Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-04-05
Escape and Death of Doc" Ander-
son, and Capture of Harm.

county jail on the 23u gay OF eDfuirY, 1886
by Sheriff Henry Turner, of Butler county
having been shot in the breast with nine
buck>hot some days before by the boy Ev.
erts ut Moark, Ark. When Anderson fouut
he was going to be arrested and taken te
| Jail, aud knowing he would have to be car.
ried on his bed, he had saw, a half-inch bit
| Il file, and two Smith & Wesson IS calibeI
| self-action reyolvers sewed up in his bed I'M
| der him. Which was done in this way: He
was lying on lounge, and by taking a com.
| mon double feather-bed and sewing the
| tools and pistols in the center, and then turn
| ing the other half of the bed over and stitch
ing down the ends and side, he made a
single bed or lounge, with tools and arms
| inside. When brought to Jail that morning
it was thought that Anderson could not live
but few days, and he was carried in and
laid on bunk in one of the cells without
searching his bedding-no one thinking that
a man in his condition would have had the
forethought to take such precautions as not
ed above. On Saturday, March 9th, Ander-
son began work with his tools, and effected
an escape Mt supper-time that evening by
cutting through the ceiling of the hall and
the roof of the Jail. As soon as the jailor
thought supper was over, he went in to lock
the prisoners in their cells, and found j. w.
Andel son, Ed. Harm and A. T.. Piper gone.
The last named had not more than reached
the ground when the jailor went in the Jail,
which prevented the other nine prisoners
from following those who had crawled out.
After leaving the Jail, Anderson and Harm
nrOrpoipA n AnAraW (,nmnhnIl3S and Sfn1a
two horses, and started south down Little
creek to Big creek and across to Mill creek,
in Reynolds county; thence down Black riv-
er to Logan's creek; thence to Current river,
about ten miles from Van Buren,, where An
dersOn's horse gave out. Here Harm quit
Anderson, and riding ON to within Il mile
of Van Buren,, left his horse and went into
town and talked to Mr.. Frazer, the hotel
man, for Il few minutes, and then went down
the river, ON foot. This WAS on Monday
morning. Tuesday morning, three Of the
parties in pursuit came into Van Buren,,
having passed Anderson in the woods, by
some means, without seeing him. They
gave the people of Van Buren, u description
of the men, and turned back and went up to
where Anderson had left his horse. Here
they were met by four other men who were
in pursuit of the escaped prisoners; and it
was decided that the four men with the best
horses should follow on and the other three,
with the captured stock, should come home.
a short time after the three men left Van
Buren, to go back to where the stolen horses
were found, the citizens of that place saw
man crossing Il small field adjoining the
town and poiup tox I'd tho riVar. and
ing by the description that it was Anderson,
they turned out in force to capture him.
One man turned out with double barrelled
shotgun, both barrels of which were empty;
Prosecuting Attorney Smith, with same kind
OF gun, one barrel of which was loaded with
bird-shOt and the other empty; another man,
with Il rifle which he cOsAd not get toitire, &c.
They called on Anderson to surrender; but,
instead of so doing, he commenced firing on
them with his revolver, wounding PrOsecut-
ing Attorney Smith in the arm; and was re-
treating to the timber on the hill beyond the
field. BY this time another citizen of Van
Buren,, who had started down the river Oh
hunt, hearing the noise, and s,lspecting the
cause, came to the rescue with his Winches-
ter rifle, which soon made short work of him.
Upon going up to Anderson, after he was
killed, he was found with loaded revolver
cooked in his hand. Having emptied one at
long range, he kept the other for close quar-
tiers. After the killing, he was carried to
Van Buren,, an inquest held, and Il telegram
sent to the Sheriff of this county, who went
to Van Buren,, and paid the reward of fifty
dollars offered for Anderson, and brought
the body TO Mill Spring and turned it over to
the wife and brother of Anderson for burial.
The four men-.JOhn BufOrd, James Ora
ham, "Doc' Bone and Nels. Campbcll-who
were to continue the pursuit, followed Ed.
Harm to Little Black river, within ten miles
of Doniphan, Ripley county, where they
captured him; and he was returned to the
Jail ut this place by them on Wednesday
morning, when they received the $50 reward
offered for his capture.
The other man, A. Il. Piper, has not been
heard of up to this time, as our Sheriff did not
think enough of him to offer any reward for
capture.
The officials and people of Carter county
are entitled to great credit for the part they
PLAYED in the matter, nor are our officers un-
willing to give them full need of praise-the
doubt expressed by the Van Buren, Times to
the contrary notwithstanding.