The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-10-05

the last had been killed. the bodies were
to be thrown into n room and the
hose set on IRE. Once IL had burned
to the ground the Rawlings hoped that
every evidence OF their crime would
have vanished.
This was the scheme as conceived by
Rawlings. sr. Fortunately. n succeed
ed only In part. He was wise enough
TO know that suspicion OF foul play. II
there were any In the minds OF the
neighbors would naturally fall upon
him. for his threats against h Carriers
had been spread on all sides. He. there
fore. determined TO ave no direct part
In the murder. but 10 n n thoroughly
substantiated niibi az he were called
upon TO give IN account OF himself the
/ night the Carriers died. SO a happened
that he was not with the boys when
they made their attack upon the Car
tiers. but was seen In h town of VAL
dosta. q few miles south OF the Carter
and Rawlings plantations.
During the afternoon Of June u. the
Rawlings boys ook ALI Moore. their
accompiice. TO n cabin on their planta-
ton n hut him up there. telling him
TO keep out OF sight n that they
would bring him his supper later. They
were taking 10 chances of his losing
his nerve and crawling the last mo-
ment.
when the shadows had grown long
the Rawlings met at this cabin as pre-
arranged. The last directions were
given. probably by Milton. who. as
oldest. had charge of the party. Then
all four. including Moore. went care
fully through the brush. where Il was
necessary through the open fields. TO
the Carter plantation. After the sun
had sunk and there was little danger
OF their being seen the murderers
closed In upon the house and waited.
Imagine the suspense OF those boys
waiting there with murder In their
hearts. No matter o much they may
ave been murderers by instinct. pro-
vided that such n thing In possible.
they had youth and inexperience to
overcome. Perhaps they wished many
times that the whole affair was only a
dream. that they would wake up from
the nightmare just as they were killing
the Carriers. Ar Moore frankly con-
fessed on the witness stand that he lost
his nerve and had he not been kept
where he was by n stronger will OF his
boy confederates he would have thrown
up the Job. But his was the weaker
mind md theirs h stronger will.
About 8 o'clock the Carriers were dis
turbed by the barking OF one OF their
dogs. Then every dog on the place
took II up. Thinking that Il might be
n friend. or possibly a stranger seeking
information about the roads. Willie
Carter. seventeen year old. and Carrie.
his sister. who was only n rear young
er. and their baby sister. went out TO
see what had caused the rumpus.
First Attack.
Mr.. and Mrs. Carter, with their two
older daughters. Lola and Leila. were
sitting inside the house. Suddenly they
heard three shots fred In quick success
sion. Rushing to the door. Carter saw
hts son. Willie Carter. crawling pain
fully toward him on the ground. HIS
baby girl lay but a few feet away from
the door Carrie was nowhere In sight.
Quickly he snatched up the little girl.
and grnsping the boy. dragged him TO
the house. Quickly. because he knew
that there were other bullets whence
these that had wounded his children
had come. Once inside the house he
barricaded the loo q locked the
shutters. Then the siege began.
Inside the house Carter. still unabls
to handle his gun on account OF the
rounds Rawlings had given him sew
eral weeks before. waited anxiousiy &c.
the attack, which he knew must come
soon. Beside him crouched his W
girls, fearing. they Knew not what
In another corner was h mother.
bending over the little girl n wound
ed boy. The baby girl soon came 10
herself. The bullet only grazed her.
DuA the 10Y WIS utrptIdNtig 49,
OF the time he was unconscious. out
when he was himself he moaned pit
eously for water, water which his
father could not bring him. for the well
"a In mn OF the enemy's bullets
And Carter knew that those bullets
were from the gun OF the Rawlings.
for the little giri had recognized n OF
the boys.
Tried TO Burn tho House
Outside lowered the Rawlings and All
Moore. fearing To approach h house
lest they be shot down by Carter. They
waited an hour IN quiet, thinking that
the man would come out To look Tor his
daughter. They could hear the moans
OF the dying boy I'm the house. and
again NJ Moore lost his nerve ana
would have zone away had the Raw
lings not compelled him to stay.
Losing hope that Carter would come
into the yard. the Rawlings determined
To set the house on fire and either burh
the rest OF the family to death or smoke
them out. They collected bundles OF
corn shueks lying near. and began pill
ing them against the side OF the house
I'm which there were no Windows. Lola
Carter. peeplng through a crack In the
chimney, saw one OF the boys with his
arms full OF dry shucks. She. too. rec
ognized a Rawlings.
She called 10 her father. and he. ~
well as ne coutd, ntteu nIs Gun iHto eho
crack In the chimney. When he heard
the thud Of falling corn shucks he
fred.
Immediately there was the sound OF
hurrying feet. Then quiet, although Lola
watched for another hour to see IL more
shucks be piled against the house. she
could see nothing. Apparently the muir
derers had been frightened away BY
one shot. They had. but Carter was
not sure OF this. All through the long
night the terrified family waited and
watched. Before dawn the
boy died.
Murdered Girl in cornHsld.
When nj last the night OF horror was
ended, Carter went out with his wife
TO look for the missing daughter. They
found her I'm n nearby cornheid. her
face mashed beyond recognition by the
boots OF n nends who had killed her.
The ~neighborhood was GUS
There were talk OF a lynching IN the
murdercrs could be found Old man
Rawlings declared that neither he nor
any OF his family had been near the
Carriers house that night. He proved
his alibi. But the evidence given oy
the Carter girls was SUFFICIENT to cause
the arrest nrst or the Rawlings boys
and then OF their father. Then All