The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-04-10
All the evidence Was in
When Court Adjourned
Last Evening.
The Several Attorneys Will
Begin Their Arguments
Tomorrow.
A History Of the Case, Together
With the Testimony Of
Witnesses.

In the criminal court, yeSSerday, the
case o; the State W.. +. b. Combs, charged
with murder in the first degree, occupied
the whole day, and when the hour for adj
jourument was reached all the evidence had
been introduced. This is the only murder
case on the docket, aud the court room was
crowded both Friday and Saturday to hear
the evidence. The prosecution is conduct
ed by Mr.. Il. w. Barnett and Col. WV
). Snoddy, while Capt. l.. l. Bridges, Judge
w. 3 Shirk, E. j. Smith and G. L. jack
son are defending.
As the case is one of more than ordinary
interest, the BAzOO gives below an account
of the difficulty which ended in the death
of Walter Mi.ler, together with q portion
OF the evidence introduced at the inquest,
which is substantially the same as given at
The present hearing Of the case.
THE CRIME.
At about O'Clock ON the evening of
September %, 1881, Green Mcfarland, F.
NJ. StOe and f. Il. Combs, the latter
beardiess boy OF twenty years, stopped at
the livery stable of A. l.. Goodwin, on East
Main street, and Mcfarland became in
v"Ived 10 q difficulty with John Wright,
one Oi MIR. GOOdwin's employees Mr. Good.
win had bpen out TO the fair grounds
during the afternoon, but returned while
the quarrel was going ON
Mcfarland had put three mules in the
stable to be fed aud kept during the day
He claimed that one OF the animals had not
been fed and refused To pay therefor. The
sum demanded by Goodwin was twenty-five
cents. The latter informed Mcfarland
that whether the mule had been ted or not,
il was worth that sum to keep him all day.
Mcfarland reiterated his assesiion that the
mule was not fed at all. Goodwin, on
being informed by Wright, who was his
foreman, that the feeding had been done,
called Mcfarland a liar Mcfarland
then struck Goodwin. Goodwin defend
ed himself ami struck back. About this
Walter Miller, hack driver in MIR. Good
wins service, drove up, and seeing the
struggle in which his employer was en-
gagged, he sprang from his seat in his hack,
and,
DRAWING A REVOLVER,
struck McF arland several times across
the arm. At this sage young Combs, who
| is now on trial Tor his life, ran out into the
middle Of the street and commenced an in
discriminate firing. He fired three times.
| The first shot took effect in the breast OF
Miller, passing into his heart The second
shO. struck 4 horse, which was being un-
hitched by colored man named Jack
Turner. who had been driving him, and
passed into the animals upper leg, going
around and lodging under the skin. Here
upon. Dave Ba. tley, coiored, who was en-
pIOyed in The stable, seized the pistol of the
fallen Miller and snapped it at Combs, who,
in turn, ired at the negro, the ball going
through his hat. Combs then made his es-
cape. When GoOdwin and his employees
went to the fallen hack driver, they found
him with his right arm
CLAsPED TIGHTLY OVER HIS BREAST,
and in a PROSTATE positiOH. When an
attempt was made to remove the arm,
Miller said. "Oh, DON'T" and these were
the only words spoken by him after he
was shot. He died almost instantly, only
few .noments eiapsing from the time of
the shot till the death of the man.
! DIR. King was sent for, and in the course
of half an hour arrived. He probed the
dead mans wound and found that the bull
let had passed Immediately into the
heart.
Combs comrades, Mcfarland and Stoe,
made no attempt to escape, and we're short
ly afterwards locked up by Officers Kelly
and Carnes
The news of the shooting spread rapidly
over the streets, and in short time large
crowd had assembled at the stable, where
the remains were lying, awaiting orders
from the coroner.
linn, diatelv after the shooting, Combs
left the city, going in nOrtherly direction,
with several posses in hot pursuit.
HIS CAPTURE
was effected bv John AlcOrn and Albert
Hyatt, two farmers who reside about eight
miles northeast OF the city, in the same
neighborhoOd with Commodore McFar.
loud, an uncle OF the murderer, and with
whom he was visiting before he committed
the crime. Both Alcorn and Hyatt we're
in the city at the time of the shooting, and,
knowing the murderer, and thinking that
he would turn up in their neighborhO0d,
they kept lookout for him on Saturday
night, and were rewarded by finding him
early Sunday morning near the Pin Hook
mills. on Muddycreek.
Combs made an attempt to resist, but
finally accompanied his captors to this city
where he was turned over to Sheriff Comes
and placed in Jail.
THE INQUEST.
About fifteen eye witnesses to the shoot.
ing were summoned before the coroner.
, jury, but only six men we're examined
: The testimony of John Wright was prob
ably the most important, and was a
follows:
He heard Mcfarland ask Goodwin what
! their bill was. Goodwin told them that i
was % cents for each mule. Mcfarland
complained that his mule had not been
. fed, and said that he would bet ten dollar
!. that it had not. Combs offered to II
halves with him on the bet. Mcfarland
Combs and Goodwin all pulled out thei
S money, and Goodwin handed me twenty
y dollar bill. Mcfarland said "No, sir, h
t is not the man to hold the stakes" an(
= handed his money to Stoe. Goodwin re-
fused TO hand his mon:y to StOe, and tool