Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-11-14
A Verdict Of GuiIty---The Finding OF
the Juryin the Pearson Muir
der Case.
His Brother Bob sent UP FOR Thirty Years
Tor tile SAME Crime--rwo Check
cred Careers.


ing Of guilty, sentencing the prisoner 10
the pcnItenlilry for life. When the yer.
I dict was read, Pearson completely broke
down and shed tears. The case VIII bS
appealed The verdict Is generally not
( considered commensurate with the crime
, the history OF which is about as follows
HISTORY oF Parsons CRIME.
The night of the 9Th of March was
dark, damp, misty, gloomy. Few were
out OF their homes, pcrambulated tho
{ streets or i0urneyed the highways unlcs.
absolutely forced by nccesSitating circum
( stances The evening tar CLEANED In tho
/ huzy west, BALI obscurcd, but Still serene
and brilliant That beautiful far away
/ orb, rolling in the far nwhy ether, beyond
/ the tri, ioilis--the wickcdncSs, the sins
OF this earth, and OF inhnitcsimal man
threw It's diamond rays across the shadows
OF the timber That skirts the steep borders
of the Colorado in the vicinity OF Austin
( That and the other gems Of the skies
shonc down on quiet rural scene that
was soon TO be soiled by the
hand OF the murderer Redeemed with the
life blood of his victim, and when still
ness was to be suddenly broken by the
crack Of the assassin's pistol.
The hands ON the dingy disk of the
great clock on the tower OF city hail,
Austin, had hardly pointed to the hour of
9 when the dim outlines Of figure on
horseback came slowly into view on IL
somewhat lonely part OF the road from
Austin TO Lockhart, south of the Colora-
do, aud about lyc miles from the capital
Of the state of Texas. The nearest hui
man habltatiOn was Il little cottage built
in rural style, about 200 yards distant
and occupied by an humble citizen named
Gagncr or Gagnan. The solitary horse
man gradually emerged from the gloom
OF night that lay upon the prairies and
the timber to The nOrthNard, toward the
river. His form became more distinct as
the Clatter Of his horses heels drew near
or. He rode erect, looking neither to the
right nor 90 the left, and apparently ut
tcriy unconscious of the presence OF dam
ger, with no premonltiou OF the terrible
fate that he was in few moments to
meet. 1t was DR., j. C.. Stovall, highly
respected citizen and physician, who had
a very excellent reputation among HIS
professional brethren, aud whose home
chccrcd by the presence Of fine family
was at place called st. Elmo, in the i'm
mediate neighborhood. The physician
had just emerged from house near By,
where he had been
TO VISIT A SICK CHILD.
Turning an elbow in the road, two
other horsemCn appeared in the road
coming from the SOUTH and the
sound Of their horses hoofs ominously
echoed against the hilsides. They soon
approached Or. Stoyall, until the horses
heads almost touched, They separated
as II to let him pass between. lie cs-
sayod to let them do so. Al that moment
one of the horsemcn, quick Us thought,
DREW \ REVOLVER.
\ fash, almost like vivid lightning, sud
denly and for moment lit up the sur
rounding darkness. The next instant Dr
Stoyall fell hcadloug from his horse,
pierced by Il bali that was only too well
aimed and went morrlngly to its mark.
AZ the moment it was struck, the Inflated
doctor, by the dash of his murdgruus pls-
tol. saw and recognized the faces of the
two horSCmcu to be those Of two of his
near nCighbors, Tom and Bob Pearson.
brothers, whose hatred he had incurred
by testimony he had given In u trial con.
corning the murder OF n negro. After he
fell to the roadside several more shots
were fired into what the murdcrers sun
posed the dead body Of their victim, WHO
would never ind speech to testify against
the assassms. But they were mistaken
The ilcnds had no sooner ridden away.
after perpctratng their dcvlish work,
than Stoyall, with the blood gushing
from mortal wound in his body,
CRAwLED oCr OF THE ROAD,
through hole in the fence, and succeed
ed In dragging himself over ditch.
Such were the circumstances OF the
killing of lr. Stoyall, as related by him
self in his dying declaration, while ac-
cordmg to DR.. Swearingcn, who attended
the wounded man, the lattcr's faculties
were clear, though conscious of the ap.
proach of death. The diving physician
was absolutely emphatic that Tom and
Bob Pearson were his murderers-eyl-
denec that has already sent the latter of
two brothers TO the state prison forthirty
years, 1t was, everything considered, one
OF the most cowardly, unproyoked ana
damnable crimes ever perpetmtcd in the
Southwest, an assassination so Infamous
that the imps In the regions OF torment
must have turned away lorror-struck and
1IIE ARREST.
StnNau, nearly exhausted by loss OF
blood, was found 10y the man Gayner. who
was attracted TO the spot by the tell.tale
pistol shots that woke the stiffness OF the
night The wounded physician was taken
to his rescuer's humble cottage.
Intelligence conveyed to his friends and
q messenger dispatched for Dr. Swearin.
gen of Austin, who Immediately came and
pronounced his professional brother NOR
tally wounded. Dr. Stoyall, on the night
OF the 18th OF March, surrounded hy his
weeping family and friends, hreathcd his
last, The facts above stated were deyei-
oped at the inquest and the prompt arrest
of the two Pcarsons followed. Rob Pear
son was subsequently tried IN the district
court OF Travis county and sentenced as
already stated,
rtIE ESCAPE.
Atter the conviction of his brother Rob,
Tom Pearson, who had been remanded
without bail, become FESTIVE and he de-
tcrmned TO embrace the first opportunity
OF escape that offered. Ii came,
0n the afternoon of August
last, the iallor, being too careless,
al a l,,t.s a Z