Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-08-22
PREMEDITATED.
Attack on VIM. Edgar, JP., PPear-
ranged to Bring 0fficeP to
Spaugh Residence.

1
ranged to Bring 0fficeP to
Spaugh Residence.
On May 25, 1905, VIM. Spaugh,
Jr., went to r. Rasche's g restaurant,
in Ironton, Mo-, and had Mr..
Rasche phone to VIM. Brown that
he, Spaugh, wanted to see him at
the Spaugh home. Spaugh then
went home, distance of seventy
five yards from Mr.. Rasche's
restaurant, and waited until he saw
VIM. Edgar and Mr.. Rieke, wit
ness for the State in the Spaugh
trial, enter the restaurant. Spaugh
then went to the restaurant and
Immediately attacked young Ed
gar, making wound above the
eye. DR.. Ira Marshall, who dressed
the wound, testified in trial court
that the wound was made by some
sharp instrument, making it a
felony, and not supposed felony,
as Gov. Folk states. Rieke told
the sheriff that he thought Edgar's
eye was put out.
Immediately after this trouble
VIM. Brown went to the Spaugh
home, Arthur Spaugh following
him. Mrs. Spaugh and Bill were
on the porch. Brown sat down
and said "what do you want with
me, Bill?" and Spaugh referred to
the assault on Edgar, saying, 81
have knocked hell out of VIM.
Edgar, and / expect they will be
here to arrest me, but | don't
know whether | am going or not"
Is this not plainly connecting the
message sent to Brown with the
attack on VIM. Edgar? Now we
want to notice Browns evidence
and see if it is not supported by
the Spaughs' evidence, and that
cannot be alleged evidence. When
Bill said, 81 do not know whether
I am going or not" Mrs. Spaugh
said, "No, do not go; kill whoever
comes after YOU" Bill and Arthur
both answered "we will" Now
we want to sec if there is any evil
dence to support Browns evidence
in regard to this conversation, and
see whether Mrs. Spaugh knew
anything about it. Now, gentle
reader, want you to bear in mind
that Brown said he was sitting on
the porch with the Spaughs when
this conversation took place.
Now we will take Mrs. Spaugh
on the witness stand, on cross
examination. When asked if
Brown came in the house after the
conversation, she said "No."
Then when asked if there was any
one in the room but the Spaugh
boys, she said there was no one
came in or went out of the room
but the boys, till the crowd came,
after the killing. And when she
was asked where she last saw
Brown, she said, "the last I saw of
Billy Brown he was sitting on the
porch, whore he was sitting when
he was talking to Bill" This is no
alleged evidence; it is Spaugh
evidence. So we see there was a
conversation on the porch, and
Browns evidence is supported by
Mrs. Spaugh.
There is no evidence that either
Bill or Arthur had a gun or pistol
on the porch when the killing was
| talked of, but Arthur, in testifying,
says the guns were in the room
where the body of John w. Polk
was found. Brown testified that
when the sheriff came to the gate
and said "come out here, Bill"
that Arthur said, t'come in the
house, Bill" and Bill said, 81
know my business" Arthur went
into the room where the body was
found and Bill backed into the
room, not with his hands up, but
with them down, motioning to the
sheriff. His object was to decoy
the sheriff into the house where
the guns were. Spaugh had fifteen
| feet the start of the sheriff. He
| had plenty of time to enter the
room and procure the Winchester
| which was in the room, for Arthur
| said it was in the room.
4 Robert Rasche testified in court
that after the shooting, both boys
came 'out at the same door anc
both had guns. Len Arnett testi.
| fed that Arthur was loading the
/ shotgun and Bill the Winchester
| Arthur said he did all the shoot
ing, but in this he lies. He was
trying to make it appear that the
| sheriff was shooting at Bill, and
| he killed him to keep him from
killing Bill. No witness testified
| to hearing more than four or five
| shots, and Arthur said that he fred
| four of them. He said he fred the
| first and second shots with the
shotgun, and almost at the same
time the sheriff fred at Bill. This
was false evidence. Bill shot John
Polk in the back of the head with
the Winchester, and one of them
shot him in the back with his own
pistol. Arthur testified that he,
himself, fired four shots; then if
the sheriff shot at Bill, Arthur is
false in the number of shots that
he fired. But the sheriff did not
shoot at Bill, SO Arthur's evidence
is false again.
Now we will come back to
Rasche's evidence. He said that
the first and second were shotgun
shots, and SO close together that
one could hardly distinguish it
from the Winchester shot, making
three shots together, Arthur could