The New York herald., 1921-04-03

ADMITS 5 MURDERS
ON HIS DEATHBED
Missouri Police Believe He Was
Taylor. Convict Who Escaped
> Years Ago.
BROTHER WAS HANGED
Five of Family Named Meeks
Had Been Slain in .Squeal-
ing Case.
BROTHER WAS HANGED

Kansas Cry, April 2.--TAe police
dington, city marshal at Powersvtlle,
Mo-. telling OF a dying statement made
last week BY man named John $.
Johnston.
According TO sworn statements in the
letter OF Johnson's wife, Sam McCul-
Tough and Homer Osborn, ell OF Pow
Nersville, Johnson confessed before he
disc to tililng FIVE persons near Kansas
City. ]. J. O'Rourke, assistant chief Of
detectives, said that the confession
might refer to the murder OF the Meeks
family near Browning, Mo, twenty-siI
years ago. IL his guess should be
correct the man known as Johnson was
George g. Taylor. who escaped jail
TWO weeks before the date set for his
hanging. George Taylors brother. VIII
liam, was hanged for the quintuple muir
der.
The statement signed by Mccullough
stated he was sitting UP with Johnson
on the night or March 2. Johnson was
III and called for minister. When he
was told there wasn't minister near
10 was QnACtr I'LL ptAO4 o AC NAA11s %Aai dAA
IL, he made this statement, according
to- the affidavit;
"Out OF Kansas City on the Wabash
railroad. get of at right and go to
large white house with two window
lights broken out There is where l
Killed five persons. Perhaps you don't
remember It. rs it was so long ago.
Mrs. Johnson's affidavit added that
the. crime was believed TO have been
committed In Clay county and that one
man was acquitted and another was sent
TO the penitentiary for the crime.
In telephone conversation with Cod
dington yesterday he said Johnson had
lived there with friends for the past
eighteen months and had been III most
OF the time. He was &C years old, and
SAID he formerly was OF Kansas City.
Coddington said the man was not be-
Iieved to be insane.
No record has been found here OF the
rriine the letter refers to.
Five members OF the Meeks family,
composed OF Gus MeaISs, his wife, two
young sons and an infant. were mur-
dered by George r.. Taylor and William
Pf Taylor, brothers, May 10. 1894, near
Bromning, In Linn county, Mo. A little
girl. Nellie Meeks had been struck on
the, head and left by the Tayiors for
dead She revived. and information she
gave caused the arrest OF the Taylors
ani played a prominent part in their
conviction and sentence TO hang Car
r0Iison. where the Taylors escaped, IL on
tiE wabash Railway. but Browning.
where the murders were committed, is
en- she Burlington Railroad.
IIe Taylors, after prolonged legal
conte$t. were sentenced to hang April
80. 1890. On the night OF April II they
eaG.a'G from the Jail at Carrollton By
cif1n5.ng to the roof and letting them
selves down on the outside by length
OF rubber hose. William was recaptured
just as he reached the ground outside
the jail. George. however. escaped, and
no record of his recapture ever has been
made. William was hanged at the Car
roilton jail at IL o'clock the morning OF
April 80.
Repeatedly. after the escape OF George
Taylor. reports that he had been cap
tured or had been seen at various places
IN the United States and In Mexico wers
received BY authorities in Lam and Car
roll counties and In Kansas City. But
In each instance investigated. tho per-
son suspected proved not 70 be George
Taylor.
The Meelss murder was ono OF the
most heinous crimes ever committed In
this State.
George and William Taylor had been
stealing cattle. Gus Meek5 was In their
employ and helped IN the Illicit occu-
patton. Meelzs was arrested and SEN
fenced to the penltentiary, but on agree
Ing to turn States evidence against the
Taylors. whose conviction had been
sought By the Linn county authorities,
heswas pardoned.
When Meeks returned 70 his homo
the tTaylors offered him $500, a team OF
horses and wagon II he would leave
THAT part OF the country and 20 70 Okla
hcma- Meeks accepted the offer. He
started, with his family TO drive through.
leaving his home at midnight The
Taylors, horseback accompanied the
Meeits family, and on a lonesome hill
murdered all excepting Nellie Meeks.
whom they knocked unconscious, and
threw their bodies upon a straw stack,
which they set afire. Nellie crawled
from the straw stack about daybreak
and notified neigilbors OF the crime and
9e ak,~at