, 1889-05-16
A LEGAL BUTCHERY
Three Bald KnObber Chiefs
Most Bunglingly Hanged.
The Ropes Break and They are
Slowly Strangled.
A storm, In Pennsy ivaniS Relieves tho
People From the Dangers
of suDstroke.

OZARK, Mo, May TO- Three Bald Knob.
bers, Dave Walker, cbief OF the baud, his
son, William Walker, and John Matthews
were hanged here at 10 o'clock Ior the
murder oI Chas. Green aud William Edens
ON March ii. 1887. just before leaving mis-
cell JouU M stIbews proclaimed his inno.
cence iu loud voice. The sherih helped
Matthews up The stepsand Walker followed
with tirm step, his father following close
behind hiuI hrm as ever AT the trap
religious services were held, The hoose
was adjusted AT 9:40. John Matthews said
that he mad nothing TO say further than
tba- he was there but TOOK no part in the
crime. Matthews called ON all who were
wIiingto
HELP HIS LITTLE ONES
to ho.d up tnoir nands, Nearly everyone
in sight heid up their hands. The black
cap WAS djusted AZ 0.ol and at 1858 tue
drop f.n. John Matthews fell praying.
The st etch VI the rope let all Of them lall
to the ground. The rope broke and Wili
iain Walker fell loose aud lay there strus.
gling nnd groanlng. He talked for about
three minutes when he was taken up by
the sheriii aud deputies outo The scatfuld
again. Dave Walker WAS sirawn up again
aud dieu IN about fifteen minutes, Mat.
tuews lived aOout thirteen minutes aud
died with both Ieet Oa the ground. lne
scene was horrible in the extreiue. Mat
1910. The trap was then again adjusted,
and William Walker, helpless, srVaLIng,
suug9 ing ana almost iusenslule, was lifted
up auu Tue rope again adjusted aud the
lfap sprung. 1nls time the descent came
to a sudden stop with his feet iuii thirty
inches from the ground, and ue died with
out II struggle.
HE PRAYED FOR HIS SOUL.
William Walker was baptized last night,
hN ..tn Yl "A nall .al nod
iutu the jan. lhe scene WAS an aneCtiDg
one. John Matthews made long prayer
which could be uistucLly heaid ouI III tue
street fronting the jail. The two Walkers
retired about IL o'clock, going To sleep at
once and uid not awaken until after
O'Clock. They arose early aud ate their
breakfast al the usual hoar. The Jail yard
was full of guards srmed with inches
ter-, shotguns aud revoivers. Divine ser
vice was opened III the jail III at z: 80 A. Nj 4,
Matthews and William Walker taking
part. AT S:53 the sheriff entered the jail
aud read tue death warrant To the doomed
u.en aud soon afterward they were dressed
for execution. For ths past Two weeks
powerful pleas have been made to the gov
ernor for "A Communication Of the Sentences
of the three men, but on Wednesday last,
after reviewing Inc case stlensth, the gov
ernor de, lined to Interfere aud the CON
demDed nien were notified that they must
die.
THEIR MURDERoUs CRIMES.
The arrest, tr al aud CONVICTION OF the
Baiu knoober leaders attracted wide spread
attention, and tor the tirrI time i'll the his
tory OF he Bald knoboer organization 1t
was made public that fancy county, Mis-
souri,, was the birth place ot thir order OF
masked regulators. TINS was the widest
section OF the state aud duiing the early
days ot lawiessness league was formed for
the prOteCtiou OF lie ana property. At h
point eight miles east OF Uzark and near
the Edens dwelling man named John
Evans was whipped by the Bald KnoDDers
tor mlsbehaving himself in church. Old
man Edens, Who WAS Trend OF Evans,
interiered AID received several blows with
the whip. Edens, afterwards, fearlessly
denounced the Bald kuUbbeTs, and on Tn.
night Of March IL, q band OF twenIy-six OF
them Proceeded To the Ehens residence to
punish the mmates They inst went to the
mouse OF William Edens. but finding no
one there proceeded to the house OF James
Edens Williams iather. There were IN
this house at that time the father, mother,
sou, daug hter. iu-law, daughter and son-in
law ana two gisndcbiidrtu. The BALD
kuobbers
FIRED REcKLEssLY INTO THE HOUSE,
killing young William Edens and Charles
Green, his bTother-iD-law, and left the old
nan Edens on the floor for dead. A pc.
cuiiar feature OF Bald knObberism, no "
dead, is that majority Of the most prom
inent members OF that band OF regulators
were devOut church members. Chief
Walker WAS an txhurter and temperance
sdyote and a generally devout man. The
Bald knobber's chief ciuug to the beIisf
that the regulators were champions OF
right aud asserted that the Edens and
Green murder was an unfortunate, but up-
avoidable mistake.