Grave Spotlight of the Month - August 2025 - Elsworth "Elzie" Easton

 This month's grave spotlight of the month is about Elsworth "Elzie" Easton, a young man murdered in Stinesville on Christmas Eve in 1889.

According to an article titled "Double Murder, Terrible Shooting Affair" in the December 27, 1889 edition of the Republican Newspaper the Bloomington Telephone, Elsworth "Elzie" Easton, son of William and Jennie Easton was shot and killed by George Buskirk.

The article goes on to say "Elzie Easton and James Douglas had been at Gosport during the afternoon and while there became more or less under the influence of liquor.  Shortly after 6pm, they boarded a work train and came down to their home at Stinesville.  Soon after arriving they went to the saloon of George Buskirk, a little frame building on the south side of the main street of the town..."

At this time, people in the town were getting themselves together to attend the "Little church on the hill" where the annual Christmas tree had been erected.  Town was quiet, young and old were preparing for the holiday.  Meanwhile, at the saloon of George Buskirk, a terrible tragedy was about to occur.  

As far as the newspaper article states, there had been some words of a quarrelsome nature between Buskirk and Easton, but it is not known what the quarrel was actually about.  Regardless of what these words were, Buskirk ordered Easton to leave, not Douglas, just Easton.  When Easton refused to leave, Buskirk picked up a double barreled shotgun and fired, killing Easton instantly.  

Most of the patrons of the saloon ran.  Douglas stayed.  Buskirk ordered him to leave, which Douglas started to do, begging him not to shoot.  For some reason, he did anyway, hitting Douglas in the arm and the left side.  

Douglas was dragged from the scene.  Buskirk fled.  But by this time, the whole town of Stinesville had heard the shots.  

A few hours later, Douglas was in the care of Doctor Stansifer when a reported from the Bloomington Telephone called on him.  Doctor Stansifer informed him of the following:

"The first of the whole matter, I went into the saloon of George Buskirk with Easton and was standing by the beer boxes.  Young Hargis was in there and started pushing Easton to one side.  A few words passed between Easton and Buskirk; Easton wanted to fight and pulled a revolver from his pocket...Easton said he could whip Buskirk, Hargis or all of us.  I took Easton's revolver away from him ten minutes before the shooting.  Buskirk knew Easton did not have the revolver when he was threatening to whip him just before the shooting."

According to Milton Hargis, Buskirk told Easton to get out twice, Easton asking him to put down the gun at the same time.  It didn't take long for gunfire to erupt after that.  

Many of the townsfolk stated that Elzie Easton was a pleasant and honorable young man...when not drinking.  James Douglas, his friend that was with him when they entered the saloon, was said to be more of a troublemaker.  He had, at one point, owned a barber shop in the town, in which he had been allowing gambling.  George Buskirk, however, was said to have been a hard character and ran a disreputable establishment.  

The county coroner, Doctor Maxwell, Jr. told the telephone that he had heard enough of the evidence to justify the belief that Buskirk was not justified in his shooting of Easton and that there was no excuse for his attack on Douglas.

Meanwhile, Buskirk was on the run.  It was said that he had initially wanted to turn himself into the sheriff but was afraid of being attacked and killed by a mob.  Instead, he chose to run.  He mounted his horse and made his way south.  It was only a few days later that it was reported in the Bloomington Republican Progress. on January 8, 1890, that George Buskirk had been captured in Sanborn in Knox County, Indiana at the home of a relative, though not by the Knox County Sheriff, who refused, but instead by the marshal located at Gosport.  George Buskirk was arrested without incident.

A month later, as reported in the Bloomington Republican Progress on February 5, 1890, a crowd gathered at the courthouse to hear the trial.  George Buskirk testified on his own behalf.  He stated that Elzie came into the saloon and demanded that another patron, a man named Lee Wampler, buy him drinks.  Wampler didn't want to and Elzie threatened him.  Buskirk ejected him from the bar but he came back, angry and cursing and demanding beer.  When Buskirk refused to serve him, Elzie left, prompting Buskirk to bar the door.  Elzie started throwing rocks at the door and threatening to kill the saloon owner.  It is assumed that Elzie was already well into his cups by this time, but this also goes against the fact that it was said earlier that Elzie and Douglas were coming home Gosport around 6pm and the shooting happened not long after.  

Buskirk states now that later in the evening, Elzie came back with Douglas and demanded to be served again.  He drew his revolver and threatened Buskirk with hit, stating that if he drew the shotgun that was sitting there, he would kill him.  It was then that Buskirk fired, hitting Douglas by accident.

This statement of facts goes against what Doctor Stansifer told the paper and what Douglas said about when they came back from Gosport.

After all of the facts were stated, Buskirk was sure that he was going to be charged.  The Judge noted the law stated that a person could defend their domicile if needed.  The case was turned over to the jury and the next day they came back with the verdict of Not Guilty, a surprise to everyone there.  But shortly afterward, George Buskirk had to attend a bond court appearance and it was here that the jury decided instead that he was guilty and he was fined for assault, a fine of $500.

After this, George Buskirk disappears for a while.  It is assumed that he decided to make his way elsewhere to find work and start a new life.  Indeed, he is not heard from again until 1899 when it was reported that he killed a native Central American Man.  This reason for this murder is unknown, but those that captured him wanted to burn him at the stake for what he did.  A judge ordered him tied to a tree, apparently for safekeeping, until they could decide what to do with him.  During the night, he untied the rope and disappeared into history.

The subject of our story was laid to rest in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Stinesville, Indiana.  As a side note, this is one of my favorite cemeteries, as it is set in a beautiful wooded setting and is laid out in such as way that one needs to walk around an explore.  I photographed his grave in 2015, not realizing at the time what his cause of death had been.

Listed on the headstone with Elzie, are his parents, hotel-owners William G. Easton (1826-1894) and Delila Virginia "Jennie" Williams Easton (1836-1909).  Buried a few miles away were three of his brothers, Millard Lindsey Easton (1856-1934), William Perry Easton (1857-1911) and John W. Easton (1862-1926), all buried in Chambersville Cemetery.  One further brother, George Brinton McClelland "Clell" Easton (1864-1922), is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

I haven't found where James Douglas is buried as he also just disappears from the records after the shooting.  I have found a man by this name and within the right timeframe buried in Valhalla Memory Gardens, but I have no idea if this is him or not.

Elsword "Elzie" Easton was a young man who was killed in an instant of anger.  RIP Elzie.

~~~

REFERNCES

Hoosier State Chronicles - Bloomington Telephone

Monroe County History Center - The Murder of Elsworth "Elzie" Easton

Hoosier State Chronicles - Bloomington Republican Progress