Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-05-07

formation that Bill Taylor had re-
ceived letter from his wife while in
jail at Kansas City, stating that George
was near the Minnis home, caused
Sheriff Stanley to send a posse of
deputy sheriffs on hunt for the fugi-
tive murderer.
This execution is the end of won
derful case. For almost two years Mis-
souri, has had the Taylor case on hand.
First came the murder of the Meeks
family, father, mother and children;
then the discovery of the crime and
the flight of the Taylors; their cap
ture and return to Missouri; two trials
in the Circuit Court; the appeal to
the Supreme Court; the escape of
George Taylor; the attempt to secure
a writ of error from the United States
Supreme Court, and finally the re-
quest to Governor Stone to grant
respite for few days.
1t was late yesterday afternoon
when Taylor first realized his near
ness to death and told Colonel Hale
that he might invite the ministers to
see him. Yesterday morning three
ministers called on Bill, but he was
not ready to talk, and all he would
say was that he was ready to die and
did not want spiritual help. At 4:30
Father Kennedy called and had quite
a talk with Bill and he consented to
be baptized. The ordinance was ad-
ministered in the presence of several
Deputy Sheriffs and DR.. Tull.
Yesterday morning at s O'Clock
Stanley purchased new suit of clothes
and much against his will Taylor was
stripped and clothed in his new garb.
The Sheriff was fearful that poison
might possibly be secreted in the
clothes Bill had on.
Colonel Hale had long talk with
his client and informed him that the
end was drawing near, and if he want
ed to communicate with the outside
world he should do SO. After Colonel
Hale left Taylor called for paper and
ink. All day he was filling sheet af-
ter sheet with no one knows what.
No one bothered him and he wrote
away unmolested. The manuscript
may be directions about business mat
ters and again it may be confession;
yet he protested his innocence as
strongly as he did the first day he
was placed in the Carrollton Jail. In
fact, he made statement giving the
same old theory as to how Gus Meeks
was killed. He said:
"Gus was waylaid by someone who
wanted to rob him of the 1000 that it
was rumored / was to pay him. l
was in my bank until 10 O'Clock that
night, and a dozen people could tes-
tify to that fact if they would"
Yesterday morning at 10 O'Clock
Taylor was shaved and prepared for
the morrow. This made change in
his appearance, his side whiskers
having been cut off. -..
At the time Taylor was being shaved
Sheriff Stanley was testing the rope.
A sand bag weighing $50 pounds was
dropped ten feet, but it hardly strain
ed the rope. This was done twice in
order to make sure. The rope is of
hemp and seven-e -eighths of an inch in
diameter. 1t was purchased of Mar
shall Keshlear of Kansas City. He had
it to hang Pollard and Harris, the two
murderers who have been respited
three times by the Governor. There
were over 100 witnesses of the test.
They hardly made sho " in the stock
ade, ,itbeing built to hold over 500
people. Crowds continue to visit the
Jail, many ladies being there to see the
scaffold.
Deputy Sheriff Shelton, who had
charge of the Taylors tor over a year,
when asked to-day if Bill Taylor had
ever lost his nerve, said only twice
that he knew of. When attorneys
Conkling and Lozier informed the
Taylors of the Supreme Court decis-
ion, George did not move a muscle,
but the sweat broke out on Bill's brow
and, wipe it away as much as he
would, it kept coming. Again, when
attempting to escape and Shelton
threw his gun in Taylor's face, he
wilted, and his nerves seemed to go
to pieces. Except the two instances
mentioned, he had at all times been
the same cold man.
Tuesday Bill wrote letter to his
| wife and Sheriff Allen of Linn county
took it to her yesterday. He was un-
able to see her and sent it to her by
mail last night, but knew nothing new
about what the Taylors expect to do.
| The train from the north brought in
over $50 passengers last night from
Linn and Sullivan counties. Among
the passengers were old lady Meeks
and her son, Jim. Mrs. Taylor, the
mother of Bill, came down on the train
as far as Bogard. She got off the
train at that point and it is supposed
that she went to the residence of D
Minnis near that place. The Sheriff
sent number of deputies to that part
of the county last night with the ex-
pectation of finding George Taylor
This is the part of the county in which
George has been seen several times.
Tuesday the Taylor family sent w
o. Beckett of Pudding here to take
charge of Bill's remains. A metallic
casket will be sent from st. Louis anG
the body will be shipped to Laclede
and taken to the Young graveyard
burial.