The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-01-14


years ago with Thomas Ford Moore, q
young man of great promise and well.
proved ability. None could have con.
ceived of the terrible death in store fol
this young mana death which even
now cries aloud for vengeance upon the
dastardly villains who brought it about.
Tom was the youngest son of ex-Gov-
ernOr Ford, who years ago was one of the
most prominent men in the State. Upon
his fathers death he was adopted by the
late Thomas G. Moore, of this city, and
in time grew to be considered his son by
those cognizant of the facts. When the
late war broke out, Tom enlisted in the
One hundred and Thirty-ninth Illinois
infantry, and served we'll and faithfully
in that and an artillery regiment
until the close of the war, Returning to
this city, he met warm welcome from
new and old friends, and, among other
pursuits of literary nature, he was en-
gagged in writing for the daily press of
Peoria. In the fall of 1871 he became
dissatisfied with Peoria, and Mr.. Moore,
his adopted father, having lost much of
his former property, Tom resolved to
seek new field of endeavor and turn to
some substantial account the many
talents with which he was endowed.
Accordingly he set out for Kansas, in
which State an elder brother of his had
been settled for some time. This brother
was in the vicinity of Wichita, and there
Tom found him. Together they roamed
over the prairies until the summer of
1872, some times hunting, some times en-
gagged in the nomadic avOcation of cattle
driving. Though Tom felt that he was
made for better things, the wild, free life
suited him nevertheless, and partly
atoned for the slowness with which the
dollars accumulated.
1t was near the close of beautiful
July day that Tom, alone, was walking
toward Sugar creek rancho, Summer
county, on his way to Caldwell, some elk
miles further on. Suddenly he found
his arms seized by three ruffianly-look-
ing men who had jumped from hazel
copse by the way side. The three men
were soon joined by three more, and,
after repeated inquiries, Tom learned
that he was accused of horse stealing,
and was to be hanged to the nearest tree.
In vain he protested his innocence, and
offered to prove, were time given to him,
an incontestable alibi. In vain he begged
that the ruffians would but examine
some papers in his coat pocket, which
would show that they had mistaken his
identity. His pleadings were useless, as
his captors were frenzied by the loss of
valuable horses, and were determined to
make an example of some one, whether
he were guilty or not. Cords were pro-
fWf pf tho ott IL
tie Moore's arms, preparatory to execu-
ton of lynch law upon him, but the
brave fellow was determined not to die
without a struggle, and accordingly, en-
treaties having proved of no avail, he
used his muscular powers to such effect
that for long time he kept all six men
at bay. Such an unequal contest, how
ever, could not last long, and Moore was
finally knocked down and bound. The
moose was placed around his neck, and he
he was dragged and pushed to convent
ent tree. The mercy y of the scoundrels
who had capsared him, gave him two min
utes for prayer, and, at the end of that
time, he was launched into eternity.
When he was quite dead, the leader of
the gang of lynchers, putting his hand
into the coat pocket Of the dead man,
found the letters which he had begged
them in vain to read before they
him. The letters were, MANY
of them, from friends and relations in
Illinois, and corroborated the dead mans
statements, showed the cowardly villains
that instead of executing summary
justice on horse thief, they had out
murdered a young man who
was as far above them in intelligence and
moral worth as the stars are above the
earth. With one accord the towards
He'd, but their names and the fact of the
case were afterward discovered. Why
Justice has not been done and young |
Moore's murder avenged, is for Kansas
grand juries to answer.
1t was many months before the news
Of MOOrc's awful death reached Peoria,
md even when it did it was contradicted
until it is only within short time that
he general public were made certain of
he fact. Not until now, indeed, have
he above facts been given in this CITY,
Peoria National Democrat.