Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-11

until near midnight, when they broke up,
sixteen Of the party goinC TO their homes,
but fourteen OF the Older members marched
in the direction Of Sparta. Near the road
lived William Edens, strong, active man,
who had been warned by the gang to stop
talking about the Bald Knobbers,n - and who
had boldly deied the midnight raiders
William Edens' house was broken into and
found empty. and the gang rushed on at a
rapid run few rods TO the home of old man
Edens, where were assembled for mutual
protection William Edens and family and
his sister with her husband, Charles Green
The house was instantly surrounded and
the doors were broken down with axes
before the dazed inmates were fairly awake.
Old man James Edens appeared at the door
with pistol but he only succeeded in firing
one shot in defense of his home before he
was struck inscnsible with an axe. At the
same time the Rnobbers rushed into the
house and pulled Charles Green and William
Edens from their beds and shot them to
death in the house while their wives were
frantically trying to protect them. One of
the women was slightly wounded and one
had her night dress burned with the powder.
Old man Edens was supposed to be dead
but afterward recovered. HIS one pistol
shot however had fortunately taken effect in
the leg of Bill Walker, a son of Dave Walker,
the captain of the band. After the murder
the masks, guns and dark lanterns of the
band were concealed and Bill Walker was
taken TO Douglas county in hiding. An
aroused and outraged public speedily
hunted down every member of the gang and
after the arrests there was no difficulty in
procuring evidence since every Knobber, ex-
cepting Dave Walker and his son Bill,
was eager TO save his own neck by turning
states evidence against the others.
For the Green Edens massacre William
Stanley and Amos Jones are serving a sen
tence OF twenty-one years on apleaof guilty.
Z. y. Simmons is serving sentence of
twelve years on the same plea. Wiley
Matthews escaped from tue Ozark Jail on
the night of the 2Sth of December 1888.
Jimmy Matthews, young son of John, was
granted general continuance by the court,
and enjoined to go home and support his
poor mother. Charles Graves, Joseph In
man and William Newton had their cases
nollied by the prosecution to serve as wit
nesseS.
HISTORY OF THEIR LIVES.
"Bull Creek Dave" Walker, the Bald
knobber chief, according to his own story,
was born in Christian county, Kentucky, in
June, 1913. His parents moved to Christian
county, Missouri, when he was four years
old and settled near Sparta. The section
they settled on was at that time part of
Greene county. They had a hard life up to
the war. Dave enlisted in Company M,
Sixth Missouri volunteers in 1862, but after
a months service was discharged, as he was
under age. He went back home, but had a
stronger inclination for war than ever, and
enlisted in Company II, Sixteenth Missouri
His age was not found out, and he went
through the war. After the war he re-
TUNED to Bull creek and entered forty acres
of government land. This was his home
stead. He joined the Bald Knobbers three
years ago, when the first company was
formed in Christian county (then Bull
county,, and was made chief He claimed
that besides the pouring out of the liquor at
the Chadwick saloon, and the whipping of
John Evans for "cutting up in church" )" his
company had not done any regulating. 1t
was the whipping of Evans which excited
the hostility of Edens.
William Walker is the Oldest son of the
Bald Knobber. He was born on March 5,
1870. He lived on the farm with his father
all his life, and joined the Bald Knob
bors. He was wounded IN the right
groin in the Grecu-Edens killing, and that
night was taken to his uncle's house in
Douglas county. He was captured later by
the sheriff with the assistance of D. D. New
ton, brother of Walkers sweetheart.
John Matthews was born at Bull Creek in
Christia county, Mo-, five miles from Chad
wick, April 80 1S4S He was in tho union
army during the war. He enlisted in the
Forty-siXth Missouri. He took part IN sew
eral engagements incident to General Pryor's
raid. He had nine children He was a
member Of the Baptist church, and had been
Bald knobber but two months when the
shooting occurred. His son Jimmie, four
teen years old, was at Edens house the night
of the killing and was indicted with his
father, but was released by the court ON
account OF his youth, after furnishing bond
for II 900.