The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-01-27

A DOOMED FAMILY.
The Father Commits Suicide, and the Mother
Is Killed By Her Son-7wo of the Sons
Murdered and 1wO Daughters Die
hasane-AnOther Son Sentenced
to Death for Cold. Blood
ed Murder.
from the sedalia (Mo,) Bazoo.l

The Turley family, of Cooper county,
can safely be denominated doomed
tribe" DR.. Jesse W. Turley was the
father of a large family Of children, and
moved to Pettis comfy in 1855. His
boys were very mischievous, and gave
him much trouble. David, particularly,
was always in some kind of broil. He
got into a difficulty which promised to
give him considerable trouble, and fled
the State and went to California. in 1857
During the war Dawes father killed him
self his older brother died, his younger
brother accidentally killed his mother,
and was himself murdered short time
afterward by the bushwhackers, and his
eldest.sister became insane and died.
The old man having left considerable
property, and the family having been eff
fectually thinned out Dave returned to
Missouri in 1866, received handsome
sum of money, commenced life of dis
sipation aud extravaganza, and soon ran
through with it all. He then promised
to quit whisky and do better, and one of
bisfriends loaned himmoney to start a sa-
loon at Georgetown. But Dave proved
to be his own best customer, and made
his "ranch," as he called it, a perfect
hell. He took from Sedalia lewd and
notorious woman to Georgetown, where
their conduct was such as to bring down
unon their heads the anathemas of every
respectable erson in the place. Dave
was generally feared, and was always
ready with his knife and revolver. He
shot at several persons for imaginary Of
fenses. and used his knife on several oc-
casions. He defed public sentiment and
the laws of the country.
In one affray with an officer Dave was
badly punished, and when able to navl-
cate he pulled up stakes and returned to
california. John Turley, another one of
the bows, was killed in row, about a
wear ago. in Western Kansas. Jim Tur-
lev. the remaining brother of this band
of desperadoes, at the time was in the
Colorado Penitentiary for shooting man
at Central City. AS soon as released, he
also skipped out to California.
Col. John F. Phillips; in whose regi-
ment Jim 'Turley served during the war,
has lust received letter from Jim, dated
Sacramento, California, December 29,
1875, from which the following extracts
are taken:
at is with sorrow l am compelled to
ash vour assistance in the case of my
brother David. Last April he shot and
Killed a man in this county, and is at
this time under sentence of death, hav-
inc heen denied new trial by the Su-
preme Court. At one time, in 1853, when
Dave was living with that woman Rob
inson) in Georgetown, Thought from his
octions that he was insane, and got a
doctor to 90 and see him for the purpose
of Getting an order to send him to the
ssvInm at Fulton. Get the attidavits of
as many persons as possible to the fact
that David was insane, and that at one
time an order was made committing him
10 an insane asylum; and get a Judge OF
the Court to certify to the good character
of the persons making such attidavits.
"If you know where my sister Jullals,
tell her, for Gods sake, and for poor
Dawes sake, to attend to this motter i'm
mediately, and there is no SINE to lose.
EVER one who knew Dave knew that he
was not sane man; also, that insanity
runs in the family. Grandfather Turley
was insane when he left Cooper county,
lor California"
Inquiries were made anG the facts as
certained that no papers had ever been
fiIed setting forth Dawes insanity; that he
vas vas never examined by experts, or or
dered to be sent to the asylum.
The evidence at the trial showed that
Dave had shotthis man for using abusive
words while drunk, and that the fatal
sbot was fred while the drunken man
was was walking away from him. 1t was a
cold-blooded murder. If he should be
released, of which there is not the least
prospect, he would probably kill another
man in less than year. de Is TOO dan
oerous a man to be turned loose upon
Sny community.