The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-11-22
TOBLER'S TUMBLE.
The Tobler Brothers Hanged for
Murder at Wichita.
The Cri ne Committed in the Terri
tory to Conceal Robbery.
.he White Chapel Fiend Makes An
other Attempt at Murder.
A Thief Robs a Show Window Under
a PoIiceman's Nose.


Tobler, colored, were executed this
morning in the county Jail in the
preseDee'Of but a few people by Fed
eral authorities, Deputy Marshall How
ard experimenting. The death ware
rant was read at 1920 in front Of the
1cell and they reached the seaffold
shortly after and while their legs were
being pinioned prayer was offered. by
Mrs. Gail and at a suggestion of the
prisoners the services were brief. In
answer to the question. il they had
anything to say they both answered
NO. emphatically. just before the
black caps were adjusted Joe showed
signes of a breakdown. The cap on.
both said good bye to the deputies.
The trap was sprung at s1O:25. Jake
never moved muscle while Joe dur
ing the second minute drew up his legs
twice.
The crime for which tie TobIers
suffer death is the murder of John
GoodeycountZ and james CasS, which
was committed on August 18th, 1885.
Both victims were shot in the Indian
Territory, near the Sac and Fox agen-
cling through the Territory to Texas,
where they expected to purchase a
large number of cattle. They had
been out from home two days when, on
the second night, they went into camp
near the banks of a small stream trib-
utary to the CimarrOn river. Not far
from their camping spot were the To
blers, who had preceded them short
time In reaching the creek and going
int RI
were driving a very fine team of horses
and a top buggy. During the evening
the Toblers paid visit to their camp,
| and when they went away made up
their minds to murder the white traV-
elers, rob them and steal their horses
and buggy.
The country in which the murder
was committed is sparsely settled and
there was no eyewitness of the crime
except the murderers themselves. As
| near as can be learned from the TOb-
lers they killed GOodeYcOuntZ and Cass
| about 3 O'Clock in the morning, and the
| testimony Of a half-breed at the trial
showed that several pistol shots were
tired from the locality of the crime
about that hour. After going back to
their own camp the Toblers decided to
wait until their victims were
asleep and then creep upon them,
4
sleeping men and lire, and this was
done. Jack TObler shot GOodeycountZ
and Joe killed CasS. The latter'S aim
was not as good as his brothers., and
after Cass had been shot he was fin
| Eshed with second bullet. Their
bodies were dragged to thicket of I'M
derbrHsh near by and after being
stripped of all clothing were left to be
eaten by wolves and wild hogs.
!
ger passed the scene of the murder and
noticed several dogs eating what ap-
peared to be from the distance the flesh
from the head of human being. The
dogs were driven off and the stranger,
whose name is Ben SimerO, was hOrri-
fed to find the nude bodies, which had
been mutilated by wild animals and
were then fast decompOSlng, lying in
the brush. The head from one of the
bodies had been completely eaten from
the trunk. while the legs and one arm
from the other were gone. Simero
went to the house of an Indian half
breed and told him of the discovery,
and the two men returned to the scene
and buried the bodies.
Federal officers were informed at
the Indian agency and from a ring
of the murdered men were estRb-
lished. RelR tives went to the
territory and with detectives and Uni
ted States marshals tracked the lob
lers to their home and arrested them,
wearing some of the clothing they had
taken from the dead bodies of the
murdered men. 1t was also found
where they had sold the team and the
carriage and the strongest circum-
stantIal evidence pointed to the
brothers as the murdereTs.
| The TOhIers are known to have killed
several men, but evidence enough to
convict them could never be obtained
until the crime which they expiated to-
day was committed. The hanging Of
the Toblers to-day is the first instance
of capital punishment being inflicted
in the state for about twenty-five
years, with the exception of Lee Mo
sier. who was hanged one year ago in
| Wichita.