The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-17
..MILY OF FIVE BUTCHERED
A EISS0URI TRAGEDY.
lathtr and Mother Shot and Children's
Brains Beaten Out.

A most ntrocious crime was committed
uonday night near Browning, Mo. Gus
heeks, his wife and two children were MUIR
'ered outright. and another of the Meeks
'dldren, girl years old, was so badly in.
"red That she may not recover.
There are n number of criminal cases pend.
,,,1g In Lynn and Sullivan counties agains,
"illiam P.Taylor and GcorgGraylor brothers,
..ie former being banker OF Browning and
ne latter farmer. The charges against
nnem are forgery. arson and larceny. William
=. Taylor, Gus Meeks and others are Jointly
Indicted. Meeks pleaded guilty at the last
,.ssrm and was sent up TO the penitcntiary.
nbout month ago he was pardoned by Gov
o'nor stone. in order 10 use him as n witness
sL.ainst the Taylors, who were, In consc-
q'tcncc. anxious 60 get rid Of him
a, II Is said the Taylors had arranged with
Meeks 10 give the latter wagon and team to
set out OF the county 80 that he might not bc
w esent when the ease against the Taylors was
called for trial. From Mccks' mother II Is
r'tned that her son received "a letter from the
lhylos at Browning. telling him to be- ready
~ 10 Oo'ciock Monday night 10 80 away; that
WIS Mccks and children waited for Taylor
~ oil midnight, when two men, whom
M' eks said were George and Bill Taylor,
"a "a ne TO their home In a wagon. Mceks aud
wa family got into the wagon and started
loi Browning.
The details OF the crime as near us can bo
opiained, were told byt the little 7-ycar-old
Hr'' who was suffering greatly as she rccitcd
tnc story When the Alecks family and the
lers''ns accompanying them reached point
n%eu % the schoolhouse in Lynn county, short
nls," % nee east of Browning. they were met by
,,wo other men who were lying in wait Gus
Mecks was first shot. and then Mrs. Mccks
was Killed. The murdercrS beat the brains
% ~. d two children with stones and left the
utnpA~for dcad
lh' murierprs then. II Is supposed. loaded
tne W hole family into the wagon aud hauled
tneih nGa-v two miles To the Taylor farm,
Wner'. tney M,rr buried uudera straw stack
saw % rIoch hoNt morning the eldest
ch lid came TO her senses and mnde her wnN,
&C. the home of n Mr.. Garter nearby Thc
Cltrter family sent boy 10 the TayIGr firm
where he found the corpscs of the m,irier"J
ia mily as stated by the Mccks girl.
The boy saw George Taylor and Innocent.
~ told him OF the murder, ~ described by
the almost dying child. George Taylor i'm
the diately started for Brewing on horseback.
got his brother William. and both departed
on horseback. Their departure from
Browning was before the knowledge of the
murder had reached there
The people of the nrighcorhood placed
guards around the straw stuck where the
bodies were found. Upon investigation il
was discovered that bloody quilt around
me bodies was on lire. the evident purpose
being 10 cremate the bodies. The little Girl
recovered sufficiently To describe some of the
parties and upon her evidence one Shi .on
Mccullough, OF Gould. and George Howl, Il.
OF Line county have been arrested as par
ticipants In the crime.
A party Of citizens from Milan and Brown
Ing found NJ the place of the murder the
revolver and the stone with which the muir.
derers had killed the father aud mother and
children. The surviving child says the men
struck, beat and kicked her into insensibility
and thought her dead. Great excitement
prevails, and If the mrrderers are fully ident-
iiled the law will i. ~ to be very strong
prevent summary punishment