The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-05-20

change OF venue to Howard county
and then made his escape from the jail.
went to Texas and was never re-arrest-
ed or tried.
STATE We Luxe, A SLAVE.
| On the 18th day Of MAY, 1926,
Hezekiah Harris and . yellow boy
named Luke, about twenty-one years
old, were blowing corn together Luke
was careless and allowed the horses he
was blowing with to step on the corn
At the end Of the row and Mr.. Harris
scolded him for bis carelessuess. This
irritated Luke and he spoke back i'm.
pertinently. whereupon his master
slapped him soundly on the ears for his
impudence. Luke whipped out q
pocket knife and stabbed him and be
died in his tracks. leaving . wife and
six children to mourn his untimely
death. MI. Harris son, VIM. Harris,
now q resident Of Cooper, at that
time nine years old, vas in the Geld at
the time of the murder and Was the
only living witness to the killing.
Luke fed after killing his master. He
was subsequently captured and com.
mitted to Jail to await the action ofthe
Grand Jury.
INDICTED, TRIAL AND EXECUTION.
At the August term of Circuit court
that year, Judge Todd was on the
bench. and Charles French, the At
torney General, was in attendance.
The grand jury found an indictment
against Luke for murder in the fret
degree. Judge Todd found Luke with.
out counsel, and without money to
employ IN attorney, and TO the end
that he might have justice, he appoint
ed Peyton X. Hayden and John B.
Clark, both Of whom became distin.
guished in their profession, the latter
still living in Fayette, No., to defend
the prisoner.
Luke was found guilty ~ charged in
the indictment. and was executed on
the gallows. on the ID day of Septem.
Der, 1926, at q place q short distance
west Of where the o. V. 4 s. X. K. X.
depot now stands, on Morgan street,
10 BoonviIle. There are . number of
persons still living in Boonville and
vicinity, who were of the immense
crowd assembled to witness the public
execution. Marcus Williams, long
since dead, was the Sheriff and exc.
cutioner.
STATE vs.. JACK, A SLAVE.
John Gabriel kept q still-houee in
Cooper county, 10 1880, and it was a
general resort for people who had
drinking propensities.
1t was correctly rumored that Cab
riel had large sums Of money in his
house or at his still-nouse, which was
envied by q son-in-law of Gabriel. |
named Weaver. Weaver was a bad |
man. and it is supposed that be in |
duced negro Jack. who was owned by |
Reuben Harris, to enter into scheme |
to kill and rob old man Gabriel.
INCIDENTS OF THE CRIME.
On the night Of the Goth of July. |
1880, Weaver and Jack went to the
house Of Gabriel after be was in bed,
and called him out. Jack did the
calling, and said: II want quart of
whiskey." Gabriel, after partially
dressing himself came toward the still.
house, when Jack struck him on the
head with an axe, killing him outright.
Weaver aud Jack then took the body
of Gabriel to the stable, where .
vicious stallion wss tied, and put the
body at the heels of the horse, and
after bedaubing the feet and fetlocks
of the horse with blood, left him to be
discovered BY his friends, and to draw
their conclusions that he had been
killed by the horse.
THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION.
Jack was indicted and tried at the
October term of the Cooper Circuit
Court in 1880. Judge Todd presided.
while K w. Wells, Attorney General,
prosecuted. X. p. Clark wac Clerk,
and J. S. Anderson, Sheriff. p. X.
Hayden was appointed to defend Jack.
He was convicted and sentenced to
be hung 90 the 18th day Of Novem.
Der, 1880.
The following named gentlemen
were the jury VINO tined the case and
found the verdict:
Joshua Self, Andrew Hutchinson.
Jesse Hoffman, VIM. c. Porter.
Alex. Tucker, David MCGEE. John
Samuel, John Combs. Thos. Darnile.
Jno s. Mcfarland Robt. Brown and
Geo. Mcmillan.
Joshua Self. Jesse Holman and Jno,
s. Mcfarland are the only ones Of the
jury now living. the two latter living
In B0onville.
THE HANGING
occurred as sentenced, on November
IL. 1880, in the presence of large
crowd of people, many negroes from
Cooper, Howard, Pettis aud Saline
counties. were on about the ground
when Luke was hung.
Weaver was tried and through some
technically was acquitted. He left |
the country Immediately and Was sub |
sequentiy hung to . tree in Arkansas,
by mob for horse stealing.
SARAH GABRIEL,
wife Of murdered man, Vas accused of |
completely in the crime. but on . pre-
liminarv examination before Justice |
of the Peace, on that charge. Was cola.
mitted to Jail to await the action Of
the grand jury. She WAS subsequently |
discharged from custody, BY the court,
the grand jury having failed to return |
IN indictment against her.
The negro Jack and Weaver got |
$500 in silver dollars from Gabriel |
when be WAS murdered, which Was
very nearly all found before Jack Was