Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-05-26
BETRAYED.

lf-iID- -Io-- fuf 1AS w
trayal of Dave Walker and his band of
Christian county Bald-knobbers by Joe
Inman and Charlie Graves after the
Eden-Green massacre. in March. 1887,
has a most remarkable parallel in the
confession which was made a few days
ago in the Springfield Jail respecting
the murder Of Deputy Sheriff Williams
and his prisoner. Bright. One of the
fancy county mob told the whole story
Of that double tragedy which for two
months some of the Forsyth authori-
ties, backed by the assistance of Gov.
Francis. sought in vain to unveil.
The name OF the traitor murderer who
has given away the secrets of the mob
the authorities are Withholding yet
but the story is su bstantiailv as fol
lows:
On Saturday. March II last. the day
of the preliminary trial of John Wesley
Bright, the wife murderer, many of the
people from Roork. the scene of the
shocking crime. were in Forsyth as
witnesses against the uXorcide. George
L. Taylor, the young lawyer who had
already distinguished himself in the
sensational history of fancy county,
was busy during the day firing up the
mob. especially among the relatives
and neighbors of Mrs Bright. He had
gone to Forsyth from Springfield the
day before. arriving on the scene about
5 o'clock the previous night. The For
syth saloon was patronized freely by
the organizer of the lynching party
during the day. Capt. Mat Day. the
old coroner of fancy county. was also
active in abetting Taylors efforts to
work mp the mob. One by one the
vigilants were enrolled until about
twenty-three men pledged themselves
to help hang Bright. Taylor borrowed
a horse of James \. Delaney, eX-prose-
cutting attorney of fancy county and
step-sOn of the deceased Bald knObber
chieftan. Capt. Nat VI. Kinney. and rode
up Swain creek in the afternoon to en-
| gage the services of some men not in
town \ place Of meeting was selected
about q mile north of Forsyth in the
Swan creek bottom.
Here. about dusk. the lynchers began
to assemble. When about fifteen men
had gathered in the lonely bottom Capt.
Mat Day. the old hunter. farmer and
miller. administered the oath of secrecy
and fealty TO the band. He was select
charter member of the Bald-Knob-
bcrs' organiza ton. the ex-coroner knew
well all the dread penalties attached
to a violation of that solemn obligation.
When the oath was administered each
man pledged his life and every cent of
property he possessed in defense of any
member who might be arrested for
the crime under contemplation. The
l. 4 L
toward Forsyth. and other men came
and We're sworn in by Capt. Day. One
fellow became scared as he saw the
plot thickcn. and lodged into the woods
and fed. Taylor swore vengeance
against the coward. and threatened to
shoot down any man who wavered.
The killing was talked of and several
members of the mob stoutly protested
against this suggestion. Then George
l.. Taylor, Mat Day. Ike Lewis. ex-
County Assessor Bill Stockstill and two
of his brothers and the three Wea Their
man boys went aside and held short
consultation. What was said by these
nine men the confessing member of the
mob could not hear. When the nine
leading spirits of the mob came back to
their confederates some one asked
about the fate of Williams Geo rg
Taylor replied:
That's all fixed. If Williams inter-
feres he will be taken care Of
Then Taylor and Bill Stoclsstill
changed hats and the latter tied hand
kerchief over his face. being the only
man in the crowd who was disguised.
Bill Stockstill had been made captain of
the mob. When the crowd crossed the
Swan creek ford. about quarter of a
mile from the Jail, they gave yell. put
spurs to their horses and gallopcd into
town. Eight or ten cOnfederates were
in town watching the officers. and one
of these. said to be ID. +. McConkey,
Taylor's partner. had taken sledge-
hammer from a blacksmith shop and
placed it at the Jail door. The mob
surrounded the Jail just as Deputy
Sheriff Williams ran up to defend
Bright. George Taylor. Bill Stockstill
and George Friend were Immediately in
front of the deputy sheriff. Williams
raised Taylors hat with his left hand
and said:
>Geo.-ge Taylor, / have you spotted
Immediately Bill Stockstill shot the
deputy through the heart. As Williams
turned toward the assassin Stockstill
| fired second shot. Then Taylor raised
the sledge-hamme r and began to batter
down the door. He soon grew tired
and gave the hammer to Bill Stockstill,
who hit a few ticks and then Ike Lewis
took the sledge and completed the
work. Taylor went into the Jail and
tied the rope around Bright's neck. and
Bill Stockstill helped drag the prisoner
cut Bright was put on horse behind
George Friend and taken about mile
from the Jail. where tree had been
selected as a gallOws for the victim.
Bill Stockstill pulled Bright off the
horse and asked him if he had anything
to say. The prisoner declined to con-
fess his crime, and was swung up in a
few seconds. The mob then dispersed,
and Taylor and Bill Stockstill went
back to town and joined the crowd that
had gathered around the body of the
murdered officer.
Stockstill was one of the men who
kept vigil that night over the corpse of
the man he had shot. These are some
of the facts which the state will prove
by one of the prisoners held for
the murder of Williams and Bright.
The eight prisoners confined in the
Springfield jail We're taken before
Justice Chinn to-day and released from
the charge of murder named in the
warrants issued in Green county. In a
moment they were all arrested by
Sheriff Day on warrants issued by
Justice Jones of FORSYTH. who acted as
coroner af fhf. iuuTeSt held over the