Evening journal., 1897-09-23
OLD NANCY'S BROOD.
Terrible Crimes Of the stafnebaclk
Family.
THE BENDERS ARE OUTBENDEUED.
Evidence Secured OF Six Murders aud
Possibility That Total Of FIFTY May
BE Ascribed TO the Inmates
of the Galena Den.

"a wv NtAtA" HNHs
GAIENA. Kan. Sept. 23.-The first
act of mob violence against the Stafiie-
back family has been committed. The
old den known as the Stafiieback house
was burned to the eround by indignant
citizens.
About 40 men quietly went to the
scene where so many murders. robber-
les and other crimes had been commit
ted, saturated the old house with kero-
sene and applied the torch. No alarm
was turned in until the house was near
ly burned to the ground. and then the
fire department made no effort 10 eXtin-
guish the flames.
The work of searching for the bodies
Of men and women murdered by the
Staflieback family stopped three days
ago for the lack of funds, but the coun-
ty attorney has ordered the search con-
tinued in another shaft, and the county
will now bear the expense of prosecut-
ing the search, which has heretofore
been borne by the committee Of safety.
Workmen are still pumping out the
mine shafts at Pickers point in search
of more Of the victims of Nancy stat
febaclTs hell brood" for It is believed
that the StaflebaclS boys. whose crimes
for multiplicity and atrocity rival If
they do not surpass those OF the Ben
der family, have made the abandoned
mine shafts serve as graves for many
a murdered man.
SO far, evidence of six murders, be-
lieved to have been committed by the
Stahlebacks, have been secured, and un-
der the pressure of the determined In
vestigation now going on some new
horror is added to the frightful record
daily.
II is believed that at least so undis-
covered murders would be recorded IL
all the shafts at Pickers point were
pumped out. For many years they
have served as the dumping ground for
as desperate and criminal an element as
exists anywhere on earth.
The StafHebacks were seven in num-
ber-Nancy the mother; Ed, George
Mike, Cora, Louisa and Emma. Cora
Is Georges wife.
The murder that led to the downfall
Of Mother Nancy, and the others oc-
Cured on the night of June 10.
Frank Galbraith. miner, was muir
dered by Ed and his body thrown into
an old shaft.
A stranger passing lnIoubu AAS N'NAi
on July 90 peering down into the shaft,
saw a body floating on the water. He
notified the police. and the body was
recovered and identified. In the mean
time Anna McCourt. Rosie Bayne and
Cora had left the place and were living
at Joplin.
Sheriffs Deputies G. l.. Raines, Late
Roe and L. NJ. Radley. known as the
nerviest men in Lawrence county were
at work on the mystery, and to them
goes the reward offered by the gov
ernor.
These three decided to arrest the
whole Stameback gang, and the round
up was done on the night of July 30
only Charles Wilson eluding the officers,
while Louisa, too III TO be moved, died
the next day. Cora says Il was the re-
suit of a criminal operation.
1t was not until George and Ed Staf-
fleback were convicted of murder I'm the
first degree and Mother Nancy OF muir
der in the second degree for the killing
Of Frank Galbraith that Cora and the
other inmates Of the place began TO tell
the story that led to the revelations OF
murder simply blood curdling.
Cora told Of three murders, and Rosa
Bayne added her mite.
The six nurders known to have been
done by this precious family have not
netted 800 in booty to them.