The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-04-13
A HING r

The jury, before which William and
George Taylor were tried, at Carroll
ton, for the murder Of the Meeks
family, failed TO agree upon n verdict.
and were discharged.
No crime in the recent history Of
Missouri has created as much indigna-
ton as has the cruel and brutal murder
OF the Meeks family. The chain Of
evidence was complete. When the
case was turned over to the jury not a
link in the chain was missing. There
was not the slightest reason to question
the guilt of the prisoners at the bar.
That the Taylor brothers murdered the
Meeks family, in cold blood, was
proven beyond the p%eradventure of a
doubt. The defense did not contro-
vert a single allegation but notwith-
standing this fact. the jury stood seven
for conviction and five for acquittal.
Their verdict, viewed in the light Of
morality and right, is a travesty upon
justice; a shame, a disgrace, and a
blot upon the escutcheon of civiliza-
ton.
With hell in their hearts, the Taylor
brothers went to the humble home of
the Meeks family and murdered them
in cold blood. Prompted by malice,
conceived in the blacklist iniquity, and
nurtured In criminal hearts, these
villainous assassins performed their
mission.
1t is hard to conceive of inst what
motives could actuate men to commit
SO vile a crime. It Is hard to believe
that men, possessed of immortal souls,
could sink so low in the scale of
humanity as to commit such a crime.
Base and degenerate must have been
the characters; vile and contemplate
must have been the hearts that would
have led men into the commission of
80 dastardly a deed.
Every particle Of the testimony
pointed TO the guilt of the Taylor
brothers; every suggestion Of justice
demanded that they should pay the
penalty of their crime tho welfare of
home, of church and of state demanded
it; society and the inalienable rights
of freedom demanded il; civilization
demanded it.
While it is hard to conceive of what
motive could have actuated the Tay-
Tors, it is still harder to conceive, In
the light of the law and the evidence,
the motives that actuated five Ameri-
can freemen, sworn to do their duty, to
vote to restore to the Taylors life, lib
erty and the pursuit of happiness. 1t
has been strongly urged that they were
bribed, aud in the light Of facts, this
seems to be the most charitable con-
struction to be placed upon their
actions, though uncharitable that son.
struction be. The verdict, chung
jury" is no less a blot upon Carroll
county than it IS upon civilization.
Such verdicts are damnable in their
influence, and such delays incentives
to crime.
All homicide is not murder. In the
preservation of life, man Is sometimes
Justified in taking the life Of his fellow
man but In this instance there IS no
code OF ethics that will excuse the five
men from viewing the evidence Impair
iialiy and rendering a verdict in accord
Herewith.
These comments are made upon the
basis of the evidence, as 1t was pub
lishcd In the daily papers. If the
evidence was reported right-and we
doubt not that IL was-no zane man,
prompted by right motives, could pro-
nonnce The Taylor brothers innocent,
and no honest juror could vote ''noi
guilty"
The Taylor brothers will be tried
again, and II is hoped that justice will
mete out its reward.