The February 13th, 1868 Grant City Star, then known as The Enterprise, reprinted the following story by the Commercial of Platte County regarding a shooting that took place in Platte City.
On Saturday night, around 10 o’clock, Charles M. Boyd, an attorney at law, aged 28 years, was killed under the following circumstances, as near as we have been able to ascertain at Platte City:
In the city, a man by the name of Boyd (no relation to Charles) keeps a dry goods store. He has been in the city but a few months, but shortly after he opened up there, he missed articles of merchandise and money, and mistrusting the clerk in his employ, discharged him and employed another. This did not remedy the evil, though, as the same thefts were still committed.
As he could account for the loss in no other way than that the clerk was dishonest, and a third clerk was employed. The last clerk and his employer, after studying the matter for several weeks, believing they had traced the thefts to C.M. Boyd, whose office was directly overhead, and where he roomed, concocted a scheme whereby to catch him if he was really the thief.
The clerk, being in the room of Charles Boyd during the afternoon, casually remarked that his employer was going to St. Joseph for a short time. This was understood between Joseph Boyd and his clerk, and on the night in question, the lights were put out and the store closed at the usual time, the clerk leaving.
The merchant had erected a sort of barricade near the door, and with a double barreled gun laid down to await developments. At the hour mentioned above, he was awakened from a partial sleep by the rattling of a kay to the door, which quietly entered and someone entered. He immediately aimed his gun in the direction of the door and fired, following which the person retreated and passing around the store, ascended two or three steps leading to the office above, where he stopped.
Within a minute or two, he returned and reentered the store again, when Mr. Boyd fired a second time at him. Hearing no cry from him, believing he might assail him, and having no revolver, he bethought him how he should escape and was seeking the rear door, when he observed the robber again going out and his hat fall off. He immediately started after him, and just as he arrived, observed him fall heavily, exclaiming as he fell, “Oh! Mac, Mac!”
Mr. Boyd immediately aroused the neighbors, who came with lanterns, when the robber was discovered to be no other than C.M. Boyd. The key which he had filed and fitted to the door was discovered on the sidewalk. He was buried on Sunday.
Yesterday, a search warrant, describing accurately sundry articles lost, was placed in the hands of the Sheriff, and on breaking into his trunk, the articles as described, comprising linen, handkerchiefs, prints, silks, ribbons, and other miscellaneous items were recovered, proving him to be undeniably guilty of the thefts.
What depravity induced him to commit the robbery cannot be surmised, as it is understood he had on deposit in a bank in this city the sum of $16,400, in the Platte City bank $4,000, and fifteen $500 7/30 bonds were found in his room.
The matter is undergoing investigation, and we are informed that the officers of the bank at Platte City think they will be able to trace the robbery which was committed on the bank about a year ago to him.
He was respectably connected, both in this and Platte City, and it is a blow that falls heavily on his relations.
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