The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-10
Was Anxious to See His Sisters, Who
Had just Come from st. Louis, BE-
fore Ending His Existence.
DAY OF EXCITING INCIDENTS
WILD CHASE OVER THE MARTIN
COUNTY HILLS AND RAvINEs.
He Had Called on Several Nearby
Farmers-The Final ROund-Up on
the Farm OF His Uncle.
to the indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
LOOGOOTEE, Ind, June 9.-Arthur Ly-
ons. the young man who so brutally muir
dered his stepmother. Mrs. Joel Lyons.
last Thursday night, and had since been
a fugitive. his hand against every man
and every mans hand against him, shot
and killed himself this afternoon at 4:S0
o'clock after an exciting chase of five
days. The bullet entered his body through
the left nipple and passed through his
heart, killing him almost instantly. The
killing occurred in a small woods, within
a hundred yards OF the home OF John
Goldsberry, his uncle. where young Lyons
was surrounded and hemmed in by a band
of enraged farmers.
Sheriff George w. Holsapple and posse
OF over one hundred men had been pursu-
ing the fugitive all day yesterday, last
night and to-day. Young Lyons called at
the home OF several of the farmers in the
Goldsberry hollow and told them of his in
tention of killing himself before allowing
the posse to capture him. Last night he
went to he home of a farmer named Por-
ter and as ked for glass of milk, which he
said was the only food he had been able to
get for the past five days.
HAD BEEN MISTREATED.
To-day noon he called at the home of
Daniel Brock, a few miles distant from
the Porter home, and said that he wanted
TO give his reason for killing his stepmoth-
er. He said she had mistreated him badly
and had induced his father to disinherit
him. About twenty minutes later he ac-
costed Ellis Gather. who lives farther
down the hollow and told him he
wanted to kill Al Reichman, a young
man OF the neighborhood. who was
formerly a lover of young Lyons's sister
but had Tilted her. He procured a photo
graph of young Reichman and. putting a
bullet hole through the heart, sent it to
Reichman about l o'clock. He then went
down the hollow toward Relchman's home
but was intercepted by the posse and in
stead made an attempt to reach the home
of his father, Joel Lyons, about one and
one-half miles over the hill.
This part of the country is very wild and
hilly, full of dense ravines. making il
doubly hard for the searchers to follow
the fugitive. 1t is thought that Lyons's
object in making for his fathers home was
a desire to see his two sisters. who
came from st. Louis yesterday. To
do this he had TO cross a small
clearing where his uncle. Tom Goldsberry,
and Fred Blake were blowing corn. He had
scarcely got out of the field when the van
Of the angry posse appeared. They tried to
get information from Goldsberry and Blake
as TO Lyons's course, but failed. They then
placed the two men under arrest, and were
told that Lyons had just crossed the road
into a wood of about fifteen acres, heavily
studded with white oak and underground,
in the center of which was large hill. The
posse. now one hundred strong. stationed
guards around the tract, and sent band
OF men in to beat the brush.
When four or five of them, led by j. w.
Hun and William Mccormick, reached the
top of the hill. they heard a rustling of
leaves in a dense clump of bushes. Nc
Cormick demanded who's there?" and. re-
ceiving no reply, the barrels OF a dozen
pistols. aimed toward the clump OF bushes.
cleaned in the evening sunlight.
KILLED HIMSELF.
A second challenge was given, but before
81 was fully uttered a shot rang out through
the woods and the body OF young Lyons
stretched itself out on the leaves, gave a
gasp and then lay quiet When the men
reached him his pulse had ceased to beat,
and one of the most exciting man hunts
this State has ever known had come TO a
sudden and tragic end. Lyons killed him
self with .SS-caliber Swith & Wesson
revolver, using only one cartridge.
The Goldsberry hollow is about twelve
miles northeast of Loogootee and is the
widest country in this part of the State.
Lyons was surrounded many times. but
succeeded in escaping through the dense
underbrush and thickets. and by hiding in
the ravines. The tragedy has caused the
greatest excitement In this part of the
country. and is the sole topic OF conversa-
ton. II is thought by many that Lyons
had an accomplice in his work, but nothing
definite is known.
The whole trouble Is the result of q
family feud growing out OF the marriage
OF Joel Lyons and Adeline Cannon. while
he was engaged to Sarah Pruitt. Joel Ly-
ons's first wife was Miss Melinda Colds
berry, from which marriage there resulted
three children Arthur, Sarah and Edward.
Mrs Lyons died, and two years later Joel
Lyons married Sarah Hedrick. who died a
short time after. In the meantime the
sister OF Lyons's first wife had married a
Mr.. Pruitt who died several years later.
Joel Lyons :hen fell I'm love with Pruitt s
widow and became engaged TO her.
About the time the marriage was ex-
pected 70 take place Lyons suddenly mar
Tied Adeline Cannon. This caused the en-
nifty OF the Goldsberry and Pruitt families.
and they induced the children OF Lyons to
leave home. To retaliate, Lyons decided sll
his property to his last wife. The feeling