When the deadly sin of greed infects the mind and soul, the limits of evil that people are capable of have no boundaries. Those with the desire to covet that which is not theirs often leads to the act which is the most hideous of sins -- murder. Those that gather together and conspire to commit these repugnant acts must surely be brought to justice, and in our world that calls for judgment by their peers.
The door to the juror's deliberation room slowly opened and jury foreman Jake Bailey led the group of 12 men, peers of the defendants, into the jurors' box. The men's stoic-appearing faces gave no indication of what their decision would be, innocent or guilty. Each man's eyes were keenly focused on the chairs they had occupied for the past five days, and not even the turn of a head or slight glance was directed toward any of the three brothers.
The August 1896 trial of three brothers who stood accused of the seemingly senseless murders of Crittendon, known to everyone as C.L. Moore and his wife, Mary, lasted just five days. It was alleged that the married couple, who lived on a small farm near the southwest Missouri town of Tiff City, were brutally dispatched from this world on the night of Wednesday, July 18, 1894, and for what? The lust for money.
The trial began on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in the small McDonald County courtroom. The presiding judge in the matter was the Honorable John C. Lamson. Over the next five days between 30 and 40 witnesses would testify while hundreds of onlookers crowded into the small courtroom to get a look at the accused murderers. The August sun created sweltering temperatures inside of the packed courtroom, but that didn't deter interested spectators. The accused were represented by several attorneys, but J.A. Sturgis acted as the lead defense counsel while Prosecutor J.D. Edge represented the state and the interests of the victims.
The Moores had three grown daughters: Rachel, Nancy and the youngest, Lillie. Lillie and her husband, George Williams, lived in a house located approximately 200 yards from the Moore home. George Williams took the witness stand and testified that he heard nine gunshots on the evening of Wednesday, July 18, 1894, but paid little attention as the sounds of shots fired in that rural area were not uncommon.
A young boy testified that he went to the Moore home at approximately 10 a.m. the following morning intending to return a previously borrowed buggy. When his calls went unanswered, he walked to the farm house's front porch, where he found Mrs. Moore lying motionless in a pool of blood. The McDonald County Sheriff's Office was notified of the gruesome findings and Sheriff John C. Kelley, Prosecutor Hugh Dabbs and Doctor A.J. McKinney rushed to the scene.
Mr. Moore's body was discovered lying on the floor of a room within the house. An examination of the body found four bullet wounds -- one to each shoulder and two to the head. An examination of Mrs. Moore's body revealed gunshot wounds to the arm, neck and back of the head. A search of the home for anything of evidentiary value led to the discovery of nine .38 caliber shell casings found on the porch and inside the home. Both victims were in their stocking feet. Two smoking pipes were found on a porch window sill and a kerosene lamp was found to be still burning. Doctor McKinney placed the time of death at approximately 7 p.m. the night before. It was determined that approximately $500 in cash (more than $13,500 today) -- a substantial sum of money in 1894 -- had been stolen.
As the trial progressed everyone waited for the introduction of a possible motive to the killings. Finally, the jury heard testimony that indicated the three brothers wore masks when they visited the Moore home that tragic evening with the intent to rob the couple. It was stated that Mrs. Moore pulled the mask from one of the three which led to the fatal shooting of both her and her husband. It was also stated that one of the brothers purchased a race horse for the sum of $150 a short time after the murders.
In his closing statement, Prosecutor Edge told the dozen jurors that the motive for the murders was the most terrible of sins -- greed. He explained that when the mask was removed from one of the brothers -- thus divulging their identity -- the three evil conspirators shot the couple numerous times ensuring that the wounds would be fatal and the identities of the killers would not be discovered. But the identities of the murderers were in fact discovered, and they sat in that courtroom before the jurors that day.
As the jurors passed, William and Lafe scanned the faces of each of the 12 men looking for some sign, any sign at all, which would somehow subside the fear that swelled up within them. The slightest nod of a head, wink of an eye or a wry smile might give them hope for a favorable verdict, but no reassuring hint of the decision was given. Thomas however, sat with a slumped head looking only downward at the surface of the table he sat next to. Over the past five days he had come to know every inch of that table and every grain in the wood so very well.
On Saturday evening Aug. 8, 1896, Judge Lamson asked jury foreman Bailey if the jury had reached a verdict. The foreman stood and said, "We have your honor." A deafening hush fell over the room. The ladies in their gingham dresses stopped fanning their faces and the men in their best overalls lowered the sweat-moistened handkerchiefs that a moment ago swabbed their temples and the backs of their necks. The judge asked if the decision was unanimous and he was assured that all 12 men were in agreement. The judge asked Mr. Bailey to read the verdict. Bailey unfolded a piece of paper and began to read. "We the jury find the defendants, William Hamilton, Lafe Hamilton and Thomas Hamilton not guilty of murder in the first degree in the manner and form as charged in the indictment."
Was justice served?
Well, the answer to that question most certainly depends on who was asked.
For the Hamilton brothers and J.A. Sturgis, the answer was most assuredly "Yes." But for Prosecuting Attorney Edge and the family and friends of the murdered couple, the answer was "No -- there had been no justice given at the end of those five days in the Pineville, Mo., courtroom."
A fourth suspect in the murders, Andrew Taylor, was initially charged along with the three brothers, but he was never brought to trial.
One hundred and twenty two years have passed since the blood-stained bodies of C.L. and Mary Moore were found at their home near Tiff City, and no one has ever been found guilty of the couple's murders. The husband and wife are remembered in a Tiff City cemetery where an obelisk was erected with the name of C.L. Moore inscribed on one side and his wife's name, Mary Moore, on another. The inscription, "Murdered July 18, 1894" is found beneath both names.
This was a murder, terribly hideous in design, most foul and profane in its nature and the abominable act was executed by those completely devoid of conscience.
Thanks to everyone at the McDonald County Court Clerk's Office.
-- Stan Fine is a retired police officer and Verizon Security Department investigator who, after retiring in 2006, moved from Tampa, Fl., to Noel. Stan's connection to Noel can be traced back to his grandparents who lived most of their lives there. Stan began writing after the passing of his wife Robin in 2013. Opinions are those of the author.
Community on 02/04/2016