Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-16
i. S. DISTRICT COURT.
TOM THURBER AND THE TWO TAB
LER BOYS SENTENCED
To Be Hanged Wednesday, Noyem-
Der II, Next, Between the
Hours of 8 and 12--the
Closing OF the
Term.

i
to agree upon a verdict, they were dis
charged and the prisoner remanded to Jail.
When they came out into the court room
they were said to have stood nine for con-
viction and three for acQuittal.
An Indian named John Dirt was tried
for stealing heifer, convicted and SEN
fenced to SIX months in the county Jail.
The trial was exceedingly short and to the
point, occupying not over ten minutes and
resulting apparently to the satisfaction OF
all parties, more especially the defendant
himself.
The noted Thurber case was next called
and took up most of the remainder OF the
time until adjournment. The three de-
PENDANTS, Mrs. Rachael Thurber. her son
Tom and his companion Sam Baldan, were
all IN court and exceedingly interested III
the result. There was quite an array OF
witnesses examined by both sides and the
story of the crime much the same as that
already published. One of the most i'm
portant bits of evidence was the following
confession secured by Mr.. Hagen from
Baldan and reported here in the prisoners
own language:
Samuel Baldan being duly sworn on his
with participation in the murder of Peter
B, Mann. | desire to make full state
ment Of the facts concerning said killing.
About two weeks before the killing
was at the home of Rachael Thurber, and
while there the said Rachael Thurber pro-
posed to have Thomas Thurber and my
self to kill Peter B. Mann. She then and
there lured us to kill him the first oppor-
tunity. She promised TO pay us for killing
him one horse and one hundred dollars ID
cash We agreed to do it for this. She
agreed to give us the gray horse and the
one hundred dollars just as soon as we
killed him. The reason she wanted him
killed she said was that Peter Mann was
going to whip her for trying to poison him,
(Mann)
Upon the 9th day Of May, 1885, Thomas
Thurber was at the residence of my father.
We were at work pulling the weeds out OF
the corn About or 10 O'Clock we saw
Peter Mann pass the house. L called
Thomas Thurber's attention to him pass
ing and he said to me, 1--WE would go down
and fix him right now" We saddled our
horses and followed him. l went
into my fathers house first
and got my pistol and put
it into my pocket. We went to the home
of Jennie Beaver and borrowed pistol
for Thomas Thurber. We told Jennie
Beaver we were going to kill beef. We
went from her home to David Hardin's,
which is about four miles. There we
found Peter Mann talking to Hardin. He
came out and got into the wagon when we
rode up. On the way we discussed the
way we were to kill him. He agreed to go
on one side of the wagon and L on the
other. He was to shoot first. When we
got to the wagon in which Mann was
standing he went to the east side and l
went to the west side. We told him we
had come after that team. He said, Here
it is: would like to see you take it,"
Then Tom said, Il am going to have 1T.
He then said if we took the team we would
lave to take him dead. We then had some
| talk about the horses. ! asked him if be
had his shooting arms with him, and he
| said, II never carried a pistol in my life. .
! He finally said to Tom Thurber, There is
! going to be trial before the agent about
! the team, and if he says it is your team
you can have it." Nothing more was said
! and he started to drive off and Thomas
/
this statement freely and voluntarily
without threats or duress and without any
promise or hope of reward or leniency or
the part of the officers. l do it simply It
let the whole truth be known.
(Signed) SAMUEL BALDAN.
Subscribed and sworn TO before me thi:
| 9Th day of September, 1855.
j. C. WILSON,
Clerk L. S, Dist Court.
The defense was ably represented b,
Messrs MARYLAND and Snyder, and thu
government by Messrs Perry and Hagen
! Mr.. Hagen had put considerable hare
work upon the case, secured the confession
above and made mastery argument TO
the conviction of the prisoner.
The jury remained out but short time
and upon returning announced their yer
dict to be for Tom Thurber, guilty a
charged in the indictment; for Mrs. Thur
Der, not guilty.
Before the return of the jury, however
the two Tabier boys were brought dow
from the jail to receive their sentence
These two prisoners, it will be remem
bered. were arrested over year ago fo
the murder of Cass GoodykuntZ,
stockman, down in the Terri
try buying stock. They were toldto stan'
up and, being asked if they had anythin:
to say why sentence should not be passes
upon them. replied that they had not
His honor then sentenced both to be huns
by the neck in Sedgwick county, Wednes
day. Nov. 2lst next.
Barney Cooper was next called. He SAT-
he was not guilty of the crime of which b
was accused, manslaughter, and asked hi
honor u be lenient with him. He wa
given five years in the Kansas peniten
tiary.
In a few minuter afterwards the jury i
the Thurber case returning and making
known their verdict. Tom Thurber wa
asked to stand up and receive sentence
He was sitting beside his mother, an
coolly arose saving that he had nothing I
say why sentence should not be passe
,lpon him. Judge Foster then sentence
him to be hung at the same time as tn
Tabler bows He received the sentenc
stolidly and neither he nor his mothe
showed the least sign of emotion.
Mrs Thurber was discharged, but it wa
stated that she will be rearrested upon tn
charge Of numbering her first husband lie
years ago.
Young Thurber's attorneys viii imme
diately commence the circulation of a pc
tition asking the president to commut
the sentence to imprisonment for life.
is believed, too, that the paper will receiy
quite a number of subscribers, as the d
PENDANT has heretofore borne a good repr
!, tation and been guilty of but little mi
conduct.
The court then adjourned until ne1