The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-02-02

The Turley family, of Cooper
County, can safely be denominated q
adoomed tribe" DR.. Jesse w. Tur.
lev was the father Of a large family
Of children, and moved to Pettis
County in 1855. His boys were very
mischievous, and gave him much
trouble. David, particularly, was al,
ways in some kind of a broil. He
got into q difficulty which promised
to give him considerable trouble, and
fed the State and went to California,
in 1857. During the war Dawes
father killed himself, his older broth
er accidcntly killed his mother, and
was himself murdered q short time
afterward hy the bishwhackers, and
his eldest sister became insane and
died.
The old man having left consider
able property, and Che family having
been effectually ti,inncd out, Dave
returned to Missouri in 1866, receiv-
ell a handsome sum of money, com
menced life of dissipation and ex
srayagance, and soon ran through
with it all. He then promised to
Quit whisky aud do better, and one
of his friends loaned him money to
start a saloon at Georgetown. But
Dave proved to be his own best Gus
toner, and made his "ranch," rs he
called it, a perfect hell; lie took
from Scdalia a lewd and notorious
woman to Georgetown, where their
conduct was such as to bring down
upon their heads the anathemas of
every respectable person in the place.
Dave was generally feared, and was
always ready with his knife and re-
volyer. He shot at several persons
for imaginary ofenses, and used his
knife on several occasions. He de-
fed public sentiment and the laws Of
the country.
In one ARRAY with an officer Dave
was badly punished, and when able
to navigate lie pulled up stakes and
retngned to California. joni Turley,
another one of the boys, was killed in
a row, about year ago, in Western
Kansas. Jim Turlcy, the remaining
brother Of this band Of desperadoes,
at the time was in the Colorado PEN
itentiary for shooting man at Cen
trail City. As soon as released, he
also skipped out to California.
Colonel John f. Phillips, in whose
regiment jim Turley served during
the war, has just received q letter
from jim, dated Sacramento, Califor-
MIA, December 90, 1875, from which
the following extracts are taken
sit is with sorrow | am compelled
to ask your assistance in the case of
my brother David. Last April he
shot and killed man in this country,
and is at this time under sentence of
death, having been denied u new trial
by the Supreme Court. At one time,
in 1859, when Dave was living with
that woman (Robinson) in George
town, thought from his actions that
he was insane, and | got doctor to
go and see him for the purpose of
getting an order to send him to the
asylum at Fulton. Get the affidavits
OF as many persons as possible to the
fact that David was insane, and that
at one time an order was made COM
him to an insane asylum;
and get a Judge of the Court to Ger
tify to the good character of the per-
sons making such afidavits.
lfyou know where my sister Julia
IS, tell her, for Gods sake, and for
poor Dawes sake, 40 attend 10 this
matter imme,lb ,ately, as thay-is no
lime to lose Eyey one who knew
Dave knew that he was not q sane
man; also, that insanity runs In the
'amiiy. Grandfather farley was in
sane whan he left Cooper County for
California"
Inquiries were made and the facts
aseertained that no papers had ever
been fled setting forth Dawes insan-
vs.; that he was never examined by
experts, or ordered to be sent to the
asylum.
The evidence at the trial showed
'aat Dave had shot this man for
islsS abusive words while drunk, |
and that the fatal shot was fired |
While the drunken man was walking
way from him. 1t was cold blood |
~ murder. If he should be released, |
u Which there is not the least pros
pect, he would probably kill another
man In less than year. He is too
dangerous q man to be turned loose