Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-16
PALMER'S STORY.
His Early Days Passed on
the Frontier.
MARAUDING "REMINISCENCES.
The Confession Abruptly Ended
by the Death Of the
Narrator.
PALMER'S STORY.
MARAUDING "REMINISCENCES.

| Regarding the confession made BY
Merrill Ezra Palmer at the County
Hospital, previous to his death there
on Thursday last, the following addi.
tional particulars have been brought
to light:
| DIR. Dozier, the newly-appointed
County Physician, found or examina-
ton of Palmer that his course of life
had nearly run out and notified the
sufferer to that effect. A day or two
afterwards Palmer sent for the physi-
clan and said: "Doctor, have lived
a very wild life and would like to
make confession of my misdeeds be-
fore 1 die, for in addition to easing
my own conscience my statements are
necessary for the benefit OF other par
ties implicated. If you will furnish
me with some one to take down what
| l say, 1 will give my full history and
wish to swear to the same before a
notary public"
| DIR. Dozier readily assented to the
request and directed a scribe to attend
the dying mans cedside and carefully
note down all that he dictated.
Palmer was so weak that he could
dictate but little at time and after
three days. ere he had reached the
most interesting part OF his history,
died. DR.. Dozier said yesterday that
the man wassperfectly sane and quite
in earnest regarding all the statements
that he made, and the fact of his
sanity being established one would
scarcely be inclined to disbelieve his
story, as his deathbed would be
scarcely the place on which a man
would concoct tissue of falsehoods.
The following is
| THE CONFESSION IN FULL
Copied from the origial manuscript in
DR.. Dozier's possession.
| Statement of Merrill Ezra Palmer:
1 was born near Rock Ieland, ILL.,. on
the 10th day Of May, 1850. When 1
was about two years of age my father
moved to Macoverty, Iowa. He was
a sawyer and ran a mill for Dan
Roger; he also repaired dam for
him. In 1858 he moved to Kansas.
At that time 1 was eight years old
Shortly after coming there, there was
bush hwhacking between Missouri and
Kansas. had pretty good saddle
horse and used to join in with the
boys and we would raid around the
country and rob and steal horses and
cattle. My father was q strong
Unionist, but protected all honest
Rebels. 1 made no difference with
either if they did not do as / wanted
them to do. | did not do much of
this until was about 13 years old.
A lot of US boys from IL to 20 years
old had a league between us and we
worked together. There were few
old heads that worked vith us and
led the gang. They got the money
and the boys got nothing, and
We got even by killing them
all. did not have to
work unless l wanted to, ard was one
of the leaders in carrying the news
around. OF course that always gave
me time to be round to all the public
meetings, and 1 always knew what
was going on. l was down in Mis-
souri, good many times and being a
boy the people did not suspect me,
SO we could go down there on raid
and drive off stock and if they would
fight we would fight back. Nearly
everybody knew of these raids and
of the trouble we made. l was one
Of the boys at that time. l was there
during the Troublesome times of the
war and helped to raise trouble on
both sides. In 1871 I left home and
went to Texas, it being q harum-
scarum country on the front er. l
worked there among the other boys
by the month for a few months, and
after that 1 worked for Jim Curtiss
two or three months. This was in
Wichita. Then the boys commenced
$ ealing Indian horses from Wichita
river. L saw there was good deal of
money in that kind of business, so l
commenced and worked with them.
/ would so up with four or five of
hem to steal horses and when we
returned | would buy them out,
and then | would drive them further
down into Texas where would get
good price for them, say $50 per head
after only paying $25 and so. In this
way I managed to aise $1,000. 1 then
went to Fort Griffin. After being there
about six weeks got in with some
parties, who seemed to be doing a
pretty fair business, they having more
than 5000 head of cattle. When
came to look into the matter in the
fall found they we're away behind,
so proposed to move the cattle around
the range on the north side and lay
there few months, and then move
them across Red river as the Sheriff
had no power to touch them on that
side of the river. But my partners
were too hasty. They went to work
and stole two lunches of mine, about
500 or 1000 head. Some of the boys
we had working for us, gave us away.
The citizens got up mob instead of
officers and ran on to us one day in
November and killed four of our party
on a little creek called Wild Horse.
We being innocent, and supposing
they were officers, they rode up and
shot down four of us. Then they came
back to camp. 1 was out with the
herd and saw them coming.
knew what was the matter
as soon as l saw them and turned to
go to camp, but my horse was not fast
enough and they caught me and tied
me to my horse. They wanted me to
show them the way to the camp, but
refused. Some of them kuew the
way anyhow SO l did not need to tell
them. They rode in and arrested the
whole camp. My partner having gone
to Fort Griffin, played innocent anC
said that 1 was working only fol
wages. They kept four under arres
and let me go free. 1 asked them TO
the privilege of rounding up the cattl,
in order that us boys who were work
ing for wages might get our pay.
. saddled the best horse in the camp
they did not happen to know him an,