The Butler weekly times., December 23, 1885, Image 1

About The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

                
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1
OL. VTll.
i HITLER, MISSOURI. WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 23. 1885
NO. I
Sic
Stttkf
SEEING THE TRUTH, j
I Osborn Confesses a j
I. . . l, o UnritarG
y Blood Story as Told to Her
by atair.
XeBorter'f Interview With
I tjc Condemned Woman.
ifnUattie Mulkey, the sister of
linattta Osborn, reached Nevada
night, and accompaiucu uy
,1 reporter and several otliers went
Jje jail at an early hour this morn-
The meeting: oeiween mc "sij
jdeeply effecting, and those who
atop to witness it quietlv slipped
and lett them a'.one. Mrs.
j to the prisoner.
Tie coming of her sister had ex-
sdavery perceptihle influence on
;, She seemed to realize that she
with one whom she could fully
and the hesitency which has
ttofore characterized her conver-
rjoo entirely vamsucu. .u.
sister of the mistake into which
i t 1 . tn.A?vl1 .Inrinar tti
&and expressed the greatest i e
.ihatshe had not told the entire
If "There is something else that I
tit not told, she said, "but I do
it know that L will ever tell it. I
ivttold so many different stories
iorder to keep it a secret that I am
hid it would not be believed now."
Mis. Mulkey insisted upon her
li'ioethe whole truth, -no matter
1 J few deeply it implicated her. "You
Harttell the truth," she said. "Let
St people know all that you know
i r . I 1 1. ..
It ut not Keep ut aujriiiiiig -
For some time the prisoner hesi-
atd and asked tune and again if
jjattwasany hope for Stair, and
n. ... : .!... I U f .. - vmK.
r'? more than love, was the occasion
her solicitude in regard to his
ituition.
"Stair killed those people," she
H "and I know it." The words
liime out witn a convulsive ettort
o conveyea ine iuea to nerauui-
m that she was afraid to trust
xrielf to think of the consequences
itbe exposure.
"I know it," she continued, "for
told me all about it, and threaten
ed) kill me it I ever breathed a
'ordof it. I knew the Seawells
wibeen killed when he came back
'J the house, and he made me go out
herewith him."
"Go back to the hrst and tell it
4" Mrs. Mulkey interrupted.
"Weil, Suir mentioned the matter
i9me about a week or ten days be-
kfethe killing. He said he believed
would o out there and kill them
ad take their horses and wagons,
liboughthe was joking, and told
that he wouldn't have the heart
sdosucha thing as that. After
t he mentioned it to me several
es and I told him he should not
kit; that it he did 1 would tell on
He answered with an oath
ithe would put me out ot the way
ever hinted such a thing.
"The Saturday before the killing
walked out to the M armaton
om. He said that he wanted to
t the timber, but when we got
&rehe told me that he wanted to
tor a place to hide the bodies.
"C did note down to the river.
ktlgh he taike.l so much about
ninsfthcm T AX A K-T.,. il,,
, M l VI IIVW UV. i i V V- uiui
ould do it. I could not bring
"Tff to believe that he was m ear -He
said that he would try and
the Sewells to drive down to
bottom with hun Sundav, and
hen he got them down there he
kill them and hide their bodies
d then oome back after the other
gon. He said something about
wing their bod,es into the river.
"One night while old man Sewell
was sick, Stair told :ne that he had
sent for me to come out there and
sit up with him. I went out, though
I wondered why he would send tor
me. When I got there I asked him
about it, and he told me ie had not
sent lor me. I believe now that
Stair intended to kill hun that night
and adopted that course to get me
out there. When lie talked about
killing them he never said anything
about me helping him .!., ;r, but
wanted mt to be present.
"I could not hint r;i ' these
things ;to others; he wn-.i. have
killed me.
Wednesday evening Stair went
out to the camp ot the SewrM about
dark, and returned home between
ten and eleven o'clock. When he
got back he said, 'I have made the
trade.' And I asked him what trade.
Then he told me that he had bought
the teams from the JSewells. I asked
him what had become ot the old
man and Mack; and he said they
were out at the camp. Then 1 told
him he was not telling the truth, and
that I believed he had killed the
Sevvells, because lie had no money
to buy the teams from him. He said
that he had killed them, and I com
menced crying. He told me that I
had to go out there with him to get
the wagons, and I refused to do it.
He got the hatchet and, grasping me
bv the arm, said he would chop mv
head open if I did not go, and I
agreed to go.
"When we got to the camp the
lantern .was still burning. The
covered wagon was loaded, but there
were a few things lett on the ground,
and Stair made me hold the lantern
while he put them in the old wagon.
I imagined 1 could hear the dead
men moan in the wagon, and before
we started I commenced crying
aloud, Stair told me to hush, and
swore that he would kill me if I did
not. He got the hatchet again and
I got down on my knees and begged
him not to kill me.
"It was after midnight when we
started to the Marmaton river. I
wanted to tell some one about the
murder, but we got off the road
betore anyone was traveling. When
we got into the timber it was still
dark and I could not drive to do any
good. Once when my wagon got
tangled in the brush, I commenced
screaming, and Stair left his wagon
ana came back to me- He cursed
me and said that he would kill me if
I made any more noise,
"When we got down in the bot
tom and stopped the wagons, the
blood commenced dripping from the
bottom of the wagon bed, and once
or twice Stair, with his foot, raked
dust and leaves over the blood. I
did not see Stair washing the hatch
et. He made me stay at the wagons,
and it I had not been afraid would
have had but little, if any. chance to
tell the men who were in the bottom.
Mr. SewelPs dog came to the wag
ons just as I testified in the trial, and
was licking the blood.
"I was almost dead when we got
to the nottom and sat down by a
stump. Stair came to me and told
me about the killing. He said he
went out to the camp to kill the
men. While he was there Mack
took a quilt and laid down on the
ground and went to sleep ; the old
man was still sick and .was lying in
the wagon. Stair gave him a dose
ot medicine, and when he laid down
again Stair struck him. He put one
hand on the old man's breast before
he struck, and he looked up and
said 'Don't!' Then Stair went over
to where Mack was lying and hit
him on the head. He said the boy
moaned and shivered all over. After
he had hit Mack, Stair looked up
i and saw the old man crawling out
of the wagon. The first blow had
not killed him and he had gotten the
butcher knife and was coming out
to help the boy. Stair pushed him
back in the wagon and struck him
again. Stair said he killed one with
the hatchet and one with a smooth
ing iron, but did not tell me which ;
one he killed with the hatchet. I
but don't think Stair took that.
'I asked Stair how he could be so
cruel as to kill them ; and he said it
was as easv as catting off a chicken's
head.
'The 'bone spavin' rccipt belonged
to Stair; he wrote it at hoit Scott, '
and I saw it betoie the lines were j
written on the bottoai of it, but S
never saw it afterward."
When the woman had finished her
story, she said that Stair would kill
her for telling it if he could get a
chance, and he might be able to get
some one on the outride to kill her.
"He came very near killing me soon
alter we lett Arkansas." she said.
"He grew jealous of ine, and one
night asked me to take a walk with
him. We went into the woods and
he drew his revolver and told me
that he believed 1 was going to leave
him, and he intended to kill me. I
bei'ged him not to do it, and, after
promisint not to go away Irom him,
he let me off."
"You recognized the white-handled
knife when it was exhibited in the
court room?" the reporter asked.
"Yes, that was Stair's knite. lie
never told me about cutting their
throats."
"1 was honest in my testimony
about the blood on my dress. I was
sick alter walking out to the Marma
ton bottom."
Mrs. Mulkey is a pleasant little
woman, and the long trip which he
has made alone evidences the deep
est interest in her unfortunate sister.
She Will remain her several weeks,
probably until after Stair's execution.
She seems satisfied that the con
demned man could by his confession
acquit Nannetta, and hopes that he
will do so before the date fixed for
the execution. Her troubles have
come close together. When she
lett Indiana her father was not ex
pected to live and she thinks he has
died since she heard from him. He
has been in ignorance ot his daugh
ter's alleged crime and imprisonment.
Harmony.
Now that the post-office tight at
Butler has been terminated, it is to
be hoped that all these little personal
anamosities, which necessarily arise
in such contests, will be thrown aside
and that all parties, victors and van
quished, alike, will go to work for
the good of the party. Most of the
local politicians of the county were
interested either upon one side or
the other, and those who chanced to
be against Col. Wade in the contest
should read with pleasure the very
gentlemanly and conciliatory article
in last week's Democrat upon his
appointment. So lar as efficiency is
concerned it mattered not to Butler
which of the two aspirants was suc
cessful.
Both had the right to ask the ap
pointment at the hands of a demo
cratic administration, but only one
could receive it. Republicans have
been looking on this post-office em
broyho with great satislaction think
ing that local matter would so disturb
the party as to give them a faint
show in the next campaign, but
such will not be the case. Each
faction should and will work just as
hard for the success of the democratic
party as ever. Harmony will be our
watchword snd republicans had as
well note this face right now.
Rockvilie Globe.
3-fl
BARGAINS
H-A-nH-fl-TH
See Them XS,.
m una
Mi Side spare, Butler
EVERYBODY OOME
HO. -"OCT TCfl" IT
warn
ink Wine ai Ml
FOR THIRTY DAYS ONLY
lo
YOU
Hear Siioiiiing!
YOUWET YOIJR LIFE.
Jugs Are Free in 1885
Wlea Bbj wu sick, we ber Caetatte,
When she ni k Chad, sh cried far Csstori,
When she became Mis, ska dune to Castoria,
When (be had Children, ebe garet&em Caetori.
North Main Street, Butler. Mo.
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