The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1878-05-24
0s~~ H.ng. and Possibly "a be Hung
AnnlM.

CT arrived here from the West Thurs.
day night, in charge Of Detective X.
A. Kincade, Of Olney, ILL.,, and j.
Stone, xSherih Of Putnam county,
Indiana. The old man was lodged in
our City Jail, and last evening he re-
sumed his journey toward Perryville,
Boyle county, Kentucky, where he is
wsntei TO answer the hideous charge
Of having murdered an old and help
less lady in cold blood on the night of
the 18th day of April. twelve long
year. ago. The record of those ~
years shows that if John Taylor's
crime was terrible one, his punish.
ment is almost commensurate with IL.
Aged and friendless, he has from day
to day lived the life Of an outlaw-a
hunted thing who knew no home, and
whose sleepless, inexorable conscience
kept alive within him a terror Of ret
ribution which barred for all time any
feeling of security. In his travels
and his suaerings his wife was a pa
tient sharer, Until, Two months sgo,
her system yielded to the stress Of
mental anxiety aud physical abuses,
and she died where her husband was
finally captured. And so il must he
very great relief to John Taylor To
know that hia sgony of suspense Is
over. and that the pursuers, whom.
sleeping or waking he never failed to
tear, have fastened their clu tches upon
him. He goes hack to Peryville.
probably To expiate his crime with his
life.
In 1866, John Taylor lived near
Dsnville, Ky, and enjoyed the luxu-
ries Of gocd health, little care, fair
means Of living and large family.
His son, VIM. Taylor, was indicted
by the Grand Jury Of Boyle county,
IN a charge of burglariuing a country
dwelling and stealing some goods, and
one Of the principal witnesses 10 he
feared in his case was Mrs. Mary Bot
tom. widow who lived in n farm
honse, with no other companion than
a little grand daughter. On the
morning uf the 18th Of April, that
year, the old lady was found dead in
her bed with n bullet hole in her
head, and the beiclothes drenched with
blood. At first the horror promised
10 remain mystery, till the little
grand daughter. whom frigh, for a
long time rendered mute, made n
Shocking revelation. She said that
she awoke about " o'clock the night
before, and saw two men in the room,
whom she readily recognized a. John
Taylor and his sou William. She
knew il meant mischief. and she quiz
eily covered herself up with the bed.
clothes, childlike. She heard the rifle
shot that killed her grandmother, but
was paralyued, and so gave no sign. !
The men did not discover her, and so
left witness TO their crime whose
testimony was TO prove fatal. AT
once the father and son were placed
under arrest, To be held for trial. The
citizens, however, who had held the !
old lady in high regard, determined to
brook NJ laws delay, and the prison.
ers were forcibly taken from the off.
GERS, carried to the woods and hung to
q tree. The crowd remained only !
long enough to complete their work,
as they supposed. by some agency
possibly through a defect in the
rope-the old man was allowed to fall !
to the ground shortly after the crowd
lett, and there he lay for several
hours. lie finally recovered the use
Of his limbs, but not OF his mind, and
went a wandering. lie was of course
recsptured, as he had not the wit to
make effort to avoid it, and this time
he was committed To Jail. There he
regained his strength, and two or
three months later. he. with a colored
hog thief, known as the Rev. j. Hol-
man, broke Jail. lie made for Illi-
nois, and found safety in the swamps
Of Egypt for nearly year. Thence
he went to Cooper county. NO.; thence
to Kansas; thence hack 10 Southwest
Missouri; thence 10 Burbane county, |
Kansas; thence to Vernon county,
No., where he made his ilnal settle
meni, near the town of Nevada. At
each of the above places he spent a
year or two, leading the wretched life |
Of a squatter, but at the last place he
met with some success in tilling
patch Of ground,
A couple Of months ago something
brought the case to the attention of
Detective Kincade, and by much per-
severance and exercise of ingenuity,
he traced the fugitive through the
long course above detailed. Having
finally located him in Vernon county,
he went there with Mr.. Stone, armed
with requisition. Sheriff William
McGinniss.. Of that county, who had
given valuable assistance in the case