So "Kesler" looks like he was Peter Kessler, who was launched into eternity by a Callaway County lynch mob in August 1873. He had at least two sons--George, who is mentioned in the above post as being with "Kesler" in the Reed/Anderson gang, Bill Anderson's first gang. And then there was another son, August, who was primed up to be lynched with his father, Peter, but made his escape.

The Aug. 16, 1873 St. Louis Globe reports: "...Previous to the war he lived near St. Joseph, under the name of Meyers." Now that's interesting because the Lexington Weekly Union article talking about the early murders by Reed/Anderson included a man named "Myres."

Anyway, the article continues: "He was with both Bill Anderson and Quantrel during the war, but declined to relate any of his adventures. He was not at the Lawrence massacre, but would have been if he had notice of it--and thinks the people of Lawrence got no more than they deserved. He declined to answer whether he was with Bill Anderson at the time of the capture of the mail and murder of the soldiers and citizens on the North Missouri railroad. After the war in 1865-6, he found that he could not remain in the upper counties and he went to Callaway, because he had heard southern sentiment was very strong in that county."

So, while in Callaway, he and his son August were implicated in the theft of two mules. They were saved from a subsequent lynch mob shortly after their arrest in May 1873. Soon afterward August escaped; another lynch mob got ahold of Peter, and strung him up. This was a pretty big, highly publicized affair at its time.