The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-07-19

but there Is nObOdy down there that seems
to know anything about it.
Movers, Brown and Hamilton made
their way over into Wayne county. All
three were skilled in wOodcraft and the
country is full of Hat, tangled forests in
which they had little difficulty in finding |
safety. The people in all the country |
around, however, were On the qui vive, |
and il was not written that they should ,
escape. On the 18th Of May, at evening, |
travel Worn stranger dropped i'm ut Ben !
nets store i'm Greenviile, the county seat
oi WAYNE COUNTY. He was i'm such 4 tat
tered condition that he was taken for a
tramp. His shoes were worn cut and he
bought = new pair which he put Oh. He
then bough, another pair, stating that his
partner had gone to wake up the ferry man.
This aroused suspicion, and rs soon rs
the man was gone the store-kecper informed
Sheriff John T. Davis. Next morning
Sheriff Davis and ex-Sheriff James +. Hat
ton started OH, To look for the men. They
had no difficulty i'm tracing them to the
house oi man named Lee, about a mile
from town. DismOuni!ng from their
horses they quietly approached the house,
lsiny pretty yell satisfied by this time that
the,.. were two III the New Madrid outlaws.
The officers were we'll armed, but rs they
stepped i'm at the door the two men were
eating breakfast and apparently at their
mercy. 81 il did not seem that any dis
play oi weapons was necessary. Without
ceremony they commanded the two to rise.
The command was obcyed. but both men,
who were Meyers and Hamilton, came up
| with a navy revolver in each hand and be-
gan to shoot without saving a word. Davis
i.!l instantly with bullet in his head and
| Hat;on received a glancing wound on his
skull which crazed him for the time being.
He succeeded in mounting his hor>e and
reaching town where his incoherent story
created the widest excitement. Another
$1,000 reward was offered and 800 men
turned out Ia scour the country for them.
The same night, Brown, the third man,
was cornercd by posse but managed tn
slip through their fingers somehow. Davis
was ut frs, reported dead but eventually
both he and HattOn recovered.
A. the news oi this astounding success
sion III crimes spread the people Of three
counties wiped out their shotguns and
squirrel rifles and trod the field in squads.
Col. w. T. Leepcr, Of Mill Springs, had
charge Of one Of the parties, his comrades
being Ambrose Beatty, Cal Thomas and
Taylor Fulton. Col. Lecper made up hi,
mind that the dcsPeradocs would try t.
cross Black river under cover Of darkness
a. which is known as Campbelfs switch
lie accordingly posted his men and am
pushed the crossings. The watchers had .
weary vigil Of it all night, but just a dawr
was breaking two men came walking VI
the railroad towards the river. As thu
pair came along they though, at first tina
. thew were citizens scouting. but when they
. were quite near and were seen to be strang
ers OF very tramp;sh cut the loud com
mand was gived, "hOld on there" At tn
word Meyers and Hamilton, for il prOvet
to be- thew, wheeled and threw up their
shotsuns ready to kill on the instant. Blu
this time somebody else had the drop. an
I thew had met some one as quick on the trig
made with their weapons there was n regl
; ular fusil,ade, and both men were cut dow
! like weeds before asickle. Hamilton stop
: ped ten buckshot, and Meyers was badl
}, wounded in the head. Hamilton neve
moved. The ugly life was drive
!, out Of him BY the leaden bullets. Neithe
OF the bandits had fired, but both drOppe
with their dOuble-barreled shotguns cooke
+ in their hands, and each had four navy n
: volvers strapped upon him.
Brown, who appears tn have separate
\ from the Others. was captured near Mi
u Springs late the same afternoon, May
) After their flight from home the gang ha
!. formed plan to make their way to Me!
leo.
Movers and Brown. the survivors. wei
:, taken to New Madrid and safely lodged
, Jail, notwithstanding the high feeliI
:, against them. While there young 4
. quaintance Of theirs named Mitchell vi
= arrested. He was sixty miles away fro
=. all the shooting, but on hearing that h
!. friends were in a scrape he started out
so find them and give them lift. He h;
no sooner began to make inquiries cOncer
p ing them than he was seized and throw
=. into Jail a an accemplice. Public excit
=, ment ran SO high that the sheriff one mig
~ stealthily removed the prisoners ~
~, brought them to st. Louis for safe keePiI
=. 4 special grand jury was called to ind
- them, and on the 18th Of June, only
:. month after their FIRST murder, and TIL
n weeks after they were arrested the trial
=. over. The Jury was out twelve minut
= judge J. D. Foster Immediately sentenc
=, Meyers and Brown to hang July IS. II
~ odcre Mitchell, for being q friend to I
"a OUTLAW gang, was allowed to plead gui
~ to charge Of murder in the second deg
~ and the Judge sentenced him to the pei
- tentiary for thirty years, remarking th
,a he was the meauest Of the gang.
IN HISTORY OF THE OUTLAWS.
~: ~ Frank Brown was . we'll built fell
=. rs about five feet eight inches tall 8
' weighed about $50 pounds: At the ii
the outlaws committed their first murt
,'- he wore . mustache and side. vhisk'
=. His hair was dark and his eyes blue.
.,s generally wore dark clothes and Was
IN particularly vain Of his feet, which =
=. rather shapely and took . number b
- easily. He used to pass the winter hu
nd ing and trapping, and in summer wo
=. adept in woodcraft, and good shot v
..vclvep and rife though not looked uI