Hide Article Text (OCR)
’ HEATH OE A WRETCH.Wampler, the Z lurdarer of the An- i dereon Family, Meets HisDoom. ! «'i\vDiscovered by the Suspicion* of a j d Man to Whom He Gave Ills Right Name.i*iMPursued by Officers* He Turns and Fires at Them, and Then KillsHimself.V1*1* *1.itsKansas City, .June 23.—A special to the .1,1 Journal from Pleasanton, Kas., says: 'J Lewis Wampler’s body arrived at Pleasanton:'In cUaigO of C. ll.Cliamller, Sheriff of Lion Comity, Kan., on the six o’clock: train on the Memphis road this morning. As soonas the train arrived the body was removed to a blacksmith shop on Main street, when a party of men sot anvils and fired them off, and the noise and the news soon brought thousands of people from every direction to view the body of the murderer* Ilia body was in a coarse board box. The lid was removed and Ico was placed In the box around the body. When tho body first arrived it was somewhat swollen, but was easily recognized as that of Lewis Wampler, by all those who knew him. The following Is a true and complete history of his capture: On the same day that Sheriff Chandler arrived from Ylnita and Fort Gibson, where he had been lit search ot the murderer, ho received a letter, of which the following Is a copy:Wisosja SPRINOK, Ark., June 13,1SSI. To the Sheriff of Llun County. Has.:man thii rommitted tho munlerclt;AnaSwain Mountain, Carroll County, Ark-, on tho 11th, and bo wanted tobacco. I gave him a chew and 1 asked him if he wanted work. He said he did. I told him If be would give me a piece of paper I would tend him fn«w no could work. Ho said he bad ao papor aad handed mo a Testament and told tu to writ« on the tty leaf. I opened the Testament and there was aome wnutxthere- I asked him bis name and he aaia Wampler. I said: “That is not the name hero. He aald, “Wampler is not my name; my name Is Combe. I had seen an aooauntof the murder, and the name seemed familiar to me, and I remarked the same to him. He said the name of Wampler was a common name, ana left me. I came home and looked through the papers, and saw that Wampler was the name, and tho description suited the man. I got a man to go with me end we have spent two days huntingfor him hut can got no further track of himbe-yond the immediate neighborhood. He came* a heavy revolver, wears a narrow brim black hat. Is badly sunburnoU. and wear* the nem-nants of a pair of calfskin boot*. He to nearly barefooted and foot sore. Anything 1 can do (will do for you. , _[signed] J os* Ml CtARfcP. S.—Any Information wanted direct to Winona Springs, Carroll County, Ark. Winona Sprlnir* •awtliraet of Eureka Springs eight wile*.SiwtldihiwPilldlt;atuiwBb:U!TItd:V*inoiwinwtlab:fcJShrWxl! JOSKPU Cr.ABK,Jobs wanamaxsk.THitrtTtaiUT.1,'jjoh the receipt of tills letter and another letter from John Wauamaker, to tho effect that he saw Louis Wampler In the same vicinity at the same time, and was the other iimn with (Hark who bunted for Wampler. Mr. Chandler, after talking tho matter over with his legal advisers, concluded to take the afternoon tralu the next ttov (?bmdav, June in,] for Arkansas. lie did so. He met Messrs. Clark and Wan* maker, and they followed the track nt Wampler from that time until Friday. June 20. about eleven o'clock. Mr. riumdler found as he proceeded through the mountainous eouulry more and moro evidences that he was surely on the track of ilitt mi in icier of the Anderson family. He I untied a meal at one place, stole a pair of shots Mild left hllt; boots. Ills boots were evidently tight, -and over I he Instep tho leather had I •ecu cut in holes. After he l»ut on the shoe* In* wo-, harder totrack.^ But on June “w, liftween ten ami eleven o'clock, us Mr. Chandler with his two assistants turned abend h» the mountain road, light in heavytimber, nl'out eight miles east of Mountahi-imrx. Ark., on the *!‘ri*n road, they met a iicim on foot iiiniing toward thorn. They all in a ii the photogr.iph. ami previously having seen him. recognized Wampler. He came up within or ten feet of CUond-lev and whipped. He had seen Sheriff fhandler oin-e M.m* at Trading Post, Linn Countv. K»a. and (‘handler asked Idtn the disunite to Mulberry. Wampler looked up at Chandler and rmiirui/cd him, and the SheritV 11*1 iv says that the took ofi.ifi:intiiix anii ri:i:itoi: *11m: ciiTue lt;ner Wampler’s face the Instant he re -oKui/e«i the Sheriff was terrible. He turned Indianrlv and without saying a word, ran with the fleet ness of teripr into tlie tim-in*r. and «s he did drew a large revolverfrom l»:s coal picket. The Slier iffand !i- a-ssistnnts, who were on lv»r»etack. drew ihelr pistols andstarted In pursuit. They soon gamed onhim. failed him to halt, when he turned ami sliol at them. They then fired four shots at Wampler, uud tho Sheriff came right up to him a ml w«*»ld have shot, hut at this in-slant Wain;'I‘t placed hh own pi* to I to his up|»er lip. below his nos**, and shot himself, the ball going toward and 1041x1111; hi the brain. He lived about one ami one-half hours after wards but never |toke. No shot fired at Wampler hit him or his elothlnff. The news immediately ypread and a Coroner’s jurv of twelve men were at once summoned hy W. F. Thornton, a Justice of the I’eace, of Mountain Township, Crawford County, and after hearing the evidence they rendered a venllet in accordance with the fads.TtiK Vfcirturrwas rendered upon itft testimony of thn Sheriff ami the photograph of Wampler, taken last fall and upon a irrusil deal of tes-timony of pwib who .-[••lt;ke to him in his rambles and his alter suiting that his name was Wampler. After the venllet, the Sheriff procured a to\, had Idshotly removed to. Meuntainbnrg, Ark., and from then* by rail to here.Mr. AVtinier, .1 farmer anil mvuer of a coal mine ahoui nine miles northeast of here, upon a udesrmm from Chandler, left on the nine o'clock train Saturday night, and on lt;his way down met the train with Chandler and tlm body of the murderer. Wampler worked for Warner, and Warner knew him familiarly ami well. He thenrecognized WJmpler in the dead hotly on01b:oiaIIAajfio:flt;itviVun:itri!1DC1Crfift(llIf:elS!lt;5.Ik:ajJL4*•i.UtoJ'8Jifciw*rtp!5 *•»HiIV!*S*»s* •the train. amllhebAs since been recognized by every one pdlo knew him hens. Everyhi; viaone seems to blt;; glad that be murdered himself. Sheriff Chandler Is moro thin pleased that neither of the two shots lie fired at him killed him. He died the death he deserved is the universal verdict Too much praise cannot be accorded the cool head and unflinching purpose of Sheriff C. U. Chandler in thb matter, and the people with one accord here speak In the highest praise of hisconduct in tW*L4s1lt;tiHftC
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Daily Morning Tribune
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Tue, Jun 24, 1884
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Reinhart B.
USA 21 Jan 2017
Other Publications Near Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence Journal World
Journal World
Lawrence Daily Gazette
Lawrence Daily Journal World
Lawrence Chieftain
