The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-12
Fuller Details About the Out
rageOus Murder
Ola Whole Family at Browning,
No., Yesterday.
SUSPECTS PURSUED.
Mob Will Lynch the Murderers
if Caught.

county was in a fever of excitement
yesterday caused by one of the most
diabOlical crimes ever committed in
this portion of the state Gus Meeks,
his wife and two children, little girls,
were murdered in cold blood Thursday
night, and their bodies thrown in .
straw stack for concealment-
William 2. Taylor of Browning, a
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 several
times on different charges. Last fall
he and Meeks, the murdered man,
were arrested on charge of stealing
a herd of cattle from a farmers pas
ture and driving them to Purdin,
where, it is claim ed, it was their in
tention to ship to Chicago in the
night Meeks had his trial and was
sentenced to the penitentiary. Tay-
1or gave bond and his trial was put
off and 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 dangerous witness against
Taylor.
Thursday night William Taylor and
his brother, George, a farmer living
near Browning, drove to Milan, dis
lance of twelve miles, in a twO-se ted
buggy. 1t seems that the Taylor
brothers went to the home of Meeks
and called him outside the house.
Meeks went back into the house after
awhile and told his family he was
going away to leave the country and
that the Taylors were going to assist
him, and then the wife said II and the
children will go with you, Gus" They
all got ready and left with the
TaylOrs, so the child said yesterday.
George Taylor is prosperous farm
er living three miles from Browning.
Yesterday morning a little 7-year- old
girl craWled out of straw stack on
the Taylor farm and went across the
road to the farm house of Mr.. Gooch.
She pittifully told her story of how
she was awakened the night before
while riding along in her fathers
arms, of how she heard revolvers go
off and her parents scream. Then
some thing hit her on the head and
she said she went to sleep she guessed
and when she awoke she was in the
hay-stack. There was blood on her
clothing and a bruise on her head.
Before she had finished telling her
sorrowful story George Taylor, at
o'clock in the morning, was seen APP
preaching the straw stack with team
around the stack. The suspicion of
the Gooch family was aroused, and
they went out and told Taylor the
story of the little girl. Taylor at
once unhitched the team, and mount
ing one horse rode off on the run
toward Browning He went to Banker
TaylOr's home in Browning, and about
z clock the Taylor brothers were
seen riding out of town on horse back,
going eastward.
The bodies of Gus Meeks, his wife
and two children were found in the
straw stack, and upon an inquest be-
ing held it was found that the father
and mother had both been shot and
then beaten with some weapon or
club.
Although the Taylors left about 7
o'clock yesterday morning nobody
went in pursuit of them until after
noon. About that time Prosecuting
Attorney Bresnahan and Marshal
CrithfieId of this city were informed
and a posse was formed in this city,
going northeast, with view to head
ing off the fugitives. Whether they
viii be captured remains to be seen.
At this hour nothing has been heard
from the pursuers and pursued If
they reach the Macon county line they
will be in rough tim ber country and
STAND a gOOO snow OF getting away.
If they are caught short work will
certainly be made of them.
The farmers from the entire north
ern portion of the country have gone
out in pursuit and large rewards will
0e offered if they are not caught sOon-
Excitement is at a high pitch, as it is
the most diabelical crime ever COM
mitted in this part of Missouri.
Browning is a live little town of
about 1000 people For some time
past there has been a sort of feud
there between the two banks, one of
which was Taylor's, originally belong
ing to Morgan Leonard, capitalist and
farmer, highly respected, who died
the past year, leaving the bank in the
hands of Taylor, his son-in-law- The
first crime Taylor was arrested for
some three years ago, was oD charge
of raising check that passed through
his bank and bank at Kirksville.
Ever since that time Taylor. although
acquitted of that charge, has been
more or less under a cloud.