Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-05-19
FATE OF A FAMILY.
An Atrocious Murder Committed
Near Browning, Mo.
Gus Meeks Slain to Prevent His Appear.
ance as n Witness-His Wife and
Two Children Also Kiiled-Sus-
pected Men Flee.
PUT OUT OF THE WAY.

MILAN, Mo-, May IA mosV afro
cious crime was committed Thursday
night near Browning. Gus Meeks his
wife and two children were murdered
outright and another of the children-a
girl years old-was so badly injured
that she may not recover. The circum-
stances leading up to the crime are
about as follows:
There are number of criminal cases
pending in Lynn and Sullivan counties
against William It. Taylor and George
Taylor, brothers, the former being
a banker of Browning and the
latter farmer. The charges
against them are forgery, arson and
larceny. William P. Taylor, Gus
MeelSs and others were jointly indict-
ed and Meeks pleaded guilty at the
last term and was sent 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 Meelks to give the latter wagon
and team to get out of the country so
that he might not be present
when the case against the Tay-
lors was called for trial. From
Meeks' mother il is learned that
| on Thursday her son received letter
from the Taylors at Browning, telling
him to be ready at 10 o'clock that night
to go away Gus Meeks and children
waited for TAYLOR until midnight, when
| two men whom 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 Brown
ing.
The details of the crime, 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 ap-
pears that when the Meeks family and
the, persons accompanying them
reached APPOINT near the schoolhouse
in Lynn county, short distance east
of Browning, they We're 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 children and left the
other for dead The murderers then,
it is supposed, loaded the whole family
into the wagon and hauled them near
ly miles to the Taylor farm, where
they were buried under strawstack.
At 4:30 o'clock Friday morning the
eldest child came to her senses and
made her way to the residence of Mr.
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 limo
Gently told him of the murder as de
scribed by the almost dying child.
Geore Taylor Immediately started fol
Browning on horse back, got his brother
William and both departed on horse
back Their departure from Browning
took place before the knowledge of tn,
murder had reached there.
The people of the neigh borhooC
placed guards around the strawstacl
where the dead bodies were found
Upon investigation it was discovered
that a bloody quilt around the bodies
was on fire, the evident purpose bein.
to cremate the bodies
The little girl recovered sufficiently
to describe some of the parties, ant
upon her evidence Sharon Mccullough
of Gould, and George Hewlett, of Lin,
county, have been arrested as par
ticipants in the crime A party of citi
zens from Milan and Browning fount
at the place of the murder the revolve
and stone with which the murderer
had shot and killed the father ant
mother and beat out the brains of tn
two children.
The child says that they struck, bea
and kicked her into insensibility ant
thought her dead. AT this writing tn
Taylors haYe not been arrested, but i
is not thought possible they can escape
Great excitement prevails, and if tn,
murderers are fully identified the sher
iff will be unable to prevent summary
punishment At a late hour a farmer
came in from the northeast and sal,
that the Taylors had left their horses
and that not less than 500 men wer
after them.
WON'T TAKE PART.