The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1894-05-17
CRIME MOST HIDEOCS.
Gus MeekS, Wife and Two Child
rem Murdered Near
Browning.
Deceived From Their Home and Slain
ON the Roadside .-Brothers
Under SUSPICION.

lnuer Suspicion.
Brookfeld, Mo, May IL This
county has been in fever of excite.
ment to-day, caused by one of the
most diabolical crimes ever commit
ted in this portion of the State. Gus
Meeks, his wife, and two children,
little girls, were murdered in cold
blood last night, and their bodies
thrown in a straw stack for conceal.
ment.
William P. Taylor of Browning,
town in the Northern portion of this,
Linn, county, is a lawyer and banker.
and up to the day of the murder
was cashier. He has for the past
four or five years been arrested sew
eral times on different charges Last
fall he and Meeks, the murdered
man, were arrested on charge of
stealing Eerd of cattle from a
farmers pasture and driving them
to Pardip, where, it is claimed, it
was their intention to ship to Chica.
go in the night. Meeks had his tria
and was sentenced to the peulten-
tiary. Taylor gave bond and his
trial was put off aud was to come up
in Milan next week at the Sullivan
county Circuit court. While in the
penitentiary Meeks turned States
evidence, was pardoned and came
home and has since lived at Milan
with his mother and family. He
would, of course, have been a dan
gerous witness against Taylor.
Thursday night William Taylor
and bis brother, George, farmer
living near Browning, drove to Mi
Ian, a distance of twelve miles, in q
two seated buggy. 1t seems that
the Taylor brothers went to the
home of Meeks and called him out
side the house. Meeks went bach
into the house after awhile and tolC
his family he WAS going away te
leave the country and that the Tay
lors were going to assist him, an(
then the wife said, Il and the child
ren will go with you Gus" The.
all got ready and left with the Tay
lors, so the child says to day.
STORY TOLD BY CHILD.
George Taylor is prosperou
farmer living three miles fron
Browning. This morning little I
year old girl crawled out of a straw
stack on the Taylor farm and wen
!; across the road TO the farmhouse O
Mr.. Gooch She pitifully told he
story of how she was awakened th
night before while riding along il
, her fathers arms, of how she hear
revolvers go off and her parent
scream. Then something hit her O
the head and she said she went t
sleep she guessed and when sh
awoke she was in the haystacl
, There was blood on her clothing an
3 bruise on her head.
Before she had finished telling he
) sorrowful story George Taylor, at
q o clock in the morning, was seen az
preaching the straw stack with
! team and harrow and begin harrow
4 ing around the stack The suspicio
of the Gooch family was aroused
o and they went out and told Tayle
J. the story of the little girl. Taylc
e at once unhitched the team, al
b mounting one horse rode of. On th
run toward Browning. He went t
Banker Taylor's home in Browning
d and about I o'clock the Taylt
:. brothers were seen riding out {
: town on horseback, going eastwar,
n y FINDING OF THE BODIES.
Ii The bodies of Gus Meeks, his wi
. and two children were found in tt
. straw stack, and upon an inque
being held it was found that tt
!: father and mother had both bee
n shot and then beaten with SON
9 weapon or club.
: Although the Taylors left about
If o'clock this morning nobody went
d pursuit of them until afternoo
n About that time Prosecuting Alto
9 ney Bresnahan and Marshal Crit
. field of this city were informed ar
Il posse was formed in this cit