The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-06-02

guns and the clerk was ordered to take charge
OF them. The big man under arrest promised
all manner Of things II Captain Bill would let
him 60 He set free, with warning.
Peace now seemed to be restored and in the
general gratitude OF the community refresh.
ments and Invitations were rendered to Cap
tain Bill from both sides He decided how
ever. to remain on duty during the rest Of the
day and night His two men arrived next
morning. but everything was still quiet and
there appeared no sign OF a renewal Of hostill.
ties The RceceTownsend trouble. for the
time. at least, was over.
Captain Mcdonald was still at Columbus
when he received a telegram ordering him to
report AZ once to Assistant Attorney General
Morris and the local officials at Athens Hen.
derson county, Texas. for the purpose Of in
yestgatng the lynching of three respectable
cItizcns-a father and two sons. named Hum
phrey-In a tmberod tract between Trinity
river and Cedar Creek. known as the Trans.
cedar bottoms.
The Humphreys were honest sturdy men
fearless and open in their dealings. They were
a menace to a gang who made moonshne
whisky, stole whatever they could lay hands
on and would swear a mans life away for
lean hog 1t was necessary for the welfare OF
the neighborhood that tho Humphreys be dis
posed Of and they were taken by mob one
night and hanged-three of them to one tree
they having been placed upon horses and the
horses driven from under them. Then when
tho ropes had proven too long and the feet OF
one Of the three Humphreys had touched the
ground, the mob had bent back the legs of
the victims at the knee and tied the feet I'D.
ward to the hands. so that the Humphreys
might swing clear
BHl Mcdonald knew something Of the
Trans-cedar country and the character OF its
settlement. for he had passed his youth and his
early manhood at Henderson and at Mineoia,
both within rs miles of that very district He set
out by first train and arriving at Athens he
learned the details OF the CHASTITY crime which
already, through the telegraphed reports, had
stirred the entire state He learned that the
lynching had taken place about 25 miles from
Athens, near little postofiice named Alley,
and he hurried TO that place without delay.
taking with him one Guy Green, an Athens
lawyer familiar with the neighborhood With
Green. the Rangers went straight to the scene
OF the murder and made such examination of
the tracks and various clues us remained Two
days had passed since the crime and many
OF the signs had been obliterated Still there
was enough for a man with the faculties Of
Captain Bill. He identified no less than four
trails-one, as he decided, made by five horses
another by three, third by two and fourth
the track Of a single horse. The trails wound
In and out crossed and recrossed, and were
evidently made with the idea of baking pur
suit Captain Mcdonald did not consider them
especially difficult, and having satisfied him.
self that they could be followed he went ON To
Alley. for Il was near niEhtfall
At Alley he Joined Assistant ATTORNEY Cen.
eral Ned Morris, District Attorney Jerry Cook
and others who had come out from Athens to
aid the investigation.
He discussed the case with the officials
and learned that one Joe Wilkerson was sus.
pected as having been connected with the muir.
der. 1t being we'll known that wilkerson had
pursued the Humphreys and bemeaned them.
hnaliy accusing them of stealing hogs, and
swearing to some meat which the Humphrevs
had earned by digging wells. In the evidence .
II had developed that the Wilkerson hogs.
though mortgaged by him. had In reality been