The record-union., 1894-05-12
Atrocious Crime Committed Near
Browning, Missouri.
FATHER, MOTHER AND TWO CHILL
DREN MURDERED.
One Little Girl Who Was Left for
Dead Lives to Tell the story of the
Terrible Crime-The Family Put to
Death to Prevent the Father Testi-
flying in Criminal Cases Against
the Murderers.
special to the REcoRD-UNIoN.

Special TO the REC0RD-UNIoN.
MILAN MOI, May 11-A most afro
cious crime was committed last night
near Browning. Gus Meeks. his wife
and two children were murdered out
right. and another Of Meek's children, a
girl years old. was so badly injured that
she may die.
The circumstances leading up to the
crime are as follows: There are num-
ber of criminal cases pending in Lynn
and Sullivan Counties against William p.
Taylor and George Taylor, brothers, the
former being banker Of Browning and
the latter farmer. The charges against
them are forgery, arson and larceny
William p. Taylor, Gus Meeks and
others were Jointly indicted, and Meeks
pleaded guilty at the last term and was
sentenced to the pen. About month
ago he was pardoned by Governor Stone,
in order to use him as a witness against
the Taylors, who were, in consequence,
anxious 10 get rid OF him.
1t is said that Taylor had arranged with
Meeks to give the latter a wagon to get
out Of the county, SO that he might not be
present when the case against the Tay-
| lors was called for trial. From Meeks'
mother it is learned that yesterday he
received a letter from the Taylors at
Browning, telling him to be ready at
10 o'clock last night to &c away: that
Gus Meeks and his children waited for
Taylor until midnight, when two men,
whom MeekS said were George and Bill
Taylor, came to their house in wagon.
Meeks and his family got on the wagon
and started for Browning.
| The details of the crlme as near as can
be obtained, were told by the little 7-year-
old girl, who was suffering greatly as she
recited the story. 1t appears that when
the Meeks family and the persons accom-
panying them reached a point near the
J jerks schoolhOuSe, in Lynn County, a
short distance east of Browning, they
were met by the two other men who were
| lying in wait. Gus Meeks was first shot.
Mrs. Meeks jumped out, and she was
also killed. The murderers then took
stones and beat the brains out of the two
children, and left the other for dead. The
murderers then loaded the whole family
into the wagon and took them two miles
| to the Taylor farm, where they were
| buried under straw stack. At half-past
this morning the eldest child came to
| her senses and made her way to the resi-
] dence OF a Mr.. Carter, near by. The
Carter family sent boy over to the Tay-
lor farm, where he found the bodies.
The boy then saw George Taylor and
! innocently told him of the murder, as
described by the almost dying child.
| TAYLOR Immediately started for Browning
on horseback, got his brother William
and both departed. Their departure from
Browning was before the knowledge of
the murder reached here.
The people OF the neighborhood placed
guards around the straw stack where the
] dead bodies were found. Upon investi-
CATION 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 of the parties, and upon
her evidence Sharon Mccullough OF
Gault and George Hewlett of Lynn
County have been arrested as partici-
pants in the crime. A party of citizens
from Milan and Browning found at the
place of the murder the revolver and a
stone with which the murderers had
shot and killed the father and mother
and beaten the brains out of the two
children and left the other for dead.
At this writing the Taylors have not
been apprehended, but it is not thought
possible that they can escape. Great ex-
| cltement prevails in this part of the
| county, and If the murderers are fully
identified the law will have to be very
strong to prevent summary punishment.
LATER.-A farmer has just come from
| the northwest, and says that the Taylors
| have left their horses and that not less
| than 500 men are after them.