David R. Core Family
Daniel and Keziah (Hayes) Core married in Ritchie County,
Virginia (now West Virginia). In 1850 they
lived in Lewis County, Virginia (now West Virginia) according to the
Federal Census. Six of their
children were born while living in probably in Tyler County or Lewis County. Between 1853 and 1856 they moved to Illinois. They had
one son born in Illinois in 1857.
Daniel and Keziah moved to Laclede County, Missouri between 1857 and 1860
where they purchased 80 acres of land on March 1, 1860 in the Osage
Township.
Daniel and Keziah's daughter, Margaret Core, was born probably
in Tyler County, West Virginia in 1841. She married William Crumel
'Bud' Chambers in Laclede County, Missouri in 1868.
Daniel and Keziah's son, Joseph Core, was born in Tyler County,
Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1843. He married Isabella Hemphill in
Laclede County, Missouri in 1865. Joseph Core murdered George King on
January 21, 1879 on Myers Creek, Osage Township, Laclede Co., Missouri.
Joseph was hung for this crime on March 5, 1880. Joseph was the first
person to be executed in Laclede County.
Murder of George E. King and Execution of Joseph Core
The news article below was taken from the book History
of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps and
Dent Counties published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.
At the February term, 1879, of the Laclede Circuit Court, Joseph Core
was indicted for the killing of George E. King, and at the following
August term he was tried, found guilty, and was sentenced to be hung. The
evidence in the case, as summarized by the Daily Rustic-Leader of February
4, 1880, is as follows: Several months before King was murdered, Core and he
had a difficulty about some burnt wheat stacks belonging to Core. Core
accused King of burning them, and had him arrested. At the trail the latter
proved that he was not the man, and was discharged. Core did not believe
that justice had been done, and a bad state of feeling existed between the
two. On the day King was killed, Core took dinner at the house of Esquire
Lindsay, who lived a short distance from King's house. After he left
some gunshots were heard in the valley, and in a few moments Joe Core's
horse came back by Lindsay's. King took dinner at a neighbor's house, and
went into the valley to cut some sled runners. The people at this house
heard the gun firing, and it was proven that both King and Core had just
time enough to reach the place of murder when the reports were heard. King
was found on the side of the hill, about seventy-five yards from the road.
His body had two gunshot wounds on it, and his head was beaten almost to a
jelly with some sort of a weapon. Core's horse tracks showed that King had
been met in the road, and a pool of blood there showed that King had been
shot in the road, and that he had fled up the hillside. The horse tracks
showed that he had been pursued a short distance when the rider dismounted.
Human tracks were discovered leading from this place through the woods in
the direction of Core's residence.
The case was appealed to the supreme court, where the judgment of the lower
court was confirmed, and the day for the execution was fixed for Friday,
March 5, 1880. When the day came crowds of people were present to witness
the execution. Promptly at 1 o'clock the doomed man was taken from the jail
and conveyed to a hollow about a mile distant, where the gallows had been
erected, and there, after all things were made ready, the platform dropped,
and Core's soul was launched into eternity. This was the first and only
legal execution that has ever taken place in Laclede County. After the
execution a confession of the crime, which Core had placed in the hands of
his spiritual advisor, was read.
My Questions
-
I know that George E. King
was born in 1826 in Casey County, KY. Who was George E. King's
parents?
-
Where was George E. King
buried?
-
My married name is King and I
have wondered if George E. King could be related to the King's of
my x-husband line that are also from Kentucky. Here is a link to
his line:
William Rufus King of NC
-
Does anyone have pictures
regarding these events? Since this was highly covered by the press
I think there may be pictures.
-
Who is David Core's
(Joseph's father) father and mother? I have found messages on the
Ritchie County, West Virginia message boards that his brother was Andrew
S. Core a Civil War official. However, I was told by another
researcher that Andrew's brother was David was born in 1795 in MD.
Could it be that David Core born in 1795 is David Core's born (born abt
1820) was his dad? I believe that David Core born in 1820 was
living with his uncle Andrew S. Core in 1840 in Tyler County, Virginia.
