The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-03-24
DIV" NI 111S
He Says HOPKINS Story is
False,
And Charges Frank With
Doing the Shooting.
He Gives Full Details of the
Plot
To Scare Wells out Of the
Country
The People of Clinton Very
Indignant.
Thew Denounce the Action of
They Denounce the Action of
the Governor.

B-ownfield, the writer VISITED him
i'm the i.il Wednesday morning, March
18Th, and upon beirg informed of his
des re, to, K down a ststsm eDt which browa-
field says is 9 true narration OF the facts
conn. c,ed With the murder OF John T.
Wells ON the 10Th day of February, 1854.
at his house near Windsor. BrowDheld
made the following
CONFESSION.
Il wish To tell the facts regarding the
murder. II / had been hung ! should
never have said anything about IT, bat as
Mrs. Hopkirk has done all she could against
me ever since we were arrested, and e'ery-
thing she could 10 shield Frank, / am going
10 tell it as il was. Frank and Mrs. Hop
kirk tell me 9 lot of lies about what john
F. w, lis should have said about m" tn get
me into difficulty with him. Mrs. Hop
kinks motive in bringing about difficulty
was to GIT me to whip Wells And then she
could get me 10 run Wells out OF the
country. | assaulted Wells in the road,
thinking las in tie right, when there
was not anything Of il. What she had told
ME WIS ali lie. Wells hid m. arrested
and fired end that made lie mad, for |
still thought was In the right.
"Mrs. Hopkirk said that Wells said
was getting 10 be
PRETTY HARD CASE
b. ,use used TO associate with Bob Brame
aud Lac Palmer. j knew they were OF
coed family and I would not stand il, and
for that reason / assaulted Wells Nothing
more was done after | assaulted Wells,
May ls, I'LL June or July, theR Frank nj be-
gan TO ~ prosch me On the sdN1Ict OF get
ling Wells cut of the country He said il
would he a good thing il old man Wells
was got out of the c. u:try or buried. L
told him | had zlwsys settled my difficult
ties With him., and if he had any difficulties
10 settle them
"a week after he came to me and said
he knew place where by playing robber
we ,ould get some money,
in answer as to how We could do that
he said
HIS MOTHER WOULD GIVE Us MONEY
To run { Ii man Wells out of the country
He said all We would have TO do would De
10 90 20 bis house and scare him ny shoot
/ arouud, and that no one would ever
suspect us of rohbing any one. He thought
We might ne recognized If We did not play
off rObber.
Frank sal he knew Wells did no. have
any money, and | knew il Dyse /. for bad
s'aId there, md Wells would tot suspect
us Of being roEoeTs, IS We knew be had 40
monev.
"Mrs. Hopkirk said Wells had bseu ad-
ministrator OF an estate for some children
in Penusylvaris, and he had stolen money
and We were TO give him a scare, and then
/. n A Il. H.,
Litter stating that if he did not pay back
he money lie had stolen they would
COME THERE AND KILL HIM.
"I told her Wells had not treated Inc
right, srd if | could make srytbiGg by
scar ng him | would do it. She furnished
money for me and Frank to 1t on like We
d left the country and 10 60 ont and stay
IN Kansas This YVES blind 10 make b.
l'eye W. had left the country. Then we
were io couie bsck aud scare Wells This
conversation wxs about on month before
~ irfi for Kansas.
"She put Sl20 In the clock and told
Frank TO tske it, and al er lie bad gone she
would let on like IL had been stolen, and
she was going To MAKE people believe
Frank had run of and S:e never expected
TO see him again.
"rhis was the plan, aud Frank took tie
N oney and used il on
OUR TRIP To KANSAS
We left about fourteen days before the
killing. February 90.
I'VE staid 10 Fort SC oft the first night
after We Lift Next day W. went To indie
pendence and s,sii sil night. From there
we went to Buriin, Kas., stopped with my
uncle, Thomas Beasley, who lived enc
mile from the town, and remained there
un,iI we started back. Did not do any
thing while there. We started homewsrd
Thursday morDing on The o'clock train.
Thursday night We staid here in Clinton at
the Jordan house. ,Frsnk regis cred as
Calvin and | registered IS Allison. Our
reason for registering under the names We
did was because Frank was well acquaint-
ed In Clinton ard some one might recos-
nize his name on the register. Frank
knew q coed many drummtrs. His mother
had circulated a report that
FRANK HAD RUN OFF,
and il anyone saw his name they would
telegraph TO his mother.
ave walked around the square Friday
and got Adam Collins TO do up our gum
COdtS, oe NC teobiHcu al TIC tIlnis we
eft here between 10 and IL o'clock in the
morning and walked to Lewis. We missed
the morning train.
SCOT to Lewis at 1l:40. Got sardiues,
crackers and cider at Bowen's store. We
then waited till the o'clock freight came
along. We wanted 10 ride up 10 White
Oak, beyond Calhoun, and get of. We got
on the train and rode to the coal chute,
when brakeman told rs We must get of
as they could not carry passengers on the
freight. We had money to pay fare had
tour dollars left. We had spent ali but
this for
PISTOLS, GUM COATS AND BUGGY RIDES
at Burton. / bought the black pistol at Fl.
Scott. Frank bought the light pistol at
lola. They cost $14 piece. We bought
pistols az we went out, and when we got to
lola, coming back, we bought the gum
coats.