Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-06-17
Mortimer the Murderer.
HE SAYS HE FIRED The SHOT
THAT KILLED OLD MAN
SAMUEL APGAR.
Mortimer Was the Leading Member of
the Notorious Gang Known ss
THE Royal Nine" Now
Serving a Fifty-Year
Sentence.

Sentence.
The old saying that "murder viii
out" has been substantiated once
more. On the morning of Tuesday,
April II, 1883, at 2:3O O'Clock Samuel
Apgar was attracted to the door of his
house on West Anderson street in this
city, by some noise, and shot, dying in
about two minutes. After long and
laborious legal fights George Morti-
mer, colored, pleaded guilty to murder
in the second degree and between
pleading and the time of his sentence
being passed he swore to a story that
put the guilt on John Miller, also
colored. Mortimer was given fifty
years in the penitentiary.
John Miller was tried and on Satur-
day, June %, 1889, a verdict of guilty
of murder in the first degree was
brought in against him by the follow
ing jury: ]. F. Barnaby, foreman; ].
III. Worshann, j. NJ. Pearson. ID. W.
Hill, T. j. Seal, W. B. Scott, w. W.
Bolts, j. o. Scroggins, Thomas Raj
terry, R. 8. Fletcher, H. Slavens and
Joseph Lockridge.
On the Monday following q motion
for a new trial was made by Judge
W. o. Forrist and w. A. Edmonston,
attorneys for the defense. The mo-
ton came up for argument on the
Monday following and was by the
court overruled. Sentence was pass
ed by the court on Tuesday and was as
follows:
"John Miller, you will be taken back
to Jail, there to remain until Friday,
August 16, on which day you will be
hanged by the neck until you are
dead"
At the same time sentence of fifty
years in the penitentiary was passed
upon George Mortimer. That a bill OF
exceptions might be prepared Judge
Hughes put the day of execution of
until August %, and later granted a
stay of execution in the case until the
Supreme Court could render an opin-
ion, which was given in the spring
of 1890. The Supreme Court reversed
the opinion of the lower court and q
new trial was secured.
Mortimer was now in the pen and
could not testify against Miller and
his former testimony could not be
used because Mortimer was yet living,
so the matter was finally compromised
by Miller pleading guilty to two
charges of burglary and was sentenced
to six years in the penitentiary, and
upon serving three-fourths of his time
was released-four and a half years of
imprisonment. Miller never showed
up in Mexico after his release.
MORTIMER THE MURDERER.
Now comes the sequel to the story.
A short time ago Messrs. w. A. Ed
monston and @. @. Davis were in JEFF
ferson City and concluded to call at
the p~enitentiary and have a talk with
| Mortimer, who was called to the con-
sultation room, and after an hours
taib nnnfassad that IT WAS he. not Mil
Ter, who shot Mr.. Apgar; that he tes-
titled against Miller to save his own
neck. He said: "John Miller was with
me and u object was burglary. Mil
Ter did all the planning both before and
after the murder of Apgar; that is, he
advised the burning and hiding of the
stolen goods which we had on hand at
the time of the murder. I stood about
six feet from Apgar when he opened
the door and it was then that l shot. l
did not know whether I had hit him
or not at the time"
HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
Samuel Apgar, aged SO years, was
shot and killed at his home on West
Anderson street at 2:30 O'Clock Tues
day morning, April II. The ball fired
from a 22-calibre revolver entered his
breast to the right of the breast bone,
between the second and third ribs and
ranged to the left.
Coroner Cave impanelled q jury
composed of W. X. Potts, foreman; j.
B. Botkin, j. T. Coons, A. j. Surber,
A. F. Sneed and 8. P. Ragsdale, and at
$3.50 O'Clock Tuesday morning the in
quest began. Mrs. Apgar, the wife,
testified as follows: ~ was awakened
by a pistol shot about 2:30 O'Clock In
tho noanr,fnp on1 than couv yn-
husband stagger through the door be-
tween the bedroom and the kitchen.
He said: Ma, Pm shot, and fell to
the floor. ! ran to the front door and
screamed and Mr.. Jake Flora, who
lives across the street ,came to my as
sistance. The kitchen safe in the
summer kitchen was ransacked, but
nothing was missing. Only one shot
was fired. MI. Andy Surber arrived
soon after Mr.. Flora. Ihave a daugh-
ter working at the Ringo Hotel and a
married daughter, Mrs. Dugan, who
lives in the West building on Wash
ington street. Her husband was In
Louisiana and did not get along well
with my husband"
1t was thought for awhile that
Dugan may have done the shooting,
but Sheriff Atchison went to Louisiana
and it "A learned that he was in
Louisiana all that night.
The funeral of the murdered man
vas conducted by Rev. @. H. McDer-
mond at 2 O'Clock Wednesday. Han
cock Post, G. A. R., had charge of the
funeral.
On Friday, April 20, officer James
Marshall arrested George Mortimer
for robbery. A. M. Trimble, dealer In
second hand goods, brought q watch
to Mark Pitcher for repairs, and ic was
recognized as being one which was
stolen from Frank Tucker several
months before.
Trimble pointed out the man, Ben
Crawford, a colored porter for the
Ferris Hotel, as the n who sold him
the watch. 1t was learned that Geo.
Mortimer had disposed of the watch to
Crawford. Upon being arrested Nor
timer, after some confusion, stated
that he had bought the watch from
gilaa Eauratt- alao colorad Eaucatf