Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-06-02

went six-shooter In hand. and sticking IL
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 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 II that
is who It is don't want to see him. Judge
you fellows have got gang down the road
there to shoot me 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 brother that was sent to the peniten.
tiary. Is that your"
The visitor acknowledged that he was the
man-that he had been recently released
WELL" said Mcdonald that's about the
kind OF crowd would expect to find Bill Hol-
ley running with. and you can tell this Buck
Holley, as you call him. that i suspect him of
being connected with this mob and that 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,
MoHdsco, uiuH tel you the message Il sent the
night came. / said didn't know Buck Holley,
but that knew sorry, buldozing scoundrel
by the name OF Bill Holley and that supposed
he was down the road there to take shot at me
from ambush, You weren't in this lynching
mob, reckon, but they're your friends and
you'd help 'em IL you could Now, Bill, you've
been counting funeral good while, and IL you
try any OF your nonsense here, you'll win out"
The Ranger captain was out early the morn
fha
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 Wilkersons lot he found part of WELL
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 man named
Johns. Also that they had known of John
Greenhaw stealing cattle and hogs, 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 IL
and rendering the community service These
things, added to the other provocations already
named, had made the Humphreys sufficiently
unpopular In neighborhood like the Trans
cedar bottoms to warrant their being hung to a
limb, trussed up to swing clear of the ground.
Guilty knowledge of the crime actually kiI,ed
man named Ell 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 He
was large, red-faced man, evidently greatly ex-
cited 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 IN telI
the truth the first time but thought he could
do better now. The Ranger captain scrutinized
MN Keeniy and made the prophecy that Ell
Sparks would not live 30 days, unless no cot
rid OF the load on his conscience He died In
Just half that time; not however, until he had
fully confessed. A1
Inc EFFORTS OF the men believed to he con.
eu as principals In the crime, to establish
thelr innocence were sometimes wary cow.
times crudely absurd and always frpit,as I'M .
mesh OF fact that was weaving and linking ,tsoIs
ABOUT them became daily more tightly wovar
more impossible to tear away. KNOWING than,
serves closely watched, they dared not attemnt
nish1 10 40 SO would be to confess guilt and
capture would be well-nigh certain Like Abab
having compassed the death of a neipbbor tha,
lay In sackcloth and went softly" FINALLY y
came TO pass that three of these "cbiIdron 80
benal,' turned states evidence-that is tbov
confessed fully. sacrificing their comrades an.
der the law, to save themselves Eleven ,nan
including these three, were brought to trial
In the final trial John and Arthur Greenbaw
ana FOLK Weeks, who were not only murdarers
put cowardly traitors were given their freedo,,
IN exchange for their evidence that sent Their
eight associates to the penitentiary for life
FOLK Weeks, In giving his evidence. apneared
much disturbed. but confessed how he baa
CLIMBED the tree and tied the ropes, and tied
, ,neln 700 long making 1t necessary for the
clear the ground. John Greenhaw corrobora,ad
THIS but grinned as he told 4, remembering how
amusing 1t had been He did not live ~ en,o,
mis- freedom, for he was shot dead soon &C.,
mis- liberation, by Willie Humphrey, son Of one
OF the younger Humphreys. and no punishment
followed the righteous act