John W. Parks and Henry 0. Price
These parties were indicted Apr. 18, 1864, for the murder of Peter C. Staats, an old settler of Hadley township, on the road between new Salem and Maysville. Staats was twice shot in the back, one ball coming out at the breast. The accused took a change of venue to Adams county and were finally acquitted.

George Grow, alias Roselle
was indicted April 19. 1864, for the murder of a Mr. Gard. May 21, following, he broke jail, and the shooting necessary to his capture June 11, in Greene county, resulted in his death the next day in jail.

Austin and Abraham Stevens
were, according to the records, indicted April 19, 1864, for murder, but it appears that there was never any trial of the case.

William M. Moore & J.S. Wilson
were indicted the same day (April 19, 1864) for being accessory after the fact of the murder. They moved their case to Brown county, and from the evidence elicited it appeal’s that young Moore, oniy sixteen years of age, had killed John Ziff, living near Pittsfield. Mr. Moore’s father and Ziff had a dispute about some wood which Moore had been cutting on land which Ziff claimed and which Moore had rented. Ziff struck Moore with an ax, knocking him down and then stamping upon him. The lad seeing his father in this condition, ran up and struck Ziff a blow upon the top of his head with the edge of an ax, thus literally cleaving his head clear to his shoulders.

Samuel Evans and Mathew Gilmer, Gilmore, or Gilinan
These men were indicted Nov. 29, 1864, for killing Cornelius Myers, Evans being a resident of Montezuma. They broke jail, and after several months Evans was recaptured in Tennessee. He took a change of venue to Brown county, where he was convicted of man­slaughter and sentenced for twelve years in the State prison. There he became insane, and after his release he stole a horse, was arrested, and while in jail, his insanity became so marked that he was finally sent to the asylum at Jacksonville.

Charles Brumnell or Brumble, etc.
This rascal, whose name was spelled half a dozen different ways was indicted March 15, 1866, for the murder of Edward Garrisons of New Canton. The fatal deed was perpetrated by stabbing the victim with a pocket-knife. Sept. 19, 1867, he was convicted of the charge and sentenced to State prison for three years.

Name not Given
Although not strictly within the purview of this chapter, we may mention here, as the parties were both residents of Griggsville, this county, that Dr. J. H. Caldwell, of that place, went to Texas in May or June, 1868, employing a young man to accompany him, who,on the 24th of June, murdered and robbed the doctor. But was summarily lynched by the infuriated people when the deed occurred.

McWright Murray
was indicted for murder in 1860, but the case was ultimately stricken from the docket.

Joseph Daul and Anthony Scheiner
These criminals were indicted April 20, 1869, for committing murder in Brown county, as the result of an affray connected with the burning of show tents at Mount Sterling. A change of venue was taken to Pike county and after a two day trial the chaps were sentenced to 15 years hard labor.

Capt. Wm H. Stout.
This man was indicted April 6, 1871, charged with the murder of a Mr. Kimball at Cocklebur slough, the preceding year. By change of venue his case svas taken to the Brown county Court.

Samuel Douglas
was the homicide who beat to death James Sapp, June 12, 1871, near Pleasant Hill. At the first beating lie left Mr. Sapp lying prostrate, and induced a Mr. McKenna to accompany him to the place, who tried to lift him up, when Douglas gave the poor victim several additional blows, from which he died a few days afterward. Douglas and McKenna were both arrested, but the latter was dismissed for want of evidence against him. Douglas was held for manslaughter, the indictment being made Oct. 12, 1871. He was convicted and sentenced Nov. 29, 1871, for six and a half years in the penitentiary.

John Shannahan.
Sept. 16, 1871, in Pleasant Vale township, Wm. Hall claimed that Shannahan had said something mean about him, and proceeded to assault him with a club. The latter warded off time blow, snatched the club from Hall, who then started to run away: Sliannahan, however, soon overtook him, struck him on the head with the club, knocking him over into a gully senseless, and Shannahan tumbling down with him. Hall’s ankle was broken in the fall, and he died soon afterward. Shannahan was arrested and committed to jail, where he suffered from a feeble constitution and a diseased leg, which had to he amputated. He was indicted by the grand jury, Oct. 12, 1871, but he died before the trial took place.

Bartholomew Barnes
Hangs for the Murder of John Gresham Complete Story

Matthew Harris and Thoma Stapleton
At a place called the cut-off, on the Suy Levee, in thespring of 1873 were two large squads of men at work. The one working higher up the river received $2.OO per day to each man and those below received $1.75. After those above had completed their work, their employers told them they could go and work with those below if they were willing to work at the same rates. They all went to work, but after awhile became dissatisfied with the wages, threatened to strike, and made a good deal of disturbance. Their employers discharged several of the ring-leaders who still continued to make trouble. When payday arrived the strikers drank a great deal, came to the place of work and were determined, as they said, to clean out Harris. the time-keeper, and Stapleton, the “ walking-boss.” As the two latter were coming from the store after dinner, the mob of strikers fell upon them and Harris and Stapleton both fired at the first man, Pat Vaughan, killing him and slightly injuring another man. This proceeding deterred the rioters from any further aggressions. Stapleton and Harris were arrested, but to keep them safe from the rioters they were lodged in the jail at Pittsfield. They were indicted April 12 following, tried, convicted of murder, and July 1 both were sentenced to State prison for one year.

Andrew Hamilton
Near Nebo, Feb. 5, 1875, a number of young people assembled at the house of Mrs. McKee, for the purpose of taking part in a dance. Among those present were Andrew Hamilton and Clifton Daniels, both young men and sons of well-known farmers in the vicinity. During the dance a quarrel arose between Hamilton and Daniels, when the former drew a revolver and shot Daniels in the neck at its juncture with the chest. The wounded man staggered against the wall and fell dead almost instantly. Hamilton immediately fled, and, so far as appears from the records, has never been captured.

John A. Thomas
was indicted Oct. 14, 1876, for murder, but three days afterward was acquitted.

John H Hallory
A man named Davis got to peeping around Mallory’s house at night to see some girls, and Mallory, discovering the fact, ran out with a gun and shot Davis as he dodged behind a cedar bush, and killed him. This occurred at Barry. Mallory was indicted October 14, 1876, for manslaughter. The case dragged along in the Courts until April 6, 1878, when the accused was acquitted.

George Haskins
About four miles northwest of Kinderhook a quarrel took place, March 4, 1877, between two young men, Geo. Haskins and a Mr. Simpkins, originating in a controversy about a dog biting a sister of Simpkins. A tussle ensued during which Simpkins was stabbed with a knife, and from the effects of the wound he shortly afterward died. Haskins was arrested, and April 10. 1877, he was indicted for murder; but the trial resulted in his conviction tor man­slaughter, and Oct. 19, following, he was sentenced to two years, imprisonment at hard labor. He was only nineteen years of age and Simpkins seventeen.

Henry A. Fowler.
This ruffian and a Mr. Hamilton were attending a dance near Nebo in the spring ot 1878, where they drank and quarreled until Fowler cut Hamilton across the arm with a knife, and the latter bled to death. Fowler was arrested and April 6, 1878, was indicted for murder. Before his trial he escaped from jail, but voluntarily returned and delivered himself up. The trial resulted in his conviction and sentence to confinement in the State prison for two years.

Thomas McDonald
James A. Brown was murdered near his own door in Montezuma March 11, 1878, shortly before daylight. Jan. 25 preceding he had been wavlaid, drugged and robbed by two men in a small wood near his home, and lay exposed all night in a stupid condition until found the next morning, and was restored to consciousness with much difficulty. Thomias McDonald was afterward arrested and identified as one of those two men: the other culprit remained at large. Mr. Brown and his friends had feared that an effort would be made to prevent him (Brown) from appearing at a certain trial, and the tragedy just mentioned showed how well grounded their fears had been. For several nights preceding the murder noises had been heard in the vicinity of the residence of Brown, and he went armed. About 4 o’clock that morning (Monday) he stepped from his house to an out-house a few yards distant, taking his rifle with him. On his return a few minutes later, and when within two or three paces of the door, he was shot, the ball entering the back of the head and coming out toward the front. Hearing the report the family rushed out to find the victim lying where he fell and in a few moments he ceased to live. Excitement became so intense that the Sheriff had to obtain assistance from the State Government to aid in keeping the peace. The excitement was greatly intensified by a report that the Sheriff intended to remove the prisoner from the Pike county jail to another county. McDonald was tried and found innocent. A full account of his case is given in the history of Pittsfield.

Mrs. Alonzo Reeve & Child
Murder of Mrs. Alonzo Reeve and Child - Rushville Times, January 25, 1894
Our neighbors-murder of Mrs. Alonzo Reeve and child
The eastern part of Pike county is excited over the murder at Perry on Tuesday of Mrs. Alonzo Reeve and her little babe, but 8 weeks old. The deed was done by the husband and father, who shortly after ended his own worthless life saving the infuriated people from taking things into their own hands. This makes the third murder affair in that county in a month. (Contributed by Sara Hemp)

Colonel Williams
A number of people gathered at the house of Monte Gant about ten miles south of Pittsfield, on Christmas eve, to have a dance, and were enjoying themselves in the usual way, when some of boys asked Andrew Main (commonly denominated “Coon Main" to call off a set. Main refusing, they said they could get al well enough without him. He thought this a good time as any to whip some of the boys, and, the quarrel continuing for some time he commenced striking them. Main struck Williams, knocking him down. Williams then commenced stabbing at Main with a pocket knife. Main got hold of a long iron poker and commenced striking at Williams. About this time the landlord interfered, turned them from the house, when the latter and his brother Colonel imrnediately left and were followed by Main and two or the others. Then Colonel Williams shot Main with a revolver, and he and his brother immediately ran away, no effort being made at the time to arrest them. The wounded man then retured to the house, lay down on a bed, saying that Colonel Williams had shot him and died about five hours afterward. Williams has been arrested and is now in the Pittsfield jail awaiting trial.

Boyles,
a lad seventeen years of age, is also in jail for helping his brother to escape who had killed a companion with a pocket knife.