrying it; in his pockets were q
new jack-knife, some marbles and fifty
cent scrip.
The boy was taken care of and jury
impaneled to hold An inquest, and the
verdict was that Olney Medley, aged
fourteen years, came to his death from
the blow OF an az in the hands of Robert
Turner.
When the body was found Turner was
confronted BY Richard Swale, who
asked him to tell all he knew about the
boy. Turner said he was cutting poles
and the boy came toward him yelling,
with club in his hand. he first struck
him with the pole of the AZ, and then
chopped his head CT.
Monday afternoon last Marshal Ben"
nett visited Turner in his cell, and asked
him how many more victims he had.
Turner answered two. ''One Of them
Vas red headed fellow, that killed in
deep ravine back of the poOr-farm.
The other WAS . man ON the road to
Muscoda, want up there to get work,
and when about two miles from Mus
Gotta l met man in the road whom l
knew wanted to kill me. l had Q four
pound weight in my pocket that had
got ct the store, and struck him over
the eye, killing him. l dragged him
out of the road into q thick stand OF
hazel brush and left him. 1t was on the
north side of the road, just where there
is bend" This 10 Turner'S story IS
we have it from the Marshal. When
Turner went homo, after killing young
Neeley he told his brother Newton that
he had been to Muscoda, looking for
work.
Robert Turner is heavy built man,
five feet six inches high. and weighs
about 100 pounds; 10 ~ years old, ana
unmarried. Is dark complexioned,
with full round face, which he usually
kept we'll shaved, except tho upper lip.
He had sharp, piercing eyes, which are
never still. One cannot get his eye fer
Q moment. He has been . county
charge at the poor farm for some time,
but was always allowed to 60 and
come at his own liking. He served
three years in the army, having been q
member of the Twenty-hfth Wisconsin
Infantry. Turner has resided at Potosi
about twenty years, and until some
two yesrs ago had been the head Of the
family since the death Of his father,
which occurred about 1857.
There can hardly be doubt that Tur.
ner 10 insane, % he says his mission 10 to
kill offthe people-"there are too many"
He talks Of his murderous actions, and
has even boosted that he did not doubt
but that I have killed forty people, ii
they could be got to gether." However,
when interviewed, he seems perfectly
rational except when the subject Of muir"
der il broached. At such times he
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