Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-07-25
The Blood on the Wagon.
TAYLOR'S ATTORNEYS WILL AD-
NIT THAT 1T WAS NOT
RED PAINT.
The Defense and the State Will Each
Have About One Hundred and
Fifty Witnesses on Hand
Ready for a Sec
ond Trial.

CARRoLLToN, Mo-, July 1S.-After a
consultation of As hours, the attorneys
for the defense in the second trial of
the Taylor brothers, charged with the
murder of the Meeks family, came in
to court at 8 O'Clock last night and
answered ready in this way: Col.
John B. Hale, leading counsel for the
defense, asked the court to grant an
order giving time to take the deposit
tions of several witnesses living in
Linn and Sullivan counties, who are
said to be sick and cannot come here.
Thomas N. Bresnehan, in charge of
the prosecution, offered no objection,
saying that he was willing the Tay-
lors should have all the witnesses
they wanted.
Judge Rucker then granted the Or
der for the dispositions of the follow
ing witnesses, to be taken next Mon
day: Mrs. Ed. Fowler, Mrs. w. E.
Chittum, Mrs. Anna Mcdonald and
Mrs. Mary Leonard. The defense in
tend to strengthen its proof on an
alibi by some of these witnesses.
Judge Rucker then instructed Sher-
if Stanley to summon 300 men as a
venire from which to select a jury,
and the men are to report in court at
1 O'Clock p. m. next Monday. Tuesday
and Wednesday will probably be
taken up in selecting a panel of 40.
According to the new law in this
State only "a hours a be occupied
in selecting a jury from the panel. So,
it may be Thursday morning of next
week before the jury of II is selected
and the taking of testimony begins.
The defense will have $50 witnesses
and the State about the same number
in this trial, which is expected to last
for ten days.
1t is generally understood that the
attorneys for the defense did not wish
to 60 to trial at this term of court, but
that the Taylor brothers were bent on
having a new trial Immediately, and
all the persuasive arguments of their
attorneys could not change their
minds.
"These Taylor brothers have more
nerve than l would have if placed in
their POSITION" said n of the at
torneys for the defense to a reporter.
Gone would naturally think that de-
lay would be to their advantage, but
both are determined to go to trial now.
Geo. Taylor made the remark: Il
want to 60 to trial now. IF there is
any hanging to be done, let it be done
as soon as possible. l might just as
well hang one time as another. To
HI with delay"
The Taylors have spent 7 months in
jail here, but they do not appear to
have suffered from their confinement.
Both are looking well. George has
shaved off his full beard, and now
wears a heavy mustache and black
sideburns.
1t is said the State will produce
eighteen new witnesses at this trial to
give testimony on n point alone,
and that is that they saw blood on the
wagon that was driven from the straw
stack to George Taylor's barnyard,
and which is said to have carried the
dead bodies of the Meeks family. The
defense at the other trial attempted
to prove that the red spots on the
wagon bed wer made by red paint;
but this time the defense will admit
that blood was or the wagon, but it
was hogs blood and not human blood.
Col. A. w. Myers, of Brookfield, at
torney for the defense, who is under
indictment charged with bribery at
the former trial, has not dropped out
of this case, as has been reported.
However, he was not present in court
here yesterday, and he does not seem
to be displaying so much energy as
before in the case.