Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1894-06-29
Surrender Of the raylors.

Ever since May, 10th when tn
Taylor Bros. murdered the entir'
Meeks family, except little Nellie
near Browning, in Linn county, thu
newspapers OF the state have beer
filled with thrilling accounts OF the
close pursuit and momentarially
expected capture of the red-handed
murderers. Sheriffs and their depu'
ties, United States deputy marshals,
detectives, professional imam hunt.
ers" OF every kind, age, description
and nationality, singly and in conn
panies, secured the vicinity Of the
murder for weeks, harassing the
citizens along the route and sending
to the daily press lying reports oi
the signs OF "the game" and slander'
ing the people Of Linn county and OF
Browning and vicinity in particular.
There is a psychological phenome-
non that always attends the pursuit
OF the perpetrators OF q great crime
that, to US, inexplicable. For q
mania for exaggeration, IL not for
lying, seems to possess every man
who engages in the pursuit OF the
criminal. What is it that produces
this insanity for lying? Do the
demons that inhabited the criminal
and urged him to the crime, disperse
to 60 into his pursuers to distract
their councils and put them on the
wrong track? Or does the deed
itself 90 work upon the popular
imagination that every stump be-
comes a lurking assassin, and every
breeze spirit voices pointing out the
path Of pursuit? Or, is it simply
the innate, natural braggadocio
and eussedness OF human nature
that makes a man boast of his own
prowees and then invent facts TO
sustain that prowess9 Whatever
may be the cause, one thing is
certain that It has almost paced
into q proverh that 'TaIl professionsf
police officers and detectives are
lars" and so great is our belief in
it's truth that we would hesitate to
convict any man Of great crime on
the unsupported testimony of men
whose business it is to ferret out
crime. These observations are not
intended to throw doubt on the
guilt of the Taylors, for the proof
OF their guilt or innocence rests upon
no such unsubstantial ground. We
were merely calling attention to the
utterly foundasionless and purely
sensational reports with which the
press has been filed for more than q
month, concerning the imaginary
pursuit of these men.
Every official report that has
reached the public up to yesterday
morning has invariably located the
Taylors uear the scene Of their crime.
But the real facts In the case are that
the Tsylors at once escaped from
the county, went to Springfield, Mo-,
and from there went to the vicinity
Of Buffalo City, Ark, where they re-
mained until last Saturday. On
that day, while they were making
some purchases in the town, they
were recognized by Hon. j. c. South,
and readily, at his request, surrend-
cred to him. Mr.. South, on Monday
brought them with him to Little
Rock, Ark, and from there they will
be taken to st. Louis where they will
be surrendered to Sheriff Barton, OF
Linn county.
There seems to be no doubt as to
the identity OF the men now under
arrest with the long sought Taylor
Bros. VIM. p. and George Z.
We suppose it is unnecessary to
state that the Taylors deny their |
guilt, and assert most positively |
their innocence. They only fed
when they heard mob was in pur-
suit, and to escape the fury of the
mob. It is hoped the passions OF
the people have now cooled enough |
TO permit the courts to assume their |
proper function, and pass upon the
II =