The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-11-22
Which Occurred in Bates
County Only a Few
Days Ago.
Two Masked Men Outrage a
Farmers Eighteen-Year-
Old Daughter,
And Threaten a Similar Crime
Upon a Girl Only Twelve
Years Of Age.
The Perpetrators are Arrested,
Have an Examination, and
ale Held in 50, 500 Each.

4 gentleman who arrived in the city
this morning from Appleton City related
to BAZoo reporter the particulars OF a
horrible crime committed in Bates county.
few DAYS ago, which has never yet been
made public, the papers ol that section
seeming to have been kept in the dark.
A short time since gentleman named
J. Tuney removed from Clay county, IN
this state, and settled about six miles from
Appleton City, OH what is known as the
Rains farm, near Pleasant Gap, i'm Bates
county. Nr. Tuney had an interesting
family and was supposed TO be the pos
SCISSOR of considerable wealth.
On the night Of Nov. ID two masked
men appeared at his residence, and after
demanding and being refused admittance,
burst open the door. Each was armed with
a revolver, which they presented at the
head of Mr.. Tuney, cooked, and told him
to give up what monny there was IN the
house.
Seeing that remonstrance was useless,
Mr.. Tuney handed over TO the robbers be-
tween 81 and SIS, and in the meantime
adroitly removed 500 from an inner peck
ct, and, unobserved, placed a sack OF flour
over ii.
The masked marauders were evidently
we'll posted as TO their business and well &C.
quainted with the premises, and when Mr..
Tunev informed them that he had already
given them all the money there was i'm
the house. they asked him what had be-
come of the cash he had received from
various articles disposed of.
Tuney had a double-barreled gun in the
loft of his house, one barrel of which was
loaded. The robbers knew exactly where
ii was and its condition They secured
the gun and discharged the loaded barrel
They then took Mrs. Tuney cut and en-
deavored to make her disclose the hiding
place of what they knew was i'm the house.
In this they were unsuccessful, however.
They next seized Mr. Tuney's step
daughter, a handsome young girl eighteen
years of age and one of the brutes guarded
the house while the other outraged her
person-frst one and then the other The
girl, also, refused to divulsc the hiding
place OF the money.
The fends then proposed to take a
younger daughter, aged twelve years, and
treat her in a similar manner, but Tuney
said he would defend his daughters honor
with his life.
After considerable parleying, during
which the whereabouts of the 500 was
not discovered, the two men seized Tuney
and took him short distance from the
house, where they left him unframed, after
which they ran in different directions, but
not until they had killed a faithful watch
dog which stood i'm the door yard.
Suspicion rested upon Will Walker and
Thos. Pharis, both the sons of wealthy
and highly respected parents Of that vi
cinity. Walker is a married man. Pharis
is single, a graduate of Columbia high
school, and has been seeking location TO
practice law
These two parties were arrested, and an
examination was held on Saturday last be-
fore Squire Clark Wix, at La Hal, Bates
county. The evidence was such that they
were held in the sum of $500 each to
await the action of the grand jury, which
is now in session al Butler.
The affair has created the greatest ex-
citement, and universal sympathy is ex-
pressed for the unfortunate young lady
who has been SO foully wronged. The
parties arrested are believed to be guilty,
and if they are so proven, il would not be
surprising if lynch law stepped between
them and the courts.