, 1889-01-03
THE HOB KNOBBEl
Latest Depredations OF u
iIawless Gang.
FIVE ESCAPE FROM JA
A Peculiar society Of Robbers ana o,
Throats who A re said ca be bevow
Church Member

OZARK, Mo-. Dec. 29.-Jonn AID
, Wiley Matthe ws. two Bald knoooers; aaa
w. II. Halbenseu. Frank Johnson. WIN
lam Redford, Thomss Rooney, william
Sasson, FIVE train robbers, escaped iron
| Jail by assistance OF friends on the outside
Dave Walker, leader OF the balo hnoo'
bers. and his son William, also a young
man named Rucer under sentence to hang,
refused to leave and were found In Their
cells when the discovery was Elade.
The four bald knobbers who were sen
fenced to hang Tor the murder OF Charles
Green and William Edens on March II,
1887, were David Walker better known IN
Christian county AS Bull Creek Dave,
William Waller, his son, John Mathews
and Wiley Mathews, his nephew. None
of the condemned have reached their
5Oth year, and William Walker is not yet
10 years of age.
ExEBUTIoN POSTPONED.
The condemned were to have been exc
cuted on May Is, 1888, but on an appeal
to the supreme court the former decision
of the inferior court was modified ana
they escaped the gallows temporarily:
Last October the supreme court affirmed
the decision Of the Christian county CIR
cult court and fixed December 18th as the
day of execution.
THE TRIAL.
The sensational trial turned attention to
the Bald Knobber from all quarters, and q
history of the orga nization was made
public. Lanney county. Mo-. Is noted as
the birthplace of the Bald Kuobbers. In
early days their lawlessness caused the
formation OF leagae for the protection OF
life and property in this wild country.
NEW SOCIETY.
Tie regulators first came into promi-
nence when the notorious Frank and Iubal
Taylor were lvnched for the murder Of
Dickinson IN Forsythe. Mo-, and Christian
county. which adjoius Tenney. first adopt
ed the Bald knobbers in lSS5-'86.
THEIR FIRST LEADER.
Dave Walker was the first leader and
the membership soon reached between BOO
aud 400. The first work Of the Bold
knobbers to attract attention was Chad.
wich raid A saloon was started
there and decentralization ensued. After
due warning from the Bald knobbers,
which was disregarded, the regulators
entered Chadwick aud emptied liquors he
longing to their saloon into the streets.
Later ON tbis was repeated and the
TRAFFIc BRoLES UP.
There were numerous visits by band
OF petty offenders, but nothing. occurred to
attract vide spread attraction until the
Green Edens affair. which terminated Ia
the downfall of Bald Knobberism Green
Eden's killing occurred in March, 1887,
at point eight miles southeast OF Ozark,
near Eden's dwelling. John Evans was
whipped by Bald Knobbers for disbehav-
ing in church. Old man Eden. friend
of Evans, interfercd and received four
blows with q whip.
THE BALD KNoBBRRs coSDEMNED.
This 80 urged Edens that he fearessly
condemned the bald knobbers, and on the
night of March 10, 1897, a band
proceeded to Edins' residence to pun
ish the inmates. They met with resist
ance and fred several volleys into the
house, killing William Edens and Charles
Green. his brother.in.law, and seriously
wounding old man Edens. In the melee
young Walker wrs shot in the leg.
THE vIGILANTRs ORGANIZE.
Outrages brought about the culnination
of public Indignation and a vigilance COM
mittee and sheriff's posse hunted the
murderers Subsequent events are fresh
to the public mind.
THE IRREGULARITIES.
One of the most peculiar features of
badknobberism is that majority of the
prominent members of the band are
devout church members. Especially is
this true of Chief Walker. who
was an advocate ana generally de-
vout man. He cannot see yet that the Bald
Knobers were other than champions
OF right who made fatal but
unavoidable mistake in Green
Edeu's killing. He has stated
confidentially all along that he would
never be hanged and he said this evening
the reason he would not 20 with the res
cuers was because he expects commuta-
tion of sentence, and anyway prefers TO
hang rather than be hunted and bounded
by the officers