St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-12
1T WAS AN AWFUL MURDER
HUSBAND, WIFE AND 7WO CHILDREN
PUT TO DEATH
IN a MOST BRUTAL MANNER.
Two Brothers, a Banker and
Farmer. Charged With Forg.
cry and Arson, Get Rid of the
Only Man Who Can Testify
Against Ihem-A Seven Year.
Old Girl Tells of the Crime.

MILAN, Mo-. May ia most atro-
cious crime was committed last night
near Browning. Gus Meeks, his wife
and two children were murdered out
right, and another of the Meeks chill
dren. girl seven years old. was SO
badly injured that she may not recover.
The circumstances leading up to the
crime are about as follows: There are
number of criminal cases pending in
Lynn and Sullivan counties against
William T. Taylor and George Taylor.
rothers, the former being a banker of
Browning and the latter farmer. The
charges against them are forgery, arson
and larceny. William P. Taylor, Gus
Meeks and others are Jointly indicted.
and Meeks pleaded guilty at the last
term and was sent up to the peniten-
tiary. About month ago he was par
doned by Gov. Stone in order to use
him as witness against the Taylors,
who were in consequence anxious to be
rid of him.
1t is said the Taylors had arranged
with Meeks to give the latter a wagon
ana team to get out of this county so
that he might not he present when the
cases against the Taylors were called
for trial. From Meeks' mother it is
learned that yesterday her son received
a letter from the Taylors at Browning
telling him to be really at 10 O'clock last
night to go away. that Gus Meeks and
children waited for Taylor until mid
night, when two men, who Meeks said
were George and Bill Taylor, came to
their
HOME IN A WAGON.
Meeks and his family got into the
wagon and started for Browning. the
details of the crime. as near as can be
obtained, were told by the little seven
year-old girl. who was suffering greatly
as she reclted the story. 1t appears
that when 8 the Meeks family and
the person accompanying them
reached se mt near the school
house rnn county. a short
distanceoes.Ss of Browning, they were
met by two other men who were lying
in wait. Gus Meeks was first shot, and
Mrs. Meeks jumped. She also was
killed. The murderers then took stones
and beat the brains out of the two chill
dreD, and left the other for. dead. The
murderers then, is supposed. loaded
the whole family into the wagon, and
hauled them nearly two miles to the
Taylor farm. where they were buried
under a straw stack. A. half-past 4
o'clock this morning the eldest child
to the residence OF MIR. Carter near
by. The Carter family then sent boy
TO the Taylor farm, where he found the
murdered family as stated by the
Meeks girl. The Carter boy then saw
George Taylor. and inn0cently told him
OF the murder, as described by the al
most dylng child. George Taylor inn
mediated started for Browning on
horseback, got his brother William, and
both departed OH horseback. Their des
parture from Browning was before the
knowledge of the murder had reached
there. The people of the neighborhaod
placed guards around the strawstark
where tile
DEAD BODIES WERE FOUND.
Upon investigation it was discovered
that bloody quilt around the bodies
was on fire, the evident purpose being
to cremate the bodies. The little girl
recovered sufficiently to describe some
"a viz PohAiOo anu upOll ACI
one Sharon Mccullough, of Gould, and
George, Howlat. of Lime county, have
been arrested as participants In the
crime. A party of citizens from Milan
and Browning found at the place of the
murder the revolver and stone with
which the murderers had shot and
killed the father and mother and beat
out the brains of the two children and
left the other for dead. The child says
that they struck. beat and kicked her
dead. AT this writing the Taylors have
not been arrested. but it is not thought
possible they can escape.
Great excitement prevails, and If the
murderers are fully identified the law
will have to be very strong to prevent
su mmary punishment.