The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-12-28
From Davenport Gazette, Monday, Dec. II.
TRAGEDY NEAR DIXON,
a Thief Dclles an OlJlcee and
Posse, and II Riddled WIth
shot.

enacted AT Cilnkhammer place, ia
Liberty township three miles north
west of Dixon, last Saturday morning
And the country, by the means, was
rid Of a desperate who was terror in
the community for miles about.
II is quite long story and an in
teresting one. At Clinkhammer' :
there lived man named Patri ok
Murphy, who worked about on farms
In seed time, run threshing machine
with a partner in harvest time, and
was supposed to do good deal OF
| stealing in winter. lie was IA bold
desperate ruffian, aud had his own
way wherever he went, for he was
quick-tempered, very ugly, when an
CRY, and people We're afraid Of him =
For some weeks the farmer. i'm But.
| Ter and Aliens Grove townships, in
the vicinity of Dixon, have known
that poultry thieves were stealing
their chickens and turkey, and the
belief was general that aforesaid MUIR
ply was the thief;but nobody was in
clined to catch the thief. Last Tues
day night Murphy and man named
Farrell took load of turkeys to Tip
ton, arriving there early in the morn
ing. Several turkey roosts between
Dixon and Upton, a distance of TWEEN
ty miles. were robbed that night
They sold the poultry to u shipping
firm, and then sauntcred about town
for awhile. Before noon they came
across an Irish farmer, got him drunk,
started him out of town five or six
miles, and robbed him of twenty-five
dollars. The farmer went back 10
Upton, had Il warrant issued for the
arrest of Murphy and Farrell, and
took II to Jas. Van Buskirk, constable
nj Dixon for service. Friday evening,
Van Buskirk. accompanied by two
men, went out To Clinkhammer's to
arrest Murphy, and--iidn't do it
Murphy saw the posse, and swore he
would kill the first man who put
hands on him. The officer and his
men were not properly armed, they
knew Murphy would do IA he said
and they-went back To Dixon.
Saturday morning, Van Busklrk,
with an odd genius called "Arkan-
saw" who lives In Dixon, Gerhart
Graften, who resides near Inland, and
who had lost several turkeys through
Murphy's thefts, as he believed, and a
German named Lochs, IA assistants,
went out to Clinkhammcr's second
time to see Mr.. Murphy. All were
well armed, Graften hearing n shot
gun rs his weapon.
Arriving at CIinkhammer's they
were greeted with loud threat from
Murphy, who cursed them for cow
ards, and declared he would brain
every man of them. They went In,
and as they did SO, the family went
out. Murphy drew revolver and
bowie knife, covered the party with
shooter, aud said, "Fli give you five
minutes to get out of this house-I'll
kill every id one of you If you
stay. Graften, you I'll
take you first, and you second, Ar
kansaw, you miserable pup" And
there he stood his back to the wall,
his arms extended, and the cooked re-
volver moving right and left to shoot
ref hat H..
wards him.
"Arkunsaw' entered the house
with revolver in hand, and after the
party had stood Murphy's abuse and
threats for n couple of minutes, and
when the desperate was pointing
his pistol ut Van Buskirk, he fired,
putting his ball right through the
base of the wrctch's throat; Murphy
staggered back, and was raising his
revolver towards Graften, when the
latter poured the contents of
his shot gun into the fellows
face and forehead, "Arkan-
saw" putting another ball into his
breast at the same time. Murphy fell,
his head and face presenting sicken-
ing spectacle. He lay in comatose con-
dition for two hours after being woun
ded, and then died. The firing at
him was considered justifiable by all
acquainted with the circumstance
there is no doubt that the people of
Aliens Grove and Butler township
feel relieved by his death, so bad was
his rep utaton.