The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-05-17
ONE DESPERATE LESS.
George Reeves Meets bis Fate!
WHILE TRYING TO KILL OFFICER.
Probable Result Of Z Plot.

On Saturday Sheriff Castrup anG
special deputy ]. p. Huther were
bringing to Jasper John and George
Reeves from the Indiana Reform.
atory, where they had BEEN taken
by order of Judge Ely, for safe keep
ing while a steel ceiling vas being
placed in the county Jail to make il
more secure. They were indicted
by the last grand jury for killing
officers John h. Gardner and VIM.
Cox on June 1,'lSS5, while the Of
ficers had them under arrest.
On Saturday night, about $50
O'Clock Sheriffs Castrup and Huther
got to Huntingburg with the pris-
oners on the Evansville accommo
dation, and were met at the station
by deputy Geo. Castrup, with a car
rage. Notwithstanding the night
was a very dark one it was deter
mined by the officers to bring the
prisoners to Jasper in the carriage.
The prisoners were noticed whisper
ing to each other JUS as they got 10
the back seat OF the carriage.
They were then handcuffed and a
strap put around them and fastened
together. Geo. Castrup drove the
horses, and J p. Hutner sat in the
front seat with him, while the pris-
oners we're in the rear seat, the Sher-
if sitting in the lap Of John Reeves.
About the Prior school house the
Sheriff thought he detected some
movement between them, and light
ing a match looked at them hut
could detect nothing.
At the Briarfield bridge, a der &C.
ly wooded locality about two miles
from Huntingburg, George Reeves,
the younger brother, jumped from
the carriage, having succeeded in
liberating himself from John, and
ran back in the middle Of the road.
As soon as he could Huther followed
him, but be had gainei 10 or 20
feet. Huther called to him to stop,
but he laughed at him, when Huther
shot at him with a revolver four
times, but only knowing his direc-
ton by sound Of foot falls as he
ran, failed to hit him. At probably
200 yards from the carriage Reeves
tried to CLIMB a bank at the side of
the road and Huther caught him by
the leg and pulled him back, w.ien
Reeves, who had released his left
hand from the handouts, tried to
strike Huther in the head with them,
but missed, ana then Huther, see
ing his life was in danger, shot
Reeves through the heart. After
the bullet had entered his heart his
desperate energy led him to try and
wrench the pistol from Huther's
grasp, and together they scuffled
and finally fell on the ground, when
Huther got the pistol loose from
Reeves grasp, and hit him over the
head with it twice. Reeves stretched
out on the road and Huther at first
thought he was merely stunned by
the blows on the head. By this
time George Castrup had come up,
and it was Immediately thought that
Reeves was dying.
Two neighbors who had been fish
ing, Benz. Sunderman and Chas.
HelmeIich, heard the shooting, and
went to see what it was about, and
Helmich was sent to Huntingburg
for DR.. Williams, while Geo. Cas-
trup and Sunderman kept a lon.ly
vigil by the body Of George Reeves,
and the Sheriff and Huther came on
TO Jasper with the remaining pris-
oner, John Reeves.
When DR.. Williams got to the
body it was as dead as it could be,
and the spirit had taken an appeal
to a higher court. The DR.. told
them to take the body to Jasper,
and a wagon was obtained, the body
taken to the Jail, where Coroner
Guckes held an inquest, examining
the Sheriff, Huther, Geo. Castrup,
DR.. Williams, Sunderman and John
Reeves. To all questions put by
the coroner to the latter he replied
that he did not know Geo. Reeves,
nor his pareLts, nor his age, nor
anything about him, or his past life,
although he was much affected by
his brothers. death, and went Bit
He afterwards said his at
torneys, Milburn & Sweeney, had
directed him not to talk any about
George, or himself, or give any tes-
Of any kind.
George was the younger one Of
the two, and was not married. He
was about 46 years old. Sunday
afternoon, after he was placed in his
coffin, with his coat on, showing