DESOTO MURDER

COL. BILL TAYLOR, OF DESOTO, MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD BY CYRUS DUNN- MURDERER ESCAPES- LARGE POSSE OF CITIZENS AIDING SHERIFF MENCKE IN THE SEARCH-MURDER MOST FOUL

One of the most cowardly and brutal murders that has occurred in Washington County since old Mr. Towne met his death at the hands of Frank Pratt some four years ago, occurred in DeSoto Township on Sunday night about 9 o’clock. The victim in this case was Wm. Taylor better known to many of our readers as “Colonel” Bill Taylor, and his murderer was Cyrus Dunn, a villain who, with his wife and baby and his wife’s folks, only recently came to this county from Adams County.

The origin of the trouble was a ballgame between DeSoto and Ft Calhoun at the latter place on Sunday. Both men were drinking freely, and Taylor’s betting proclivities came to the surface, and he wagered Dunn fifty cents that DeSoto would win, and he lost. This caused hard words between the two men, and later in the afternoon the two again met at a house near DeSoto, and hostilities were renewed. Language more expressive than elegant was used, and each expressed his contempt for the other in the strongest terms at their command, when Taylor, not to be vanquished in this manner, picked up a harrow tooth, and with that and the razor drove Dunn off the place. Dunn then returned home nursing his wrath and swearing to have vengeance.

Later in the evening church services were to be held in the school house, a short distance east of where Dunn lived, and to his wife and a young lady who was present, he declared his intention of attending and getting even with Taylor. He threatened to “mop the earth with his remains,” and swore to leave him in such a condition that his nearest friends would not recognize him. The hour arrived, and despite the entreaties of his wife, he shouldered his gun, and taking his 14 year old brother-in-law, Milton McCoy, along with him, he started to church. He hid his gun along the roadside some distance from the church. Soon after he arrived Taylor made his appearance at the school house, and soon after Dunn and the boy got up and went out, going west about fifty yards and secreting themselves behind some bushes. In a few moments Taylor got up and left the school house, going west in the direction of his home. Soon as he passed his hidden foe, the murderer slipped from his hiding place armed with a huge club, and sneaking up behind his victim, giving no notice till he was ready to strike, delivered a blow in the back of the head, crushing the skull, the body of Taylor falling limp and apparently lifeless in the middle of the road at his feet.

The boy becoming alarmed ran up to Taylor, but the first thought that occurred to him was that Taylor was dead. “Sir, you have killed Bill,” said the boy, and at once the enormity of his crime flashed across his mind. He went to Taylor and tried to arouse him standing him upon his feet, and endeavoring in every way possible to get him to show some signs of life. At this critical moment another boy, Willie McPherson appeared on the scene and all at once Dunn broke down and turning his face away from his victim wept like a child. Here the boys left him. Dunn took the body and dragged it south throwing it over the fence into a pasture, then went home and told his wife and her father what he had done, thence they all went over to Charley DeMotts, only a short distance and told DeMott that he had killed Taylor and wanted his advise as to what to do. McCoy, his father-in-law and DeMott each gave him a dollar and advised him to get out of the country as fast as he could. He disappeared from there about 12 o’clock Sunday night and though telegrams have been sent out in every direction and a large posse of men under Sheriff Mencke, are scouring the timber along the bluffs, nothing has yet has been heard from him and it is possible that he will make good his escape.

The boys returned to the school house, and being warned to not tell it, said nothing about it until they were on the road home when they told the story to a companion, who at once raised an alarm and the search began for the body which was found an hour later where it had been deposited by the murderer. He was picked up and taken to the residence of Wm. Simpson and remained in an unconscious condition until he died about noon on Monday.

Coroner Pierce was sent for and impaneled the following as a jury to hold the inquest: Sam Bouvier, Buck Rosenbalm, Wm. McCormick, Lee Smith, Fred Burgeon, and W.G. Harrison. The evidence contained substantially the facts as above set forth and the finding was that Wm. Taylor had come to his death by a blow on the head with a club in the hands of Cyrus Dunn. The Coroner took charge of the body which was brought to Blair and on Tuesday morning buried in the Blair cemetery.

Taylor was a man about 38 years of age and came here from Pittsburg, Pa., twenty years ago and where his mother now resides. He was somewhat of a politician and his worst fault was drinking. He has always been recognized as a harmless individual and has never been involved in any serious trouble. He was noisy when under the influence of liquor but had Dunn made no resistance whatever it is not thought Taylor would have harmed him with the razor. Dunn has been involved in a number of scrapes since coming to this county and this is the third man he has clubbed over the head within the past few months, having just finished the jail sentence for the last offense. He has done time in the penitentiary and altogether is looked upon as a dangerous and ugly person to have in a community. He is about 26 years of age, wore blue overalls, a ducking coat, blue shirt and generally wears his pants inside his boot tops. He has a light mustache, weighs about 160 or 170 pounds and walks erect.

MURDERER DUNN CAUGHT

Cy Dunn, the man who killed Bill Taylor with a club at DeSoto last Sunday night, was caught at Hastings yesterday. His people live at Hastings, and it was suspected that he would drift that way. Yesterday he purchased a ticket at Surprise for Hastings, and the agent thinking it was the man wanted, telegraphed to the sheriff who nabbed him as the train pulled into Hastings, and it was the right man. Sheriff Mencke went west this morning to get his man, and will soon have him back here to answer for his brutal crime.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #100693070