The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-06-27
| TEXAS VENDETTA,
The Feud of the Starks and the
Cann0nS.
The Story Of Hired Assassin Who
Was to Have Been Hang
ed Yesterday.
A WIFE'S SUICIDE AND HER HUSBANDS
DEATH.
ST.. LOUIS, Mo-, !
June Lex

The Globe Democrat has special
from Rockwell, Texas, which gives
graphic account of remarkable
murder and suicide recently commit
ted there. 1t appears that in the lat
ter part of April, 1875, Emberry
Cannon, his son William, and two
nephews got on big spree in Rock
well, and created great disturbance
in the town till late hour at night.
Sheriff Alexander G. Starks was on
intimate terms with the Cannons and
endeavored to persuade them to de-
sist from their riotous proceedings,
but was unsuccessful. He then
warned them that if they did not
stop disturbing the peace he would
be obliged to lock them up. This
only made them worse, and the whole
party assaulted the Sheriff and beat
and cut him very severely. During
the melee the Sheriff drew his revol-
yer and snapped it several times, bu.
none of the chambers exploded
The party scattered, however, and
Starks, procuring a better weapon,
followed the Cannons, intent on ar
resting them. He found them in a
billiard saloon and was again set up
on by the whole party, and while de-
Tending himself shot and killed Will.
liam Cannon. This ended the ami
cable relations between Starks and
the Cannons, and sometime after
ward Starks was notified that EN-
berry Cannon was trying to hire
some desperate to assassinate him.
This became 80 evident that Starks
offered his farm for sale, with the in
tention of moving to some other
place where he would be more secure.
In September, 1875, stranger ap-
peared in Rockwell, singularly dress
ed, and armed with double barreled
shotgun and several revolvers. He
prett nded to want to buy farm, and
was referred to Starks as having one
for sale. He called on Starks, and
after short conversation both star
ted for the farm, Starks going in op-
position to the earnest entreaty of
his wife and the advice of some
neighbors. He never returned alive,
but next morning his dead body was
found in the woods with a load oil
huckshot in his head, The murder
cr fed. 1t was subsequently learned
that his name was George ". Gar.
ner. In October following the muir.
der the Grand jury indicted Garner
for the murder of Starks, and EN-
berry Cannon rs instigator Of the
crime, but neither of them could be
found. 1t seems, however, that {
short time prior to the murder o.
Starks, Garner had shot the Sheriff
of Lee county, Texas, while that off
Ger was attempting his arrest, anc
rewards aggregating $1,000 were of
fered for him. When the Sheriff o
Lee county recovered from hi
wounds he determined to capture
Garner, and after q long search fount
him in little town near Little Rock
, Ark, and succeeded in arresting ant
taking him to Lee county, where h
was turned over to the authorities O
Rockwell county last March. H
was tried in May, convicted of mur
der Of Starks, and sentenced to b
hanged on the 18th of June to-day.
After his conviction he made con
fession that Emberry Cannon hire'
him to kill Starks for $500 cash,
note for $l25 and team of horses
Last Tuesday evening Mrs. Garne
was permitted to enter the Jail to re
main with her husband until his ex
ecution. This morning, on openin
Gamers cell, the Sheriff found Mrs
Garner dead and her husband almos
lifeless. A physician was sent fol
but before he arrived Garner died.
Both left letters. In the one write
by Mrs. Garner she said she pul
chased morphine at Dallas two week
ago, and took it into the Jail in he
mouth. A question then arose as
whether there was enough to XII
both, and which of them should tax
the largest portion of it. Mrs. GA
ner evidently took enough to kill he
but there were marks about her nee
which showed she had also bee
strangled. Garner also took some {
the poison, but when found this mo-
ming he had cotton stuffed in his no:
trils, a handkerchief stuffed in hi
mouth, and a wire, the bail of
buokot in bis nal1 fwistad around n