The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-07
A BAD NAN.
Hanging of D. T. Walker, at
Trenton, Georgia.
History OF life whose CHIEF Reauty
Was its Brevity--AnOther
Hanging.

+ was fatally shot and several others badl,
beaten with clubs
II Walker was a man about ID years of age, /
splendid specimen of physical manhood, witt
. face which gave no indications of his bruta
i nature or the life of viilainy he had led. Walker
was native of Mississippi, where he hao
lived until three years ago. His record Of
crime dates back to his boyhood, and grows
| blacker to this -blooded deed which
brought him to the gallows
When quite young he married and lived
very unhappily with his wife She died yer,
suddenly, and the mysterious manner of lrer
death led to general suspicion that Walker
had murdered her. About year after the
| death of his first wife he won the affections of
| woman far his superior in every respect.
She was well born, cultivated, and beauti
| ful. She loved Walker passionately, and.
| though her father told her that he had rather
! see her dead than his wife, she resolved to
| marry him, and one day met Walker near her
fathers house He had. buggy ready and
they dashed away The father of the girl soon
| heard of the elopement and started in pursuit
He gained on Walker, and at length came in
| sight of him and ordered him to stop Walker
when the old man was near him, rose in his
buggy and deliberately fired at him The ball
entered his right thigh, and the wound disabled
him for life. The woman chung to Walker with
| blind devotion. They were duly mar Eed, and
the father disowned his child forever, Soon
after this second marriage Walker became in
VOWED in a difficulty with one of his neighbors
and killed him. This caused him to fly from
Mississippi and settle at the foot of Sand
mountain He seemed not to care about doing
anything and made no effort to get work He
roanred over the mountains with his rifle
His Wifi ms do
fort to earn decent livelihood for herself
and her baby. She had been we'll educated
and she opened a school and secured the at.
tendance of children for several miles around.
The school was about the only reliable meaDs
of support the family had. In time Walker
became acquainted with Lee Treece, youth
hive years his junior, and the son of worthy
widow, who lived not far from Walker and
Treecc and they frequently. took. long excur-
sions together in search of game
The nelghborhood wRs not long In Iearning
Walkers true character. His rowing, WORTH
less life and hrs brutal neglect of his family
merited and the contempt OF all who knew
him He was engaged i'll several rows and was
suspected of more than one crime and several
misdemeanors Early last October he consult
ed 1reece about plan he had made to throw a
considerable pile of money into both their
hands, as he said. Treece caught at the hair
Through the country about Sand mountain
there frequently travelled a man named Reese,
who traded in cattle. He known to carry
good sum of money with him, and he was the
victim Walker selected He pictured to Treece
how easy it would be to kin Reese, get his
money, hide his body, and let one be the
when Reese would be through that region and
knew the road he would take
from sands mountain toward Trenton.
road they concealed themselves aud waited
his coming Treece had his rifle and Walker
was doubly armed with both rifieand revolver
The day wore on and still he did not come
Walker began to grow impatient He cursed
the luck that kept back the man he was thirst
ting to kill for the sordid greed of gain When
the afternoon well spent the villain be-
came desperate and ragged in his disappoint-
ment On that bright October day Hard6erger
was making his way from South Pittsburg,
Tenn, to Rising Fawn furnace, where
he had been offered work. He was
an excellent workman, and high
~ respected by all m who knew SHIN |
He had promise of good wages at Rising Pawn |
Late IN the afternoon he reached the wood in |
which Walker and Treece Law concealed He |
passed close to the trees behind which Walker |
ana 1reece were crouching. He went by but |
had not proceeded far when form rose be
hind him and rifle leveled at his back /
! sharp report rang out Treece had fired |
irst Whether the ball took effect or not is |
uncertain, but when Ireece fired Hamburger
urned and raising his hands cried: @For Gods |
'ake don't kin mela These words were his last
" aiker rose, and, aiming cody as if he were
he breast of his pleading victim Not |
content with seeing Hardberger fall /
Walker. drew has revolver and fired at his T
arostrate form once or twice The assassnls
waited in vain for Reese Nj ght was coming +
N, and ali hope of staying INN had disalo1 L
'eared They had wrought themselves up to
nurderous resolution, and were ready TO Kill |
anybody Hardberger came along He looked |
espectable and was well dressed Walker. in |
moment after he saw him. told Treece he
nusrS be their man" When they had-shct |
Tim down they rushed out sto riflei his pocket
Their search brought them out So 80 aa the
rice Of a human life They were furious at
'eang 80 cheated, but FASTENED to conceal all |
races of their crime The body was taken
rom the road and thrown into a dense thicket |
considerable distance from the road Walker |
md Treeee divided their meagre, spoil and re
lad been squirrel hunting and had
poor luck. The murderers had hidden
heir victim from. the eyes of the /
World, but they could not keep their secret j
Treece showed signs Of trouble and Walker |
vowed to various persons that he had killed a
nan at a game of cards, but had done 80 i'll
elf defense. Meantime, Hardberger's failure
0 reach Kissing Fawn had aroused inquiry. |
lis family were written to and asked OF has
whereabouts. They became alarmed and
made every possible search but to no effect
ling buzzards guided some farmers to i
What remained of the unfortunate man The
orpse was in a horrible state of decomposi-
ion. A oOroner's inquest was held Walker |
md Treece were summoned witnesses.
freeze made a clean breast of his guilt but
eciared hehad been dragged into it by Walker !.
i iao6ev G after feared red to- to oppose or
rOken to him. He related the plan | /,
D assassinate Reese and how Hardberger was |
ut IN his place, though neither had ever seen |
lim before He declared that he had inten-
onaily missed Hardberger, and that only {
Walkers balls had taken effect During this
onfession Walker was slivid with rage and |
aid something about making it right" with | I
'reeee They were tried at the March term of | !,
'ade court Treece turned states evidence
nd his counsel used every effort to tighten the
unishment of his crime. Both prisoners were '
rosecuted by j. W. HafEis, the solicitor gen \
raj During the trial Walkers wife was by
i'm, the very picture of agonized affection
ihen the verdict was announced u
no threw her arms around him and | t
nrst into flood of passionate tears
he brute unioosened her arms and gruffiy
lid: go away Idon't want to hear any such A
usle. = Not a line or @ muscle in his face | u
hanged rs the death sentence was pronounced.
ION afteEward he was asked if he wanted to
'nfsss anything He said that he could tell c
great deal, but was not yet roaty to do so Il
9 said he could tell things that would make II
bad for Ireece If he chose to do so. When
8 wife visited him In his cell he treated her j
lth the same brutal courseness which he had r,
lown at the trial Treece smother had sold d
n httie farm and given all to her hayward
oy, or at least to tighten his penalty He
aIker has awaited the approach of death n
it'll stolid Indifference o.
ANOTHER SWING OFF.
BATON ROUGE, La, May 5.-Robert II
ntier, coiored, was hanged at Columbia CaId- v
oil parish, on the 4th inst, for numbering
Gorge Burns and Ambrose Hunter, while they
ept by their camp fire. Columbia is thirty Q
5e miles from a telegraph office. and the news \