Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-12-20
BOY DEGENERATE
1OIPAY PENALTY
WILL Be HANGED ON GALLows
As PENALTY FOR AWFUL
CRIME.
KILLED whole FAMILY
Was Result OF Petty ousrrsi-Atssnd'
ed Church With Sweetheart After
Deed and Then Visited Scene.

Springfield. Mo-, Dec. 20.~"t shot
Parsons with a single harrelied shot. |
gun: The shot did not XIII him and I
beat him TO death with the gun.barrei.
Then ! knocked his wife on the head
and thought I had killed her but she |
came 20 and ! again beat her on the
head until I had finished her. Then
killed their oldest hoy by cutting his
throat with a jaek.knife. and the next
Oldest boy the same way. and the
youngest ! killed BY knocking him on
the head with a gun. Then | went TO
church and afterward took my girl
home. Then I borrowed a horse and
rode 10 the place where | had left the
bodies TO see II any of them were still
alive. | loaded the bodies into the
wagon and drove down to the river
and threw them all In"
Briefly told. that In the confession
Joda Hamilton made to the jury that
convicted him OF the murder OF the
Parsons family hear Houston, Mo-, last
October and for which crime the TWEEN.
ty-year old degenarte will be hanged
tomorrow. The execution will take
place In the Houston jail.yard unless
Governor Folk interferes. and this IL
not considered likely since the proof
OF Hamilton's guilt Is absolute.
The murder was the result OF a
quarrel between Hamilton and Parsons
over the sale Of the crop on HamIlton's
farm. Parsons, with his wife and child.
rem In a covered wagon, were leaving
the vicinity for the northern part Of
the state. In "A gloomy. heavily tim.
bered spot along the road the parties
were suddenly confronted by Hamilton.
without a word the young man leyeled
a shotgun at Parsons head and fired.
The assassin then beat his victim
over the head with the gun. killing
him. Hamilton then pulled the woman
from the wagon. clubbing her to death.
with n knife he slashed the threats
OF two of the little boys and dubbed
the third TO death.
With the pltiful cries of his victims
Yet ringing In his ears Hamilton went
to church and sat u~nconcernedly
through a sermon In which the preach.
er painted In glowing words the fate of
sinners. After the services the youung
man escorted his sweetheart to her
home. Then no returned 10 the scene
OF his crime. loaded the bruised and
bloody bodies Of his victims into the
wagon and drove along the desolate
road TO the Big piney river, about a
mile distant. Arriving at the stream
no dumped the corpses into the river.
making no attempt % weight them so
they would sink.
T~wenty-four hours later two of the
bodies were found floating In the river
by a fishing party. The stream was
dragged and the bloated and mangled
remains OF the other members of the
Parsons family were found. No soon
er had the news OF the discovery of
the bodies reached Houston than
young Hamilton came riding into town
on one of the mules that had belonged
to Parsons. He was Immediately ar
rested and confessed to the crime. A
mob was former to lynch the murder.
or, n he was spirited away to this
city and was later taken to Green.
field and then to Carthage. Threats
of lynching reaching the Carthage of,
ficials he was taken to 81. Louis. and
was confined In Jail there until return
ed TO Houston for trial. The Jury
was composed principally of farmers
and promptly returned a verdict of
guilty OF murder In the first degree.
Hamilton declared himself satisfied
with the verdict and since then has
been inslstnt In his demands that he
be hanged as soon as possible. He has
bitterly opposed all efforts made by his
father to save him from the gallows.
Joda Hamilton is a nephew of
George and Will Taylor. whose brutal
murder Of the Meeks family near
Browning. Mo. several years ago was
almost a counterpart Of the Parsons
tragedy. The Tayl0rs were wealthy
landowners and Will Taylor had been
a member of the state legislature.
They became involved In some crooked
deal likely to land them In the peni.
Tertiary. and hired Meeks. who was
the chief witness against them. to
leave the country, Meeks left In a
covered wagon. but the Taylor broth.
ers feared he would return and mur
dered the entire family. hiding the
bodies In a straw stack. One of the
children seyen-year- old Nellie Meeks.
recovered from the wounds inflicted