Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-05
A MARROW ESCAPE.


a Mob Gathers ut Brookfeld, MO-. 90
Lynch the Taylors for the Murder OF the
Meeks F1mfly-The Sheriff Gets Wind o.
Their Intention and Jails His Prisoners ~
Mac0n-Vin be Lynched II Taken 10 Linn
County.
BRooKFIELD, Mo-, June o9.-"Be care
full; there are traitors with YOU inns
message, signed by prominent citizen
of Brookfeld. was all that saved
the TAYLOR brothers from dangling
at the end of rope last n'shC.
Just before Sheriff Barton lei.
st. Louis with his prisoner, he wlreo
to Linneus that he was en- route anu
would arrive at Brookfeld at p. M.
Two of the men who accompanied MN
wired to Milan and Browning the ln1or'
nation:
1.-The Taylors will be at Brookfeld al
tonight
When the train arrived at Monroe
Sheriff Barton received the first quoted
message and two others, one signed py
Jailer Gerrett, of Linneus. and the
other by a man named Westgate,
advising him not to come to Linn
county, as it was reported that a mop
was forming at Milan and Browning
The three messages, but particularly
the first one, decided the sheriff. he
at once announced that he would place
the prisoners in the Macon county jail,
which he did Mr.. South, who cap
tured the prisoners, came on to Brook
field, and tomorrow will go to Lin
neus to collect his reward, and to as
certain the feeling of the people.
When the train pulled into Rockford
there were nearly a Thousand people
congregated at the depot. AS soon as
the party alighted, County Attorney
Pierce of Sullivan County was sur
rounded and the demand made:
Where are they? Where are they?''
When informed that the Taylors had
been left at Macon City, the sarcastic
remark was made by some one in the
crowd: There is no danger here.
The men would have been safe"
Three minutes later twenty-five
armed and masked mounted men rode
at breakneck speed down the main
street to the depot, with the evident
intention of lynching the prisoners.
A number of wagon loads of armed
men also arrived at the same time.
L
not on the train. but did not belive it
until they heard it from friends who
had preceded them.
The masked men then removed the
handkerchiefs from their faces and
took their horses to the livery stable to
be watered and fed. They were de-
termined-looking lot of men, and came
here for business.
One of the riders said they were all
from Browning and Milan. He was
asked how many were in the mob, and
replied that including those who came
to town quietly during the afternoon
there We're about 300.
South, the captor of the Taylors, was
surrounded by eager crowds, all want
ing to know the particulars of the
capture. He assured them all that the
men came along peaceably and were
willing to stand trial, all they asked
being fair chance.
''They want to earn an honest living
for their families, "groaned several peo-
pie in chorus.
From the demonstrations here to-
night it is safe to assume that the Tay-
lors will be lynched should they be
brought to Linn county.
After a consultation between Sher-
ifs White of Macon, Barton of Linn,
and Winters of CRANKY, it was decided
to take the Taylor boys out of the city
and they were placed on the
south-bound Wabash train late
tonight. Their destination has
been kept secret, as it is feared an at
tempt may be made to intercept them.
1t is believed here that they will be
returned to st. Louis.