Contributed by Marianne Lindley (Girten)

Jefferson City Daily Tribune 30 Jan 1879, pg. 4, col. 1:

"Horrible Murder!
     "On Tuesday last, the 21st inst., one of the most barbarous murders was
committed that has ever disgraced the soil of Laclede county.  George King,
a gentleman who lived on the Osage Fork, went out on Tuesday afternoon to
chop some wood.  He did not return af night and his family became very
uneasy at his absence.  A short time after he left the house, the family
heard the report of fire arms, but paid but little attention to it.  Search
was made for him that night, but he was not found.  The next morning search
was made for him, and he was found about fifty yards from the road with
three bullet holes in him, and his head crushed with a large stone.  He was
laying on his back, his left hand across his breast and his hat between his
knees.  Blood was found in the road, and by following the trail of blood he
was found.  Suspicion was fastened on a man named Joe Core.  There had been
a feud between the two for sometime.  Core had at one time accused King of
burning some stacks of grain belonging to Core.  King was arrested at the
instance of Core,  but was not found guilty.  Subsequent to this time Core
and King met in the road and Core assaulted King.  Some parties being near
they were separated, and it is said that Core swore vengeance on King then,
and warned him that he would settle with him at some future day.  On the day
that King was killed Core stopped and eat dinner at a house a short distance
from the scene of the tragedy.  He had a revolver strapped to the horn of
his saddle when at the house.  According to the opinion of the family, he
had been gone just about long enough to be at the place where King was
killed when the shooting was  heard.  Very soon after the shooting, Core's
horse came back to the house where he had eaten dinner, and was caught by
some of the family.  The tracks of this horse was followed to where the
blood was found in the road, and then out in the woods, where the dead body
of King was found.  Here the horse seemed to have stopped and then moved
about a little and was tracked back to where it was caught.  The tracks of
the horse were carefully examined, and were found to correspond exactly with
the horse belonging to Core.
     "Core was arrested and tried before a couple of Magistrates and
committed to jail.
     "We give the above facts just as we received them.  It may be that when
the other side is heard a far different feature will appear.  Core has the
right to a fair and impartial trial, and however dismal the account as here
given may appear, it should be no cause for predjudging the case.  the
murder is a foul and brutal one, and whoever committed it should suffer the
extreme penalty of the law.  But if it be that a chain of circumstances
inplicate [sic] an innocent man, he should have the opportunity to show it
in that light. - Lebanon Rustic."

Jefferson City Daily Tribune 27 August 1878, pg. 1, col. 3:

Death of an Estimable Lady.
     "Mrs. Josephine King, sister of Mrs. Lieut. Gov. Brockmeyer, was buried
in St. Louis Sunday last.  Mrs. King was well known in this city, being the
wife of Capt. Henry L. King [sic], who was born and raised here [sic].  She
was an accomplished lady, and beloved by all who knew her.  Capt. King and
his six motherless little ones, will have the heartfelt sympathy of our
citizens."