crime - Monroe County History Center

George Buskirk on Trial for the Murder of Elzie Easton

Nov 19, 2019Monroe Historyevents, peopleBuskirk, crime, Douglass

Blog post by Randi Richardson After shooting and killing Elzie Easton and gunning down his companion, James Douglass, on Christmas Eve, 1889, George Buskirk, the saloon keeper, escaped through a rear door and headed east to the home of his mother. He reportedly gave some thought, initially, to turning himself in to the sheriff, or

The Murder of Elsworth “Elzie” Easton

Oct 28, 2019Monroe Historypeople, places, wehiaBuskirk, crime, Douglass, Easton, Stinesville

Blog post by Randi Richardson The story below was taken from an article titled “Double Murder, Terrible Shooting Affair,” published in the Bloomington Telephone on December 27, 1889, and found in the clipping file at the research library, Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana. It was abbreviated from the lengthy original as shown by the

Jennie Easton’s Hotel a Stinesville Landmark

Oct 21, 2019Monroe History2 Commentspeople, places, wehiabusinesses, Buskirk, crime, Douglass, Easton, Stinesville

Blog post by Randi Richardson The story below is from upon an article titled “Aunt Jennie’s ‘New’ Hotel Has a Place in History,” published in the Bloomington (IN) Saturday Courier, on May 13, 1955, p. 1B. It is abbreviated from the original as shown by the ellipsis. The Monon railroad, by coming to Stinesville instead

A BLOODY TRAGEDY IN ELLETTSVILLE

May 6, 2019Monroe History2 Commentsevents, wehiacrime, Ellettsville

Blog post by Randi Richardson Sometimes the line between “vigilante justice” and just downright meanness is quite thin and poorly defined. Such is the 1854 case in which Harrison Spear, variously spelled Speer, was a victim and Hugh Butler, one of several perpetrators, died. The assault was allegedly triggered by Spear’s immoral behavior. Newspapers in

Shorty Owen Feared No One

Nov 12, 2018Monroe History1 Commentpeople, wehiacrime, Owen, police

Blog Post by Randi Richardson George McQueen “Shorty” Owen (variously spelled Owens) was a tubby individual with a cold eye who feared nothing that walked on two legs. He had several siblings including a sister, Lizzie, who had that same cold eye. She was a teacher in the local schools for a number of years

Regulators Organization Established to Deal with Lawbreakers

May 29, 2018Monroe HistorywehiaBingham, counterfeiting, crime, Looking Back, Regulators, Vansickle

The clipping noted below, written by Mrs. Wesley Hayse, was published in an undated, unsourced Bloomington newspaper under a column called “Looking Back.” It was found in a scrapbook compiled by a man named Fred Lockwood. The scrapbook is held by the Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana. The item below was abbreviated from the