Murder Mystery Stories for Sumner County, Kansas

MYSTERIOUS - LYMAN BROWN FAMILY

In April, 1871, Mr. Lyman Brown, wife and five children, were moving from Americus, Lyon County to Augusta, Butler County. When moving he stopped twice by himself, about two weeks apart with Benjamin Barrett, on South Fork, about three miles southeast of Cottonwood Falls. The third and last time he stopped at Mr. Barrett's, his wife and five children were with him, in April, as above mentioned.

The roads being heavy, Mr. Brown left a box of goods with Mr. Barrett, saying that he had two more loads of goods still at Americus and that he would be back in about two weeks, since which time Mr. Brown and family have not been heard from.

Some of the most sacred things belonging to a family were in the box left at Barrett's, such as a bible, containing all the family records and portraits of both parents and children.

It is believed that Mr. Brown and family have met with a sad fate some where between Cottonwood Falls and Augusta, and it is confidently hoped that if these facts are published in all the papers of the state something of their fate may be found out.

Any information in regard to this family will be thankfully received by D. H. Johnson, Topeka, Kansas. (The Sumner County Press, Thursday, November 13, 1873)

ARRESTED - Mrs. Baily Pilcher - A. B. Peltier

Our readers will remember the tragic death of Mrs. Bailey Pilcher which occurred on the 5th of September last at the home of her husband, five miles southeast of this city - an account of which was published in the Press of Sept. 11th. The mysterious circumstances connected with the event had almost passed from the minds of those who were immediately interested, as neighbors and friends, when on last Saturday, William Clark, the Sheriff of Potawotomie county, arrived in this city, having in custody A. B. Peltier, who is charged with being indirectly responsible for the death of Mrs. Pilcher.

Peltier is a half or quarter head Indian who sometime last spring took a claim some where in the vicinity of Pilcher's and who, during the time he remained in the country, boarded with Jackson, the neighbor from whom the medicine was obtained, from the effects of which Mrs. Pilcher died. During Peltiers stay at Jackson's it appears that he sometimes acted in the capacity of cook, and that he once served up a dish of potatoes for Jackson, of which, for some reason, he refused to partake and which was afterwards fed to a small dog. A short time after having eaten the potatoes the animal showed so many symptoms of having been poisoned, that Jackson was led to the conclusion that Peltier had intended to poison him. Shortly after this the Indian left this part of the country, and no person regretted his going. A few days after Peltier left, Jackson took a dose of quinine and suffered the same symptoms of poisioning that were exhibited in the case of Mrs. Pilcher, who died from the effects of the same medicine.

At the time of this writing, the examination of Peltier is progressing before Esq. Van Smith on the charge of having mixed strychnine with the quinine which Jackson was in the habit of occasionally taking, for the purpose of procuring the death of the later.
So far the prosecution has failed to develop any theory in the case, or to show any motive.

The prosecution is conducted by Chas. Willsie, county attorney, assisted by J. Wade McDonald, while the prisoner ably defended by Messrs, Blodgett, Tucker and Herrick. (The Sumner County Press, Thursday, November 27, 1873)