The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-07-22
George Brown. a Burglar.
Shot by an Officer of
the Law.
While Resisting Arrest He Is
Killed by a Charge
of Buckshot.
James Wilson, His Accom-.
plice, Is Arrested and
Lodged in Jail.
A Saline County Tragedy Enact
ed in Pettis County-The
Coroner's Inquest.

Scarcely was the ink dry upon the paper
that was TO acguaint the world of the exc
cution of the Hamiltons, the two red.
handed murderers, when the pistol of
the murderess rang out as she essayed to
take the life of her husband, and the bull
lets of an officer had entered the breast,
and stopped the heartbeat, of the midnight
robber. Friday closed the earthly career
of two brutal assassins, aud the quiet
peace of the Sabbath was disturbed by the
report of a pistol in this city, whose deadly
ball pierced the side of a mothers infant,
and shotgun emptied its leaden volley
into the breast of a robber.
For several days the people of Herndon,
little village In Saline county, sixteen
miles north of this city, have been
troubled with band of robbers and bur.
glars, who entered their houses, and stole
therefrom money, jewels, watches, and
clothing, until nothing was safe from their
avaricious grasp. Saturday morning the
result of their depredations showed more
plainly than ever, and the people who had
lost property determined TO capture them,
or kill one or more of them.
w. L. Keith, whose house was entered
while he slept Friday night. awoke Satur-
day morning and found that his pants wer.
gone, and with them
GOLD WATCH,
for which he had paid SOS in Denver two
years before. He had an aunt visiting him,
lady, as he says, "full of mischief and
always ready for Joke" and he supposed
she had purloined il for the purpose of fun.
A brother and cousin of his, who were
sleeping In the same room, were walked up,
and they also discovered that their un-
mentionsbles were missing. These were
found in the hall, however, but not so with
those of Mr.. Keith, and not until he had
paid a visit to his barn did he find them.
He and his father found and followed the
tracks Of two men for q quarter Of a mile,
and then he turned back, got horse and
followed them about FIVE miles in the di-
rection of Sedalia. The tracks indicated
that the men had walked side by side.
He lost the trail when five or six miles
from home, and did not find it again for
some time. When they were next discov-
cred, one man was walking
behind the other and trying To
step in his tracks. He was joined by Mr..
Davis, who helped him find and follow the
tracks, but finally left, telling Mr.. Keeth
he
WAS BUSY AT HOME
and could do him no good. When Mr..
Davis turned back, Mr.. Faulconer, deputy
sheriff Of Saline county Mr.. Niceley and
Mr.. Turner Joined Keith, and the four
men, who had suffered at the hands of the
robbers, Joined in the pursuit. At noon
Keeth and Turner stopped for dinner at one
place, while the other took dinner at
other farm house. After dinner they con-
tinued their search. and during the after
noon stopped at the house of VIM. McDan-
iels to get a drink of water. Here they
found trace Of the two men again, and
found that they were travelling in south
erly direction. Here Faulconer and Keeth
stopped for supper, agreeing that while one
ate the other shouldlwatch. Faulconer ate
first, and while Keith was eating the other
one discovered the two men walking in
the road.
QUICKLY MOUNTING THEIR HORSES
and overlook them in a lane, on one side
hedge and on the other a barbed wire
fence. The men stepped to one side and
asked the sheriff IL he intended to ride
4,
I'VE don't want to hurt anybody" The
officer then commanded them to throw up
their hands and surrender. In place of
that they began shooting. Keith says in
his evidence before the coroner's jury that
during this time the darkness had come on
and the forms of the two men were very
indistinct. When the lightning flashed he
thought he saw one of the robbers raise
his pistol and point it at him and fearing
to give him the advantage fired in return.
He then jumped from his mule and fired
another shot. The mule jerked him against
the hedge fence, and he could not tell
whether the burglar fired his pistol or not.
Here the two men
MADE THEIR ESCAPE
in the darkness, and the sheriff and Keeth
came to Sedalia, arriving here about
o'clock Sunday morning. They were Joined
here by the other two, Turner and
Niceley-and the four men went out after
the two men, leaving here about sunset.
Near the scene of the fight the evening be-
fore, Keeth, who was riding in front, saw
the two men lying in the fence corner In
the field. The others die. not see them. After
all had gotten by, Keith told them he had
seen the game, and for them to be prepared
to bag il. The robbers got up and ran
through the weeds and low brush to 9
clump of willows near the center of
the field, and their running was heard
by the posse of men, whe gave pur-
suit. At the clump of willows
three of the pursuers went 10 the south,
and Mr.. Turner to the north. BE saw the
two men
LYING NEAR A HEAP.oF RAILS
drifted there by high water, one of them
on his knees with his pistol cooked and
across his left arm. Turner gave the
alarm to his companions, who came up
and surrounded the men. Several pistol
shots were fired, and one shotgun emptied
its load oil leaden hail into the bosom of
one of the BURGERS, Geo. Brown, who died