The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-15
THE TARSNEY OUTRAGE.
FULL CONFESSION ny THE LEADER
OF THE PLOT.
Wilson Tells How the Enemies OF the
Ad3utaBt-G enerRI Arranged for the
Tar and Feathers sensational
Speech of Attorney EnGley.

| DENVER. Aug. deputy Sheriff VIII
son Of Ell Paso county, who was cap
tured by Adjt-Gen. Tarsney In Missouri
! has made a full confession and given TO
! Chief of Police Armstrong the names CO
all of the men connected with the outrage
/ committed in Colorado Springs a few
: weeks ago Wilson was brought back
/ TO Denver at noon yesterday by officer
! Cross, and he spent last night in the
county jail Ia the train going to the
! springs in the morning he weakened and
! told everything that he knew OF the
matter He confirmed the story that
murderer from the E. Paso county jaA
! was allowed 10 hep 10 put the tar and
, feathers on COlOradO's Acknowledgement.
Every detail of the affair is now in pos
session of the Denver officers and how
ever high a position the offenders may
hold, they will intimately be brought TO
justice.
Wilson'S confession clearly illustrates
one pOint-that is that the crime was
committed by the political enemies Of
! Gen. Tarsney. and that the criminals
We're not the outcasts Of the Bull Hill
! army. but men Of higher standing in the
community. According 10 Wilson's story.
| the men engaged in the disgracetul enter
prise We're Sheriff Bowers. his deputy
sheriff. Bob Mullins, Capt. Saxton OF
/ troop A, Sergt. William Bancroft Of the
/ troop, Deputy Sheriff J r. Wilson.
] Deputy Quackenbush, Sherman Crumley
J Walter Crumley. Shorty" Allen, Smith
Shellenberger and perhaps one or two
others, including a woman. The police
! now have three cOnfsssiOns-those OF
/ Wilson. Parker and a prisoner in the
! FL Paso county 3ail, who is being held
/ as a witness to a murder committed In
/ Cripple Creek These men Will al b.
brought before the grand jury now sit
/ ting in Colorado Springs.
The conspiracy was a germ born az
: Gillette. and which continued to grow
/ until Tarsney was found unguarded IN
! the Almo hotel. The deputy sheriff al
4 Divide heard the false report from Den
yer that Tarsney had uttered the re-
/ mark: Il hope that every man in Bow
ers's army viii go home IN a coffin" Ths
, night the militia arrived at Gillette and
camped near the deputies. Wilson. Allen
and others. backed UP by Bob Mullins
and members of the company from the
/ El Paso club. arranged a scheme to kid
nap Tarsney on the spot. but for some
| reason this was abandoned. On the day
/ that Tarsney appeared at Colorado
I Springs for the purpose OF assisting IN
/ the defense of the Bull hill prisoners tho
/ conspiracy to kidnap him was formed.
/ It was freely discussed In the county
+ jail and the sheriffs Office. and when
! once il received Official support it prog
/ ressed rapidly. A signal was agreed
upon.
It was announced also most publicly
! that all who desired TO take part in the
/ plot should met in a saloon in Tejon-st.
! and enter with their right hands stuck
/ in the vest.
According to Wilson'S story. Sheriff
/ Bowers furnished Deputy Sheriff Quack-
enbush the tar and Mrs. Quackenbush
/ provided the feathers by ripping open
large pillow. Bowers. in addition or
dered the release Of the Cripple Creek
! murderer and ordered him to follow
! Deputy Sheriffs Allen and Shellenberger.
Deputy Sheriff Bob Mullins hired the
hack from the two Crumleys and ordered
/ them TO drive to the Alamo hotel He
paid them in advance. Wilson headed
/ the party which went to the Alamo
/ hotel and he confessed that he was the
man who poked the gun" in Tarsneys
/ face as he came down TO the office to
! answer the telephone Bancroft Allen
/ and Smith were the other men In the
/ hotel office. Saxton, Bob Mullins and
| the drivers waited outside.
Wilson described the drive out to the
| open prairie, and said that most horrible
/ threats were made against Tarsney. He
! was told that he was being driven to
I place of execution, where he would be
! tortured to death. His captOrs gleefuliy
/ told him they would quarter him and
! chop off his head. Tarsney asked for his
/ life, as any man would do under the
! circumstances. On arriving at the place
| of torture Tarsney was dragged out by
! Allen, Bancroft and Wilson and told 10
| strip. When he was informed that his
! life would be spared he shook hands with
| his prosecutors and thanked them VIII
son said that he got tar on his hands
! that night, and so did Saxton, bancroft
Allen and the others. The general was
| left alone, nearly crazy, to wander over
| the fields.
Chief Of Police Armstrong confirms the
report that Wilson has made fun con-
! fessiOn. Wilson is a young man. the son
of a Missouri farmer, at whose house he
was captured last week. He was a
deputy sheriff at Colorado Springs,
where he resided for several years. He
! left the city a day or two after the out
rage on the adiutant-generaL Gen.
| Tarsney has identified him as the man
who put a gun" i'm his face Al the hotel,
and who daubed the tar on him.
In addressing the court on behalf Of
! Gen. Tarsney, Attorney-General Ensley
saiG.
Yesterday the governor Of this state
/ saw iii TO send a guard to the doors Of
this hall Of justice. In my opinion it was
! an invasion of the constitution and OF
/ civil rights. and IL IS an action that I,
standing in the presence Of this court.
repudiate as l repudiate the state ad-
| ministration. I do not believe the Of
! ficials of the state indorse such actions.
| We have in this state a Grover Cleveland
"a car and despot. I repudiate him.