The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-06-24
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Sheriff Thomas C.. Cranmer Shot
Down by Desperate
Prisoner.
After Hours of Intense Suffering
He Dies From the Wound
Inflicted.
Great Excitement i'm the C0mmu-
nifty and Loud Threats of
Lynching Made.
The Murderer Captured After a
hot Chase and Lodged i'm
Dark Cell.
A Posse of Deputy Sheriffs With
NincheSters Guard the Jail
and Prisoners.
Mass Meetings Held Sunday
ST. 900 Donated to the
Sheriffs Family.
The Arrest of West Hensley, an
Accomplish, at the Otteryille
Water Tank.
A Posse of Deputy Sheriffs With
Winchesters Guard the Jail
and Prisoners.
Mass Meetings Held Sunday
81 900 Donated to the
Sheriffs Family.
The Arrest of West Hensley. an
Accomplish, at the Otteryille
Water Tank.

Boonville, No., 16.-[Special1-
The cowardly and brutal murder O
Sheriff Cranmer Saturday evening BY
W. E burlington, alias w. E. West
prisoner in the Cooper county Jail
is the sole and all absorbing topic in
Boonville. The great excitement
which followed the shooting, the pur
suit and capture of the murderer has,
In great measure, subsidized. The
particulars of the shooting have so far
been inaccurately stated, for up to yes.
terday afternoon all kinds of reports
were afoat, everybody was wrought
'up'to high pitch of excitement and
it was only when cool judgment re-
sumed her sway that the exact facts
could be ascertained. Your repre-
sentative was early on the ground
soon after the shooting and was an
eye witness to many of the scenes
which occurred between Saturday
night and today noon.
The details of tie shooting of
Sheriff .Cranmer are as follows:
Among the inmates of the jail was
man who was known as William
E. West, but whose right
name is w. E. burlington,
whose home is In Dresden, Tennessee.
burlington was serving a six months
sentence for shooting at a brakeman
near Otterville, Mo. He received his
sentence two weeks ago. burlington
was known to be a desperate character
and had served a term in the Pettis
county Jail for carrying concealed
weapons. While in the Pettis county
Jail strong friendship sprang up be-
tween him and 19 year old vagabond
by the name of West Hensley, who
was serving short term. Had not
this desperate man and the boy Hens
ley been thrown together Sheriff Gran
mer would have been alive to day as
the sequel will show.
About z o'clock Saturday evening
Sheriff Cranmer entered the jail ac-
companied by negro. The prison
ers had just finished their supper and
the negro removed the dishes from the
lower tier of cells and the corridor door
was locked. This part of the work
being accomplished the door separat-
ing the cell room and the hall was left
open. The sheriff then went
up to the upper tier of
cells where burlington occupied a |
cell. He stepped in front of the open
gate waiting for the return of
the Jail porter to come after the dishes
On that tier. He placed his left foot
On the floor of the cell, which is about
eighteen inches higher than the plat
form upon which he was standing. |
While the sheriff was in this position, |
burlington rapidly walked out of his
cell, and when directly in front of the
sheriff be drew a 44-Remiugton revol- |
yer and aiming quickly, fired point
blank at the officer. The sheriff, as
f to guard himself, threw up his
eft hand, and the bullet passed
through the wrist, entered the left
tide of the abdomen and passed
through the kidneys, the ball lodging
n the back just under the skin. The
sheriff fell backwards and burlington
'prsng down the stairs, and Cranmer
partially raising himself, fired two
'hots at the escaping prisoner both of
which unfortunately missed him. The
connecting door being open Turling-
on ran into the hall, out of a rear
loor, jumped over the back fence and |
tarted in a southwesterly direction (
towards place known as Simpsons
park. Plucky sheriff Cranmer
covered from the shock produced |