The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-21
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

| EEPUBI SPECIAL.
Springfield. III June ao-The terrible
, tragedy in Pike County. In which Fred
Mink. who is little more than bsardless
youth. shot down in cold blood farmer.
Newton ". Harris. and his own step
| mother. Mrs. Adam Mink. is attracting at
tention in expert circles throughout the
| State.
The affair presents the remarkable specta-
Gle Of a man travelling = distance c: 2.vv9
miles in order 10 avcnge himself an old
| neighbor for wrongs alleged 10 have been
sustained in childhood. and on a relative,
whose taunts ranked in his bras; ali the
more fiercely because Of the distance inter-
| vening.
Fred Mink Travelled all the way from
Walla Walla. Wash. where he was en-
| ployed ON ranch. half way across the
| AM rican- continent. in orde. 20 appease the
| fierce passions which he hal nursel during
a year of supposed exile from home. Ar
irving in Pike County last Saturday night
he went to the nome OF his first enemy,
Newton ", Harris. and stood vigil from Il
o'clock at night until nearly : O'Clock next
morning behind q hedge. where he could
| command a view of the farmers outbu!d-
inCs
When Harris appeared he covered him
with his rifle and called out: Well. Newt,
have Gene rack to settle with you.' Be
fore the astonished farmer could reply Mink
shot him through heart. ana supplemented
| the first fatal bullet with five others, all of
which penetrated vital parts.
In answer to the screams of Newton Har-
Kiss wife and daughter. who We're attracted
h. w. i,,,1f. fh.Air
heads and quietly walked away. The
women failed to recognize the desperate.
Every one supposed that he was still in
Washington. An old enemy of the Harris
family. Thomas Nash of Pittsfeld. was
placed under arrest. but quickly proved an
alihi before the Coroner'S jury.
All day Sunday Mink lay hid in his faith
er's orchard. waiting Il chance to settle
accounts with his stepmother. as he termed
ii. Officers of the law who We're at work
on the case passed within Il dozen feet OF
the young man as b. lay waiting for an
opportunity TO strike.
The opportunity for which Mink was
waiting came at suppertime. when from his
place of hiding he saw the family gather
around the dining table. He left his re-
treat and walking unconcernedly up to the
kitchen door. threw the screen open and.
addressing Mrs. Mink said: You old
devil its your turn now" Before any of
the family could lift a hand the terrible
rife spoke again. and the aged woman sank
without a cry in heap upon the floor.
bullet had entered her head between th-
eyes and passed entirely through
FATHER AND SON QUARREL
OVER DEAD BODY.
The desperate stepped back into the yard.
mopped his brow and took a drink from
the well. Then he entered the house. threw
his hat aside and took seat at the dining
table. with the intention of talking with
his father, who had been made speeches.
by the tragedy.
scene ensued between the father and
son which is probably without a parallel
in the history of crime. AS soon the
older man could find the power of speech
he began to upbraid the young outlaw in
a manner which. under the circumstances,
was peculiar.
You killed Harris he cried. and then
the fathers temper got the best of him.
ard he began calling his son names, the
most opprobrious of which he could think
When the elder Mink was finally quoted
grief took possession of him. He piteously
begged the son to shoot him. The young
man replied that he had killed all that he in
tended to. and the purpose of his visit had
been accomplished.
IN CdIStS WHICH "
the Pike County tragedy the officials and
those who are in position to know believe
that the making of the desperate is due to
his reading of trashy literature.
Old neighbors of the Mink family in the
New Salem neighborhood claim that Mink
In his chool days he was an eager reader
of stories dealing with the exploits OF the
James boys and other outlaws of the West
ern border. So firm hold did this class
of literature yaf tha nd Of ,t,a
that to be like one of the doubtful heroes
of his favorite books became u passion with
him
Under the influence of these tales of ad-
venture. Mink. when only a lad, equipped
himself with firearms and set about to
make himself proficient in their use, He s,Ic-
ceeded to the limit of his expectations
So expert did he become in the use of
rife and revolver that it was favorite
trick of his to aStonish his neighbors by
throwing a corn cob into the air and SPLIT
it in two with bullet it descended. His
exploits with arms gained for him consid-
cradle notOriety in Pike County
When Mink went to Walla Wala Wash
a little more than a year ago to join a
brother. who was employed on a ranch at
that place, he was thrown into the very
heart of the country which was wrought up
over the exploits of the outlaw. Tracy 1t
Is probable that the stories concerning
Tracy exploits which circulated among the
employees Of the ranches at Walla walla
were the direct precursors of the Pike
County tragedy. The young man. who went
to Washington because he could not get
along with his step-mother was fired with
Z desire for revenge.
The feelings caused by absence from the
home of his boyhood. instead of finding the
usual vent in inconsistencies. took the form
OF violent hatred and u desire to be re-
venged As the months passed this thought
became uppermost in the young mans
mind. At this time he wrote back repeatedly
to his father that when he got in the proper
shape he would come back and even up mat
tiers.
His opportunity came this spring. when
he became of age, and when his guardian.
Jacob d. Hess of Pittsield. sent him a
check for $50, his part of his mothers es-
tate. left him at her death. when he was a
small lad. Mink lost no time. but got his
affairs in shape in Washington. purchased
spring lever. repeating Colts 45-caliber
rifle and two Ss-caiiber revolvers. together
with an ammunition belt. i
Mink arrived at Maysville. little sta
ton on the main line of the Wabash a few
miles from Pittsfeld, at o'clock Saturday
night. He employed a young man named
Dan Durham of Maysville to take him to
the New Salem neighborhood. When the
two arrived about go yards from the Har-
ris residence. Mink got out OF the rig and