The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-11-12
For the Ouachitn telegraph
AN OLD PIONEERS STORY.
Murder Trial in Ouachita in 1916
by JOHN Il. FAULK.

Between the years 1907 and 1871 there
was great flow of immigration to
Ouachita parish, including many per-
sons who would have done honor to
any country, while there were others
whose removal was happy radiance
to tho place they left. One man among
the immigrants who came to Ouachita
parish in 1916 was Stephen Maddox.
This man had wife, with whom he
lived nearly four years. All of a sud-
den they discovered that they were
transgressing the laws OF the common
wealth, and they amicably separated.
Some fow months after this scpars,-
ton, Maddox offered his hand in mar
offer was accepted. They soon were
man and wife. Miss Donivan was one
of Il connection Of the most numerous
families then in all Of Onachits, par
ish, although Ouachita was then COM
posed Of territory fourteen times as
large as what is now known as Ouachita
parish.
The newly married pair settled down
about one mile from Mrs. Bakers, the
woman we once thought to be the wife
of Stephen Maddox. Some thirteen
months after the marriage of Maddox
| with Miss DOnivan, business called
him away to Virginia, the Mother of
States. During his absence,-I think,
~, hi; l,n,. al <,n
spent IL day with Mrs. Baker, carding
and spinning cotton into thread to make
cloth, for in those days it was the way
in which all were clothed. Both rich
| and poor, were clothed with home
spun, homc-woVe, homemade cloth.
Reader, those were happy, halcyon
days!
The day that Mrs. Maddox spent
| with Mrs. Baker, was her last day on
| earth. That day there fell Il heavy
rain. A friendly negro man came to
where Mrs. Maddox was, and ADDRESSING
her in his frcedom-like manner-no
doubt, as he had done Il thousand
times, for he belonged to the lady's
mother-hc said:
"Miss Patsy, you had better go home,
for you know it rained to-day, and
your house leaks badly, and your things
are wet. Sure you ought to go home
and take care of them.'
The lady replied: "I will go when 1
see fit"
| Three times the negro advised his
young mistress to go home and take
care of her furniture, she putting him
Off each time. SO it was, she staid I'M
til after supper, then took a torch of
pine G,ggots to light her home. She
got about half way, and there it ap'
peared her walk on earth ended.
On the next morning some ono of the
ncighbors went to Maddox's, but found
no one ut home. 1t appeared this per
sonagc knew that Mrs. Maddox hat
spent, or had been, tho day before al
Mrs. Bakers, for so all had learned was
her real name.
This neighbor continued on to Mrs
Bakers, and about halfway came upon
a large pool of blood, and the spot
amining around, on each side of tho
road, few rods distant on one side
there lay the upper portion ola woman's
body. The backbone had been severed
Just above the hips. The lower portion
of the body lay off to one side; the two
being about 100 yards apart. An in
FAINT, as it seemed to those vcrscd in
such matters, about four and-a-hal1
months Old, with tho mothers apron
spread over it, lay near by.
The news of the murder of Mrs
Maddox was carried over the ncighbor
hood with almost Geographic speed
Suspicion fell with lcadcn weight upor
NIilly Baker, that ~nc had murdered
Patsy Donivan, or rather Patsy Mad
dox; and in a short time Mrs. Baker
was Il prisoner in the hands of the
Sheriff, who had great difficulty in say.
ing tho prisoner from being lynchCd tc
death.
Mind, this was in 1911, and Mrs
| Baker was not put upon trial until 1916
Judge Dunlap presided as Judge, and
George Eustis was sent from New Or.
leans to prosecute the prisoner, and Inc
did it with determined spirit to make
an example of her. Guilty, or not
guilty, his mind was made up to make
an example of Mrs. Baker.
The Jury was, with no little trouble,
| E;,rl,t ,,ffG h. 1>n,