Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-06-02

name.
Captain Bill rose, but the others pro-
tested, declaring that it might be a plot
to shoot him in the dark. However, he
went, sixshooter in hand, and sticking it
in the face Of the caller, demanded his business.
The man protested that he meant no harm, but
had come from one Buck Holley, who lived two
miles down the road, and said he knew Captain
Mcdonald and wanted to see him. The Ranger
captain reflected a minute.
81 don't know any Buck Holley," he said.
II knew a scoundrel by the name of Bill Holley
some years ago up in the Panhandle and If that
is who it is l don't want to see him. / Judge
you fellows have got a gang down the road
there to shoot ne from ambush. Who are you,
anyway"
The man said his name was Monasco; that
he was staying at Holley's and that he had a
brother named Bill Monasco. in Amarillo.
81 know Bill Monasco." Mcdonald said, 'and
he has a brother that was sent to the peniten-
tiary. Is that you?"
The visitor acknowledged that he was the
man-that he had been recently released.
We'll" said Mcdonald, that's about the
kline of a crowd l would expect to find Bill Hol-
ley running with, and you can tell this Buck
Holley, as you call him, that l suspect him of
being connected with this mob and that l used
to make him stand hitched in the Panhandle,
and that I'm going to do the same here"
Monasco said Good night" and Captain Nc
Donald never saw him again. Somewhat later,
when he met Bill Holley, he said:
Look here, Bill, I'm afraid your partner,
Monasco, didn't tell you the message l sent the
night | came. / said l didn't know Buck Holley,
but that I knew a sorry, bulldozing scoundrel
by the name of Bill Holley, and that I supposed
he was down the road there to take a shot at me
from ambush. You weren't in this lynching
mob, l reckon, but they're your friends, and
you'd help 'em If you could. Now, Bill, you've
been counting a funeral a good while, and if you
try any OF your nonsense here, you'll win out"
The Ranger captain was out early the morn
ing after his arrival in Alley, and on the trail.
The tracks Of the five horses were followed to
the houses of Joe Wilkerson and his son Brooks
and to the homes of John and Arthur Greenhaw.
In Joe Wilkerson's lot he found a part of a we'll
rope, the remainder of which had been cut away.
1t matched precisely with the rope used to hang
the Humphreys-the freshly cut ends being the
same on both. The Wilkersons and one of the
GreenhaWs were taken into custody forthwith
and other arrests followed as the criminals were
tracked home.
The testimony brought out the facts that
the Humphreys had known of an Illicit still run
by two men-one Polk Weeks and a man named
johns. Also that they had known of John
lCCHAd STEALING CdLLle ana lOgS, and that
John GreenhaW had once drawn a gun on the
elder Humphrey, who had promptly taken IL
away from him, instead of killing him with 1t
and rendering the community a service, These
things. added to the other provocations already
named, had made the Humphreys sufficiently
unpopular in a neighborhood like the Trans
CEDAR Dottoms to warrant their being hung to a
limb, trussed up to swing clear of the ground.
Guilty knowledge of the crime actually killed
a man named Eli Sparks, whose conscience tor.
tured him day and night to the point of giving
testimony, yet whose fears upon the witness
stand caused him to withhold the truth. Ha
was d large red-faced man, evidently greatly ex.
clleu when questioned and concealing more than
ne told. Soon after his first examination he met
captain Mcdonald and offered to testify again
saying that he had been too frightened to toIi
the truth the first time, but thought he could
DO better now. The Ranger captain scr,,tinizod
nlm keehly ana made the prophecy that Eli
sparks would not live 80 days, unless he cot
rid OF the load on his conscience. He diod IN
Just half that time; not, however, until he had
fully confessed. ~"
Inc efforts of the men believed to be cor.
ceFhed as principals in the crime. tn est.bl;,h
nn Innocence were sometimes wary, some.
INES cruoely absurd and always %fruitless. The
80 es " act tnat was weaving and linking itself
SSohh uaAy more tightly w0Von
more impossible to tear away. KNOWING than,
serves closely watched, they dared not attemnt
nlght' 10 do so would be to confess p,,i,+ ana
capture would be well-nigh certain. Like Abah
having comprised the death of a neiphbor than
lay In sackeloth and went softly" Fins1,n /;
came 10 pass that three of these "cbildren :,
6eilai," turned states eyidence-tbat 10 ~
confessed fully, sacrificing their COMRADES Nn n.
aer the law, to save themselves. Eleven
including these three, were brought to trial
In the final trial John and Arthur crao.,
anu FOLK Weeks, who were not only mprdaran.
out cowardly traitors. were given their freedon,
IN exchange for their evidence that sent thoi.
eisnt associates to the pepitentiary for life
FOLK weeks, In giving his evidence annaor,d
much disturbed, but confessed how he hea
climbed the tree and tied the ropes, and n.y.
them too long. making 1t necessary far ~
legs OF the Humphreys to be bent inward !
clear the ground. John Greenhaw corroboro.
this, but grinned as he told 1t, remembering ~
amusing 1t had been. He did not live IL enso'
MS freedom, for he was shot dead soon ~,
MS liberation, by Willie Humphrey. son a. I'M
OF the younger Humphreys. and no punishment,
followed the righteous act.
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