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Show A MISSOURI SENSATION. The Tragedy at Liberty Which Has Kicked Up Such a Bow. Clay and Jackson counties, Mo., and all the region roundabout Liberty, are excited about a murder (if it be proper to so call it) of which there were no witnesses. The man killed was John Lewton, the man who killed him is James L. Sheets, a leading lawyer aud lately prosecuting attorney, and the cause of the killing was the pretty 15-year-old wife of Lewton; but only the two were present at the fatal affray, of whom the one cannot testify tes-tify and the other need not. The testimony presents some curious features. fea-tures. On the evening of Jan. 7 parties in the store below the office of Sheets heard 870 shots, and the next minute the lawyer appeared, ap-peared, golug in a full run to theofllce of Sheriff Oscar Thompson. The sheriff says that the lawyer bounded in, fell on his knees ! and clasped those of the sheriff and cried ! bitterly. In vain did the officer ask him ; what was the matter; he only cried harder and implored the sheriff to come to his oflice. They went, no one else being allowed to enter with them, aud on the floor lay the corpse of John Lewton, the top of his head laid open by one bullet, h! heart pierced by another. The most expert marksman, firing with perfect per-fect deliberation, could not have placed either hot mors fatally. Indeed, such instant death mm t have resulted from either that some exports insist that one or the other must have been fired after the man fell. ' ' JOHN LXWTOS. MBS. UCWT0R. SHEETS. Still more carious is the fact that all the gossips of the place knew the cause, knew beforehand be-forehand that Lewton intended to whip Sheets and that Shoots had seduoed Lewton's wife, and ths girl herself never denied it She is so very frank about it that the sister and other relatives of the murdered man readily forgave her, wanted to effect a reconciliation recon-ciliation and are now befriending her. To add to the oddity of the situation the suddenly sud-denly made young widow gave the details freely to a correspondent of The Kansas City Times, and at his request went to a gallery and bad her photograph taken for hint to get a picture for publication. Peculiar sort of young widow, tiat. ' She is but fifteen years old and married Lewton last summer at her homo in Barry, IDs. In September he took her to Liberty and left her with his sister while be went on to California to seek a situation. According to her story, she got "lonesome," became in timate with another woman, was by her persuaded per-suaded to go about a good deal, met Sheets at Kansas City aud yielded to him, then repented and confessed all to her uncle and sister-in-law. Her husband returned, beard the story fts told by his relatives, did a great deal of univvmar threatening as to how lis wrmlrt "wnaut oneeis, ' reni. w cueiouer s omce unarmed un-armed and was killed. The slayer was taken before Justice L. P. Gray and released on 11,500 bail, which raised a storm of popular indignation. The lawyer was afraid to leave town lest bs should be followed and lynched, thongb, as he says, he went twice to the depot to leave, but saw too tnany enemies watching him. After a lengthy inquest be was again arrested on the evidence evi-dence there presented and consigned to jail, all bail being denied. The wife had written ' her husband a frantio appeal for forgiveness, which be failed to get, and it fell into a reporter's hands. The character of the child's intellect may perhaps be judged from the concluding lines, viz.: "John, I will stay with you the rest of my days and be faithful and true if you only take me back. I will do right if it kills ma I love you ; I love. You say I do not appear to regret having done what I have, but I do, and you would know if you only knew my heart. Write to me and come one day this week. Good-by. Tour loving wife to my dear husband, John P. Lewton, Good-by. I won't write to my folks at borne it you don't say you will live with me. My folks may go to the derail Again good-by. "Linkib Lbwtoh." |
