Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-05-23
Another Homicide at MIddlebrOOk.

Again are we called upon to record muir
der in Iron county. Last Sunday evening,
| about six O'Clock, youth named Albert
Hornbeck was killed at Middlebrook by
james Robbs, of Iron Mountain. The in
citing cause was strong drink, sold, as il fire.
quently is at Middlebrook, in defiance of law
and custom. Both persons, together with
scores Of others, were drunk, and Il dispute
| over horSe-race or the subject of horse
racing gave rise to the quarrel which ended
so fatally. RObbs Knocked the boy down
with his fist, and then with a kick broke his
neck. 1t brutal, uncalled for act. for
Hornbeck was slight-bult boy Of 20, near
! ly blind from sore eyes, while his assallant Is
a large man i'll the prime of life. Immedi-
ately after committing the deed, he fled, and
was pursued by one of the bystanders into
| the brush, where he speedily ran out of sight.
| Next morning corOner's jury was cmpanel-
| ed, and 4 verdict was rendered in accordance
with the above facts. a warrant was placed
in the hands of Constable Patton, and he is
now in pursuit of the fugitive.
On that day basket picnic was given by
the three bands of Iron Mountain, Granite
vile and Pilot Knob, at the village, and the
boys refused to allow intoXcants to be sold
| on the grounds, but saloons in the vicinity
were wide open, and beer flowed freely all
day. The inevitable result is before tue
people, land it remains to be seen whether the
law shall be indicated or set al naught in
the future, as it has been too often in the
past. a half-doZen deaths have resulted
from Sunday beer selling at Middlebrook,
beside disgraceful rows innumerable. 1t is
the resort on that day of though" characters
from Iron Mountain and Graniteyille and
other places in the neighborhOod, and has
long been an eye-sore to all law abiding
citizens. Some seven years ago, after re-
| counting a stabbing affray at this same yil-
lage, we said:
Don't our Middlebrook friends think that
1t Is about time that this Sunday business
end: Haven't they themselves had enough
OF 1t? What with indictments and fines and
affrays, the record of that little village for
the past few years is by no means a pleasant
one to contemplate, and we suggest that
hereafter all its citizens try the effect of
Squarely living up to the requirements of the
law they have so perSistently violated from
time lmmemOrial. Putting aside the mis-
cries, the heartburnings, the diSgraces at
tendant upon those Sunday orgies, has the
keeping open of saloons on Sunday paid the
proprietorS i'll dollars and cents? We be-
lleVe II has cost more than 1t has come to-"
but whether or not, the law ought to be
so enforced a to compel them to abide its
requirements. Pilot Knob saloon men have
voluntarily agreed to close their doors on
Sunday; lronton liquor dealers long since
adopted the rule; and now let MIddlebroOk
and every other town follow their example.
If they don't, then pop the law to them for
all it is worth.
In the light of a score of years. experience
of this sort of thing, borne with but feeble
protest, on the part of an inert public, it
seems almost impairment to protest; yet we
do protest, and insist that the majesty of the
law be maintained, without fear, favor or
affection. Will it be SO maintained? Let
the constituted authorities answer, and let
them be assured by an outraged public their
own future welfare depends upon the nature
of their answer. We, for one, are sick Of the
Sunday saloon and its consequent Sunday
murder.