The Red Cloud chief., 1899-06-30
A CONFESSION At HARTVLLE
Nigh Makes a Written Statement
Concerning Macomb Robbery.
FIVE HAVE BEEN CONVICTED.
Kennedy ri,n,ed IL, the Confeuor Says
Nil sentcnos Tweivs Year-sbsp-
ard Was Given Ten Ysar.-Byrum
win q, Free

HARTvILIr. Mo-, June %, Joseph
Shepard. the train robber, was sen.
fenced to ten years Imprisonment
yesterday afternoon, and Lewis Nigh
pleaded guilty this morning without
trial and took n sentence Of twelve
years The case against Elmer BY
rum. the confessor, was dismissed by
the state, and Oscar Rays Ease was
continued to the next term of court.
To-day Wright county's record for
justice Is clear. Five of the robbers
who held up the Kansas City, Fort
Sco:t Il Memphis train ut Macomb on
jar aary . are Ia Jail under sentences
VARYING from ten to twenty years.
The continuance OF Oscar Rays case
il merely another form OF releasing
him. lie Is not brigh. AMI the gem
eral disposition OF the judge aud law
vera is to allow him to remain under
parole indefinitely. Elmer Byrum has
removed his family to lla-tville and
lie will GO to farming soon and try to
forget John Kennedy and "Bill" Jcn-
nings.
Tho following Is the confession
made by Nigh and given to the editor
of tho Hartville Democrat for publ
cation this afternoon:
Editor Hartvillc Democrat: I de-
sire to make the following statement
through the columns of your paper.
First, because l have o been cor.
rectly reported, and secondly, I want
to give warning to my ncighbors and
fellow beings against submitting or
giving way to the intrigucs aui per.
suasions OF violators OF law and NOR.
atty.
II was born In Pickaway county. O
ls4G My parents moved to Illinois aud
then to Barton county, Mo, wlcr, |
lived sixteen years, two miles nu.sh
OF Lamar. ! moved from Tiers to
Douglas county and have lived thsre
ever since. This Is the fist. tim, /
was ever In Jail In my life. I never
was in the green goods business, nor
did mortgage my farm TO get money
to buy green goods. | mor,gaged it
to got money to buy loo acres more
land to put my farm in better shane.
Kennedy came to my house last
December. had never seen him be.
o or had any communication with
him Hc stayed over night at my
house. l found him agreeable. pleas.
ant aud persuasive. On the morning
OF the second day he told me that he
was Kennedy, the quail hunter and
That he was accused of many train
~robbcries, and that train robbing was
the easiest thing imaginable and no
danger In the world; that they some
times got $50. 00o or $40, 900 from a
train.
Kennedy said that the hills around
Macomb were the most inviting place
to rob a train and get away he ever
saw. Seeing that l gave him n listen
ing ear, he came bodily out and made
me n proposition to- take me in as
householder. stating that his two pals
would be down In n few days to do
The job, and they only wanted the
fourth man to hold the horses. lie
promised me no one would be shot or
hurt in one Of these excursions. NV
son-in-law overheard our talk and
came to me and said: Nigh, you are
too old to go into that business; let
me take your place, know all abou,
II arrangements, as l overheard you
and the stranger talk it.
III told Kennedy and Kennedy made
u place for Byrum in the holdup. The
facts are as Dyrum testified to. | was
holding the horses at the grave yard
when they discovered the dynamite
was frozen and they sent me ahead TO
build the fire and thaw IL out.
Kennedy said the engineers very
often received a part OF the booty ana
no had given one fellow 500. He
said 1t helped to keep n fellow from
being identified and that tho engineer
and fremen n night told him that
they had the wrong train. 1t would
DO n water haul. Kennedy told me
he would never servo his sentence, as
his pals would be compelled TO raise
Vie amount of his bond. As far rs |
know the engineer and fireman on the
train we held up were all right, but
Kennedy says he has u great many
friends, tircmen and engineers. that
would not give him away.
"All l know about that green goods
business In Douglas county is that u
man by the name Of Whitaker, who
lives In Hunter, is at the head OF il
oil, and this knowledge is from n
number that he has faced. | vas
one Of an organized gang who once
started to drive him out OF the coun-
try. Tho railroad has gotten all there
was in these cases do not know OF
any false swearing by their men. but
they have put q false light on u mum.
Der of my friends.
''Fegiey and Kennedy made arrange.
ments not known to the rest OF us.
In fact. Kennedy took the precautio,
to make all arrangements with his
men separately and before the work
was done got them together. Kenne'
dy was the originator and instigator
of the whole affair and arranged the