Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-06-15
The Garten Affairs.

who were here at the time John Garten
was implicated in the murder of a girl
on Cedar Creek west Of this city in the
latter part of the 70's:
Word comes from the Territory that
Bill Garten. formerly of Barber coun-
ty, had shot two men in Woodward
county, Oklahoma. One of the men by
the name of Funkhouser is probably
fatally wounded and we suppose is
dead by the time this is written. The
other man Craig, was shot through
tie heart and instantly killed. Garten
escaped, but posse is IN perSuit and
have probably, captured him by this
time. Bill Garten was in the habit of
| getting crazy drunk whenever he could
get where liquor could be had and dis
slpation had probably affected his
brain. lie had been married few
years, but on account of his drinking
habits there was domestic trouble and
a separation. 1t seemed that lGarten
conceived the notion that he had cause
for jealousy of FunkhouSer and
Craig, and the determination was
formed in his liquor crazed brain to
kill both Of them.
This brings to mind one of the sad
dest tragedies that ever occurred in
Southwestern Kansas, and IL that case,
as in this, whiskey was the direct cause
Of the trouble. Twenty Eve years ago
a young fellow by the name of Garten
AN uncle we believe Of the murderer,
Bill Garten-came to Medicine Lodge
one day aud filled up on the vile liquor
at that time sold in the little frontier
town. Toward evening Garten mount.
ed his horse and rode out of town yell.
ing and shooting. Some five or six
miles from town. at the crossing of
little stream called Cedar creek he
passed young woman and a little
girl. Probably with a drunken idea
that he would frlghten the woman and
girl, Garten fired his revolver and rode
on, yelling like a Comanche. The
builetTeached the heart of the young
woman, who fell dead by the side of
the road. a few hours later Garten
was arrested at his home, where he
was sleeping off the effects of his de-
baucb. Indignation was strong among
the settlers, and a mob was organized
with the intent of hanging the MUIR
derer. Hearing of this the sheriff took
Garten across the country and placed
him in the jail at Lyons, Rice county.
Garten protested at the time of his ar
rest that he had no intent or knowl-
edge of having shot the young woman.
and this is probably true.
lat that time there was only one
term of court held each year in Barber
county, and as. a consequence several
months must Helapse before Garten
could be tried. At that time Barber
county formed a part of the Ninth
judicial district which included in it's
territory about 0nefOuTth of the en-
tire state of Kansas and was presided
over by Hon. 5. r. Peters of Newton.
Within three months after he was
placed in the Rice county jail there
was jail delivery, and among the
number who escaped were two prison
ers from Barber county, one by the
name of Bedford and the other Garten,
both charged with murder. A few
months afterward Bedford was recap
tured in Colorado, brought back to
Barber county, tried and convicted and
sentenced to the penitentiary. 1t was
supposed that Garten would also soon
be captured, as he was green, mex
| nPrlQnnn6 mt RI ho
prise of his neighbors. escaped his pur.
suers and has never, so far as we know,
been heard of from that day to this.
The father Of the young woman who
was murdered, determined frontiers
man, started out on a mission of
vengeance and hunted for the slayer
of his daughter through Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, but
never, we think, got any trace of the
fugitive. When not IN liquor neither
Of the men who committed the murder
on the banks Of Cedar creek quarter
of century ago or the young man
who committed the double murder in
Oklahoma two weeks ago, were bad
men; on the contrary, they were in.
clinedto be quiet and peaceable, but
when filled with liquor the devils of
reckless fury were reused in them and
they were in condition to commit any
sort of crime.
by the way 1T is often said that if
you let whisky alone it will Go you
no harm. Certainly, the young woman
whose life was snuffed out in an in
slant % years ago on the banks of
Cedar creek let liquor alone. but it
was the cause of her death just the
, same. We do not know whether Funk
houser and Craig were drinking men
or not, but our impression is that they
were not, but whisky was the cause OF
| hp1r deaths