On Dec. 22, 1897, on a lonely spot in a fill at the foot of two hills at the sharp curve of the C.B.&Q. railroad 2 1/2 miles west of Murray an attempt was made to wreck a passenger train carrying the crew, 260 men, women and children, by pulling both spikes from both sides of the north rail and trying to remove the angle bars so the train would plunge down the steep embankment twenty feet below. The object of the awful crime was robbery of the dead and dying.

The attempt was unsuccessful, however, but the crime resulted in the arrest of 2 men which were given sentences of life imprisonment.

About 1901 or 1902, about half the town was quarantined because of a smallpox epidemic. One resident here at the time, Earl Andrews, recalls his father bringing groceries and leaving them on the front porch for several weeks while the quarantine was in effect.

Around 1906 a work crew for the railroad was stationed in the east part of Murray in bunk cars. The men were foreigners. One evening several of the men went into town and started a disturbance and a warrant was served on them for their arrest. Their interpreter was not there. Several local men were deputized to go to the Marshall and arrest them, and in the melee that followed, one of the local men was struck in the head with some metal object, and was severly injured. He was in the hospital some time, and when he was released, he was partially paralized but was able to get around slowly, but was never able to work again.

On Oct. 18, 1913, an explosion in Bishops Garage claimed two lives. Five tanks of gasoline exploded burning A. R. and Hubert Bishop and John Dinham. A dray team also persihed in the flames that destroyed the garage. Also destroyed in the building were three automobiles —a "White Steamer" belonging to Bishop & Son; a Rambler, the property of Ed Hickman; and a Ford belonging to M. Burchett who lived south of Hopeville.

Headlines on Oct. 2, 1921, read — BANDITS KILL ONE, WOUND 2 CITIZENS
Chas. Jones had called the Sheriff reporting the strange actions of four men at the bridge near his farm home. The sheriff, Ed West, and John Miller of Osceola, also Mr. Jones, met Dr. Fuller and C. IL Eaton and continued on to investigate. When they reached the bridge the sheriff inquired, "What's going on here boys," and the bandits opened fire on the men

resulting in the death of Chas. Jones and the wounding of Dr. Fuller, C. H. Eaton and John Miller. As a result of the shooting Dr. Fuller was confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

In 1930 floods here were the worst in 27 years and almost caused a fatalitie. Lloyd Dean, the rural mail carrier on route 3 drove into the water thinking he was crossing a bridge on his route near John Claypools place about 6 mi. southwest of town. The bridge had been washed out and rescurers had quite a time getting Mr. Dean and his team out. The buggy was washed two miles down stream and part of the mail was lost.

The week of Augnst 11, 1938, Murray had a week of bad weather with abnormally hot winds changing from one direction to another and finally an electrical storm — the severest in several years causing seven fires in a radious of ten miles of Murray. In the town many trees were blown down and windows broken.

Among oddities reported from the storms is the story of sparrows deaths by L. A. Browns, who lived in west Murray. They found the ground under their two trees literally covered with dead birds and counted 451.

James Cone was born in 1882. At the age of two years he was affected with some kind of rheumatism. At that time his joints started gradually but surely to stiffen.

His youth was characterized by much pain and illness and in his early twenties he was compelled to take to his bed. From that time on the process progressed rapidly.

The joint of the left hip was the first to stiffen and from there the disease spread to every part of the body.

For the next 10 years, every joint was set in a rigid position. During the stiffening process several of the joints were drawn completely out of their sockets.

The patient was fed only liquids and soft foods that required no mastication. His medicine was placed in his mouth thru an opening left by a missing tooth.

The flesh, especially his bloated hands and feet, was very sensitive, unable to stand even the weight of the bed coverings, which were fastened to a frame to prevent them from resting directly on his body.

He lived a life of perpetual pain, which shifted restfully from one part of his body to another. He, through all the pain retained all of his senses and had an exceptionally active and retentive mind.

Scores of doctors examined the victim of this mysterious ailment. No two diagnosed it similarly and all were baffled.