The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-11

extreme penalty Of Q lie Tor NE
Neither OF the trio had yet reached hi
tittieth year, and William Walker wa
barely 10 years OF age. Three men, To
gether with Wiley Matthews, nephew o
John, were TO have been hanged Of
May Is, 1888, but in an appeal TO tn
Supreme Court escaped the gallows TEN
porarily.
Last October the State Supreme Cour
approved the decision OF the Christian
county Circuit Court, and liked DeCem
ber 2S as the day Of execution, Anothel
stay was subsequently secured and Fri
day, February 10, named as the day o
execution, 1nasmuch as the Supreme
Court had not yet passed upon the case
OF David Walker when the date arrived
the Governor granted until April 10 h
William Walker and John Matthews
Wiley Matthews being still at large, he
and his uncle, John Matthews, having
escaped from the Ozark Jail on DeCem
Der 2S, an account OF which appeared
in these dispatches at the time, II
will be remembered that conieder'
ates OF the bald knobbers broke
into the jail and gave the -four
condemned men an opportunity
to depart. John and Wiley Matthew
took advantage OF the chance, but Dave
and Bill Walker declined 10 leave and
gave the alarm to the sheriff, who re-
sided in che jail building, They gave as
. reason for not leaving that they pre-
terred to await the action Of the courts
in their cases, the younger Walker stat
ing that he would rather hang than be
bounded all over the country by officers
OF the law, II was generally thought at
the time, however, that the Walkers
fully anticipated leniency and feared
that such action on their part would
prejudice their chances for ClemenCy.
The weather was bitter cold and John
Matthews soon gave himself up, saying
he preferred anything to death from
starvation and cold, Wiley Matthews
has never been heard OF, though there
were at one time rumors to the effect
that he had been seen In Indian Terri
tory. l-t
The Supreme Court decides adversely
in the case Of David Walker, the Bald.
knobber chief, and fixed his execution
for May 10, About April l2, the attor-
neys for Bill Walker and John Matth.
ews made strong appeal for commuta.
tion OF the sentences OF their clients and
when that was denied asked for re.
spite to May 10, the date Of Dave Wal.
ker's execution, which was granted.
For the past two weeks powerful pleas
have been made to Governor Francis for
Communication OF the sentences OF the
three men, and on Wednesday last,
after reviewing the case at length, the
Governor declined to interfere further,
and the condemned men were notified
that they must die. Dave Walker and
his son Bill received the news calmly
and with the nerve that has always sus-
tanned them, but Matthews broke down
completely and wept like child,
HISTORY OF THE CASES.
The arrest, trial and conviction OF the
Bald Knob leaders attracted widespread
attention, and for the FIRST time the his
tory Of the Bald Knob organization was
made public.
Taney county, Missouri, was the birth
place OF the order Of masked regulators.
II Is the widest section OF the State and
early day lawleSsness caused the forma-
ton Of leagues for the protection Of life
and property. The regulators first came
into prominence when the notorious
Frank and Tubal Taylor entered the
home OF a Mr.. Dickinson, in Forsythe,
Mo-, aud murdered IN entire family.
The outlaws were captured by the new
law and order league and promptly
lynched. Capt. Nat Kinney, q physical
giant, was the leader OF the regulators
and was shot and killed by one OF his
old followers at Ozark not many months
since.
Christian county, which adjoins Taney
county, first adopted Bald Knobberism
in 1856. Daye Walker was tho first
leader and the order soon numbered be-
tween 800 and 400 members. All new
comers were invited 10 join the order
and the majority did so.
z THE INITIATION CEREMONY.
The candidate for Bald Knobber hon
ars was compelled 10 pass through a try
Ing ordeal. Instead .ot being inductsd
into some lraterpal order, composed OF
his neighbors, as he had anticipated, he
found himself ut midnight in the dark |
reCesses OF lonely ravine or wood, sur.
rounded by hundreds OF hideously |
masked men, who imposed upon the
candidate blood.curdling obligation,
the infraction OF which was punishable
by death. Once a member, he could
never desert The organization and re.
main in that section Of tho country alive.
The Chadwick raid was the first work |
Of the Christian county Baldknobbers
which attracted attention. Chadwick Is |
q small station located at tho terminus
oil the st. Louis and San Francisco rail. |
way extension from Springfield south.
east. Tho opening OF saloon at Chad |
wick was followed by utter demorali.
cation ot tho Tesilepts Of the plaGe and |
the Baldknobberl ordered that The |
saloon be closed. The warning was dis
regarded, and one bright night, along In |
the summer Of 1880, the famous regu.
lators entered Chadwick, destroyed the
SALOON and poured the liquors in the
streets. "Ths' sAoon'' '9t Chadwick 70;
qIitea one more visit and then ceased
TO exist
There were numerous visits by the
Bald Knobbers to petty offenders, but
nothing occurred TO attract especial at
tention until the Green .Edens affair,
which terminated In the downfall Of
Bald. Knobberlsm. The Green .Edens
killing occurred on the night Of March
II, 1887. At o point eight miles east Of
Ozark and near the Edens dwelling, one
John Evans was whipped by thdS Bald
Knobhern for rlisRehaYiRg 10 ehgFGh.
OLD man Eaehs, who RaB q itiehd Of
Evans, interfered, and received four
blows with the whip before Chief Wal.
ker could interfere. Edens afterwards
denounced Bald Knobberlsm, and on
Match u the baud met 10. consider what
punishnieht should 10 Rplsd Ia the old
man Who dared 10 CritinlBe the Knob.
ber. There were many cltiSens present
at the meeting, and after many brief de.
liberations, they proceeded 10 the Edens
residence 10 punish the inmates.
AN AWFUL MASSACRE.
They 6Et went To ths home Of WIN.
Ede1p, bHl finding ID o4S there, pro.
pppded 10 the holVe Of James EdSns,
williams IatheE Thero we're IN the
house at the time, father, mother, son,
dAughtet.in.law, daughter and Bon.in.