Towanda Masonic Butler County Kansas

Butler County, Kansas

LATHAN CATTLEMAN IS RUN DOWN AND KILLED

Sterling P. Yarnall, aged about 50 years, a prominent farmer and stockman living near Latham, enroute to Kansas City with a cattle shipment was almost instantly killed by a Frisco passenger train at Beaumont, at 2:30 Sunday afternoon.

Sheriff Purcell, Coroner Turner and County Attorney Steiger were called and promptly went to the scene of the tragedy. A coroner’s jury was immediately summoned, viewed the body and dismissed pending call by the coroner when an inquest will be held. Relatives already have employed Aikman & Aikman to appear at the inquest. Attorney C. L. Aikman accompanied the authorities to Beaumont Sunday.

Mr. Yarnall with D. E. Corbin and Charles Rollings were shipping cattle from Latham to Wichita. At Beaumont Junction, they got off their train and had inspected their cattle. They then started along the track to the depot, when the passenger train arrived. The men failed to hear the warning whistles if any were given, and the pilot of the engine struck Mr. Yarnall and threw him about 30 feet, over the side track and under a freight car that was standing there. He was then taken at once to the drug store and died in a few minutes.

Among other papers in his pockets was found an official receipt showing Mr. Yarnall was a member of Latham lodge No. 637 I. O. O. F., and his dues were paid until January 1. He is survived by his wife and four children. Funeral services have not been announced. (Walnut Valley Times, December 1, 1916)

MISS LISLE SAXTON DIES; FOUND DEAD IN CHAIR

With all doors and windows tightly closed and both burners in the stove burning a full head of gas, Miss Lisle Saxton, aged 70, was found dead in her chair in her home, 203 Griffith street, at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon by her niece, Mrs. Minos West. Escaping gas fumes was the cause of death.

Miss Saxton lived alone. Her niece, Mrs. West has been looking after her and Wednesday afternoon went to the home, but found the front of the house closed. She started home but felt something must be wrong, called Mr. West and together they returned to investigate. They went to the kitchen window, looked in and saw Miss Saxton sitting in her chair as if asleep and the gas blaring high in the stove. Help was called and a physician and the coroner summoned. A window was forced but the flow of gas was so strong no one could enter. Doors were finally opened and entrance gained after the gas had escaped.

A thermometer in the room then registered 110 degrees. The heat was so intense the flesh on the face, hands, arms and body of Miss Saxton was fairly cooked. Miss Saxton had evidently been dead since Tuesday evening. It is supposed before the hour of retiring, she had seated herself in the chair and fallen asleep by the fire and in this position she was found.

Miss Saxton was born in Ohio, January 29, 1847. In her early life she went with her grandmother to Wisconsin, where she grew to womanhood. Later she went to Chillicothe, Ill., to make her home with a widowed sister, Mrs. Emily S. Martin. Later they moved to Seward, Neb., where they lived until 1887, when they came to Kansas and located in West El Dorado. For many years they were inseparable and these two sisters were familiar persons in the community, as they seemed to live apart and secluded lives. Mrs. Martin died a few years ago and since then, Miss Saxton has lived alone. Last spring she moved from the home in West El Dorado to the one in which she died. Mrs. West is they only surviving relative in this country.

Funeral services will be held at the home at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. Burial will take place in the West Cemetery. (Walnut Valley Times, November 24, 1916)

BETH HOXIE SHOT AND INSTANTLY KILLED BY STEP-BROTHER DAVID

One of the most distressing accidents that ever occurred in Butler County happened near Douglass last Saturday afternoon when Beth, the 11 year old daughter of L. E. Hoxie, was shot and instantly killed by her step-brother, David, who is about the same age. Mr. and Mrs. Hoxie’s children, four in all, were picnicking on Muddy Creek, about one and one half miles west of Douglass. About 3 o’clock Claude, the 14 year old son of Chas. Thomas, came along. He had been hunting and leaned his shot gun against a tree and began to play with the children. David picked up the gun and playfully pointed it at Beth, shouting, “Look, Beth, look.” It was discharged and the shot entered just back of the left eye, passing entirely through and tearing a horrible hole in the back of her head at the right side and tearing her ear completely away. Death was instantaneous. David’s father, D. S. Rose, was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun twelve years ago. The funeral of the little girl occurred at the Methodist church in Douglass yesterday, conducted by Rev. Dexter. (Walnut Valley Times, Oct. 19, 1900)

A.J. BOYLES SHOT ONCE OR TWICE

Last night A. J. Boyles was shot once or twice, in the right side of the face and back of the head with a small shot. The wounds are not dangerous. A protracted revival is on at the new Fairview Methodist Church and for some time attendants have had the ivory rings cut from their harness and the annoyance and loss it is said caused the posting of watchers. Mr. Boyles and his two sons and a daughter came to the meeting last evening in a farm wagon. His children entered the church, leaving him in the wagon. Later two shots from a shot gun were fired and Boyles crying out that he was shot was found wounded as stated. Just after the shots were fired a white team attached to a spring wagon containing two occupants sped westward on the run. Pursuers failed to overtake the team. There is nothing in the recital showing that Boyles was guilty of any wrong. He might have been shot under misapprehension. It is said he had several fire arms in his wagon. Anyhow the criminal practice of harness cutting and other such heathenish proceedings has received a backseat in that community. (Walnut Valley Times, October 12, 1900)

ACCIDENTALLY KILLED!

Jeff, the 13 year old son of Ed Stearns of Towanda, Fatally Shot by James LaFountaine, of Kansas City, Kan.

Jeff, the 13 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Stearns of Towanda, was accidentally shot and killed with a 22 caliber rifle Saturday morning about 9:00 o’clock, near his home, four miles northwest of Towanda. Yesterday morning James LaFountaine, aged 15, a nephew of Dick Edminston and just across the road from Geo. Maxwell, Jeff’s grandfather, came out from Kansas City for a visit. Cody, Mr. Edminston’s son and LaFountaine, went out not far from the house to hunt rabbits. When they were returning Jeff and two of his cousins started to meet them. When they approached, LaFountaine remarked that he would take the cartridge out of the rifle and then one of them would get hurt. He turned his back to the other boys and began to extract the missile. Jeff walked around in front of him, the cartridge was accidentally exploded and the bullet struck him in the abdomen.

Jeff suffered from internal hemorrages. An operation revealed that the intestines had been perforated in twelve places and the abdomen was filled with blood. The ball had struck the vena cava, the large vessel that carries the venous blood back to the heart from the lower extremities. He bled to death on the operating table. The physicians succeeded in closing the perforations in the intestines but it was impossible to ligate the large artery and he could not live until the operation was completed. He died at 7:00 o’clock last evening.

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Stearns, parents of Jeff, are in Illinois, where they have been visiting for the past two weeks. (Walnut Valley Times, Sept. 21, 1900)

COYLES FALLS FROM HORSE

Cloyes the 17 year old son of L. H. Bruce, of Augusta, fell from a horse last night and was instantly killed. He has been threshing for J. R. Myers and started home, horseback about 9 o’clock, through the field. The body was found this morning near a gate. When he left Mr. Myers for home he started his horse on a gallop and it is thought he forgot a wire gate strung across the path. It was partly open this morning, the horse was badly cut and the boy was lying several feet beyond the gate, his skull crushed. The funeral occurred this afternoon. (Walnut Valley Times, July 20, 1900)

DELAY CHARGE IN SLAYING OF BEAUMONT MAN
No Formal Complaint Has Been Filed Against Melvin Norman at Eureka
IS STILL IN JAIL
Coroner's Jury Unable to Determine if Killing was of Felonious Intent

No formal charge had been filed by the state late this morning at Eureka, against Melvin Norman, aged 23 years, Beaumont service station owner, who shot and killed his brother-in-law, David Edgar on a country road, four miles east of Beaumont, in Greenwood County, late Saturday night.

Indications were it was said at Eureka, that if a state complaint is filed against Norman it will be a first degree murder charge. A much minor complaint, probably charging some form of man slaughter is expected to be preferred if the state decides to prosecute Norman. It was about a fifty-fifty chance this morning, it was said, that no action will be started as the result of the killing.

Prosecutor Out of Town

No action will be taken however, it was said until County Attorney C. C. Carper, who has been called out of town by illness in his family returns home. He was expected to return this afternoon.

An inquest into the death was completed late yesterday afternoon at Beaumont. The jury came to the decision that Edgar came to his death by a gunshot wound which was caused by a gun being discharged by Norman. Lack of evidence however, made it mpossible for the jury to determine if the killing was of felonious intent. It is because of this that a question has risen as to what kind of a charge, if any should be filed against Norman.

Followed A Quarrel

The slaying followed a quarrel between Mr. and Mrs. Edgar early Saturday evening. Edgar, according to the officers had been paying undue attention to Mrs. Charles Sawyer, wife of the Beaumont Postmaster. Edgar is said to have gone to the Sawyer home and Mrs. Edgar followed him there. The quarrel started and Mrs. Edgar took her two children and started for the home of her parents in Piedmont. Edgar and Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer started after her in an attempt to settle the trouble. On her way to Piedmont, Mrs. Edgar is said to have stopped at Norman's filling station and told her brother what had happened. When Norman saw Edgar pass the station shortly afterwards, with the Sawyers in pursuit of Mrs. Edgar, he jumped into his car and took after Edgar. The principals met on the country road and the shooting followed. Edgar also is said to have been armed with a revolver. (El Dorado Times, June 11, 1929)