The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-16

| Two of the leaders in the mob were
sam Robinson and J. B. Chamberlain.
The sheriff and his small posse were
surprised one night while sleeping near
| a hay stack They were told. to sur
render and upon the promise that they
would be given fair trial on some
fake charges which were brought
against them they surrendered and
| gave up their arms Immediately they
were stood up in a row by the hay
| stack, five of them, and were shot down
| ike dogs. Robinson shot four of them.
commencing with the sheriff. However
ne lost his nerve when it came to the
| fourth deputy who was mere lad. He
| said: My God, have lots of nerve, but
1 can't shoot that kid Chamberlain
| spoke up and said: None of your chick
| en-heartedness goes here; watch me
| shoot him. He shot the lad, whose
| name was Herbert Toney. Toney's hand
and shoulder were shot off and the lad
| fell as if dead. Robinson then took the
rifle and put another bullet in the brain
| of each of his four victims to make sure
! that they were dead. Chamberlain said
| that 1t didn't need any second bullet
| to kill his victim, but at the same time
| he kicked the boy in the ribs and gave
| him several severe bruises. After set
| ting beer bottle at the foot of each
/ victim as a mock tombstone the men
went off and left all their victims as
| they supposed, dead. However, Toney
| had never lost consciousness and after
| lying about half hour he got up and
| started to mount his horse but he was
| too weak. He led his pony a short dis
| lance and laid down beside a buffalo
wallow where he drank a little of the
green covered fluid. This gave him
little strength and he managed to
| mount his horse with difficulty. He
! turned his horse loose and not knowing
the directions, trusted his pony to bring
him to civilization again. He rode
short distance when he met stranger
who, however, proved friend to him.
The boy was taken into a cornfield
where he would be kept out of sight
and the man went for a doctor. The
stranger soon returned with the doctor
and a band of men who carried MIN.
The boy gave a dying statement as he
was brought back to WOodsdale, but
he afterwards lived to tell the story to
| the jury. Wood and Price prosecuted
the murderers and they were convicted
and sentenced to death. This was one
of the most dramatic trials in the west
and accounts of it were published all
over the country.
Herbert Toney was the star witness
in this case and he is still living at
Flora, Clay county, Ind
Wood Makes a Compact.
ION account of the sympathy for the
condemned murderers in Hugoton the
execution of the sentence was delayed.
In the meantime Woods enemies work
ed up some charges of bribery and 9TH
was easily able to prove his charges
before any just court but the judge in
Stevens county at that time was Judge
Botkin who was entirely run by the
Hugoton people. However, it was
agreed that if Wood would agree to
waive sentence on the murderers, the
charges against Wood would be dis
missed at the next term of court.
compromise was arranged to this effec!
and Wood signed 1t. He was warned
oI,,o of Tvr6 n
but went to Hugoton to attend count
against the remonstrances of his
friends. He thought that the feeling
there would have none of the old time
bitterness as Woodsdale had long ago
dropped the fight for county seat and
Hugoton had triumphed in the organ
ization of the county. This term OF
court was in June, 1891 -
Murder of Sam Wood.
Capt. Price was present at the open
ing of court which was scheduled to
convene at IL o'clock on June %. In
the course of his interview Mr.. Price
related the following subsequent events
of the day: AS there was no railroad
part of the trip overland and did not
arrive at the time court was called.
Judge Botkin dismissed the court until
1 o'clock and went out of the court
room. Most of the spectators remain
ed, however, in the Methodist church
which was being used for court at that
time. Shortly after Judge Botkin left
Col. Wood drove up in buggy with
Mrs. Wood and a friend, Mrs. Carpenter.
Wood got out of the buggy and went
into the room and left the two ladies
apprised of the fact that court would
convene at 1 o'clock. He asked to see
the papers in his case and upon finding
they were correct in the details he
started out to the buggy again. AS he
passed the door he met James Bren-
nan who was at the door talking to
the ladies who were in the buggy. As
Mr.. Wood stepped down the second
step he was shot in the shoulder by
Brennan. Another shot followed and
Mr.. Wood passed around the corner of
the church. Mrs. Wood got out of the
buggy and threw her arms around the
neck of her dying husband. Brennan
shot again, this time under the eye and
into the brain. Wood fell but lived
for 20 minutes before he died. The
body was taken to Strong City where
Mr.. Wood then lived and was buried
there. Brennan was taken in charge
by the sheriff of Morton county who
ing arrested and let out on bail, Judge
Botkin made a few feigned attempts to
get jury and finally decided that it
was impossible to secure jury in that
county and the case was dismissed
This was the end of the trouble in
Stevens county. Woodsdale, which up
until this time was an important town
in the county gradually died down I'M
III NV IL AfOo AHOolAS III
Captain Prices Eventful Career.
Capt. Price, who is about the only
survivor Of those early day troubles.
is now a man of rs years. He was
born in Virginia. May 81, 1929. Early
in this life he moved to the then new
state of Indiana where he was brought
up among the Wyandotte, Delaware and
Miami Indians. During the forties he
moved to Minnesota where he lived
among the Winnebago, Chippewa and
Sioux Indians He lived among the |
Minnesota redmen until the outbreak of |
the civil war when he answered Presi- |
dent LincoIn's first call for volunteers |
and remained in service until~the sur